Barbecue Crabs (BBQ Crabs)
Barbecue crabs (or "barbecued crabs") is a specialty of the gulf area of southeast Texas. It is believed that barbecue crabs was first served by Willie Foster at Granger's at Sabine…
Archive for 10/2007
Holy Trinity (onions, celery, bell peppers in Louisiana cuisine)
Texas borders on Louisiana, and East Texas shares some of the same cuisine as its neighboring state. The "holy trinity" (or simply "trinity") of Cajun/Creole cuisine consists of…
Suicide Circuit (rodeo)
Rodeo is the official state sport of Texas. It's tough for the rodeo performers, who often suffer many injuries. The term "suicide circuit" for the rodeo business has been in use…
“Where friends meet to eat” (Kincaid’s Hamburgers slogan)
"Where friends meet to eat" is the slogan at Kincaid's Hamburgers (established in 1946) in Forth Worth, a place that's often cited to serve some of the best hamburgers in…
“Red or Green (or Christmas)?” (red sauce, green sauce, or half-red and half-green chile sauce)
"Red or green?" is the official state question of New Mexico. Really, it is. The "state question" was proposed in 1996 and finally signed by the governor in 1999. New Mexico is…
Show Me City (Missouri City slogan)
Missouri City (a city in the Texas Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area) got its name in the 1890s, when land was advertised for sale in St. Louis, Missouri. In October 2007, Missouri City…
“King of Beverages” (Dr. Pepper slogan)
"King of Beverages" was one of the first slogans for the soft drink Dr. Pepper (later simply "Dr Pepper," without the period). Several websites claim that the slogan was used…
“Lust in the Dust” (overly romantic western movie)
Hollywood had always turned out western movies, but Duel in the Sun (1946) became an infamous one. Actress Jennifer Jones was so sex-crazed that critics called the movie "Lust in the…
Texas Lemonade (Texas Limeade)
"Texas lemonade" can mean simple lemonade, or it can be a drink with tequila, vodka, rum or even beer. The "Texas lemonade" in Grady Spears' book Cowboy Cocktails (2000)…
Texas Bruschetta
Bruschetta is an Italian dish of toasted bread with various toppings, such as tomatoes, peppers, and cheese. Bonnell's Fine Texas Cuisine restaurant in Forth Worth serves a "Texas…
“Remember the à la mode!” (pie à la mode)
"Remember the Alamo!" (or, as some insist, "Remember Alamo!") was the famous Texas cry at the victorious Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. The inevitable "Remember…
Cheese Fries (Chili Cheese Fries; Jalapeño Cheese Fries)
The origin of "cheese fries" (cheese added to french fries) is in dispute. The dish is claimed by both Philadelphia and Chicago, dating from the early 1980s. Hostess distributed frozen…
“Dr. Pepper - Good for Life”
Dr Pepper (now without the period for "Dr.") is a soft drink that began in Waco, Texas in 1885. "Good for life!" is one of Dr Pepper's longest-used slogans, from 1923 until…
“Food, People, Heart & Soul” (United Supermarkets slogan)
"Food, People, Heart & Soul" is the the 2003 slogan of United Supermarkets, a chain that began in Oklahoma in 1916 but is now based in Lubbock, Texas. Wikipedia: United…
Texas Bloody Mary (cocktail)
A Texas Bloody Mary cocktail is a Bloody Mary (vodka and tomato juice) with some spices added, and often garnished with jalapeño olives. Beer and Clamato (tomato and clam juice) is another drink…
Pinky Friedman (pink cocktail named after Kinky Friedman)
The "Pinky Friedman" cocktail was first created in 2005 and named after Texas author and then-gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman. The pink drink contains Paula's Texas Orange…
“If you can’t take their money…and vote against them, you don’t belong in the legislature”
"If you can't take their money, drink their whiskey, screw their women, and vote against 'em anyway, you don't belong in the Legislature" is a quote by Molly Ivins…
“Light as air, stronger than whiskey, and cheap as dirt” (barbed wire)
In 1877, John Warne Gates made a display of barbed wire in San Antonio's Military Plaza. It's "light as air, stronger than whiskey, and cheap as dirt," Gates allegedly told the…
“When every other land rejects us, this is the soil that freely takes us” (“Texas” folk etymology)
"When every other land rejects us, this is the soil that freely takes us" is a rhyme concocted by the Cincinnati Republican in 1839, humorously asserting that "Texas" derives…
Chicken Peppers
Chicken peppers is a specialty of Bayer’s Kolonialwaren und Backeri, a German bakery in Muenster. The recipe is not listed on any website. Several local restaurants -- Shooters Sports Bar &…