Cowboys and Culture (Fort Worth slogan)
Fort Worth has been called "Cowtown" and "Where the West begins." Beginning at least 1974, the Fort Worth Convention and Visitor's Bureau advertised the city's…
Tacos de Trompo (Tacos Arabes)
Tacos de Trompo (also called Tacos Arabes) is another name for Tacos al Pastor. "Trompo" is Spanish for "(spinning) top," and meat is placed on a "trompo" similarly to…
Tortilla Soup or Sopa de Tortilla (Aztec Soup or Sopa Azteca)
Tortilla Soup (Sopa de Tortilla) is often called Aztec Soup (Sopa Azteca) in Mexico. Tortilla soup is one of the most popular soups in Texas; El Mirador in San Antonio is famous for its Sopa Azteca…
Tostada (Tostado)
"Tostada" (or the less-used "tostado") is simply Spanish for "toasted." By the 1930s, tostadas (fried tortillas) were advertised as "original Mexican corn…
“All broth and no beans”
"All broth and no beans" is another way for a Texan to say "All hat and no cattle." In other words, "all puffery and no substance." The phrase doesn't appear to…
Cream Gravy
Texans love cream gravy (sometimes called "pan gravy" or "country gravy"). Cream gravy is famously served with chicken fried steak, but it's also served with biscuits,…
“Fine as cream gravy”
"Fine as cream gravy" appears on many recent (post-1990) lists of Texas sayings, but pre-1990 citations are few. Possibly, the phrase began as "good gravy" and then expanded to…
Guinea Gangplank or Guinea Gang Plank (Verrazano-Narrows Bridge)
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (usually called simply "the Verrazano") opened in 1964 and connects Staten Island with Brooklyn. The bridge has been called the "Guinea Gangplank"…
“No dogs or Mexicans allowed” (“No Mexicans or dogs allowed”)
Signs reading "No dogs or Mexicans allowed" (or "No Mexicans or dogs allowed") were placed in some restaurants in Texas and the Southwest in the 1950s and 1960s. The civil…
Mexican Chocolate or Mexican Hot Chocolate (and “molinillo” or “little mill”)
Mexican chocolate (or "Mexican hot chocolate") has been served in the Americas since before Europeans arrived. Mexican hot chocolate is a popular treat in Texas (especially San Antonio…
Walking Taco (Taco-in-a-Bag; Petro’s)
"Walking Taco" or "Taco-in-a-Bag" are not really tacos, but are Midwest names for the Texas dish called "Frito pie." A bag of Frito's corn chips is opened and…
Sope (appetizer)
"Sopes" are appetizers that are served in many Tex-Mex restaurants; it is believed that "sope" originated in Guadalajara, Mexico. Sopes have been described as little tortilla…
Fried Ice Cream (Mexican Fried Ice Cream or Fried Mexican Ice Cream)
"Fried ice cream" is a popular dessert at Tex-Mex restaurants. It's often called "Mexican Fried Ice Cream" or "Fried Mexican Ice Cream." Fried ice cream is…
Fajitadilla (Fajita + Quesadilla)
A "fajitadilla" is a combination of a "fajita" and a "quesadilla." A large flour tortilla is filled with fajita chicken (or beef) and melted cheese. The term…
Al Pastor (Cabrito Al Pastor; Carne Al Pastor; Tacos Al Pastor)
"Al pastor" means "shepherd style," a term originating in northern Mexico. "Al pastor" is meat carved from a vertical spit, often seaoned with pineapple, onions,…
Redneck Rock (Progressive Country)
The music produced in Austin in the 1970s (mostly at the famed Armadillo World Headquarters, or at Willie Nelson's concerts) was a mixture of many styles, including country and rock. Jan…
“Guns Up” (Texas Tech)
"Guns Up" is the Texas Tech response to Hook 'em, Horns," the University of Texas hand gesture. Glenn Dippel (Texas Tech class of 1961) is credited with inventing and…
“Life in Lubbock, Texas taught me two things…” (Butch Hancock)
Butch Hancock is a musician who was born in the largely Christian fundamentalist city of Lubbock in 1945. Hancock's long quote about the town's Christian values has made t-shirts!…
“Texas is a blend of valor and swagger” (Carl Sandburg)
Historian/poet Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) is sometimes given credit for saying: "Texas is a blend of valor and swagger." Texas author Boyce House (1896-1961) is best known for his short,…
“Chile is one of the few foods that has its own goddess” (Diana Kennedy)
Chile con carne is the official dish of the state of Texas. Famed Mexican cookbook author Diana Kennedy provided one of the best chili quotes when she said that chile "is one of the few foods…