I recently had the good fortune of befriending someone from the Northeast. It’s the first time this Yank’s set foot on my turf, and I’m feeling compelled to show her some good ol’ Southern hospitality. My question to those of you who are familiar with both Texas and elsewheres (be they at home or abroad) is this: what do we do in this great Republic that might surprise/befuddle/please/annoy or otherwise inspire emotion in strangers to our land (other than, you know, continue to refer to ourselves as a Republic)? I’d like to prepare a cheat sheet to help my friend with the transition. I’ve already come up with a few decent insights, including:
- Hwy 635 is the slippery Satan in this Eden of ours.
- QuikTrip is so much more than just a gas station. Try the coffee! And the buffalo chicken bites! Mmm boy!
- Whataburger is all you need.
- Universities 101: UT and Texas A&M are NOT the same school! God help you if you suggest otherwise. Texas Tech and Texas A&M are like oil and water. So are UT and OU. Baylor is irrelevant (sorry, BU fans, it’s true!).
- Summer lasts from the beginning of May through the middle of October. Everything else is winter.
- Always carry an umbrella; you never know when it’s going to rain.
- True Tex-Mex and BBQ don’t exist across the state line.
- We “ma’am” and “sir” out of respect, not rudeness. It’s not required, but it’s definitely appreciated.
I don’t imagine you need to be a Texas resident to have more ideas. (After only a week and a half of residency, my friend has already discovered that Texas drivers are far less apt to use their horns than are our neighbors to the north. WHO KNEW!?) All I suspect you really need is an awareness of our customs. So what say you, friends? What makes the Promised Land so special?
3 comments:
How about the "greater" areas of our cities have the same population as most Northern states?
It is not uncommon for 20 somethings to own homes because we can build affordably in Texas. Price of living = JUUUUUUUST right.
We're a big damn deal ;)
It's so funny- Texans have such this mystique everywhere else- and I don't just mean in the States- I mean EVERYWHERE. Go overseas, let them know you're not American- you're Texan and suddenly they step back, their eyes dart up and down, trying to spot your holstered six shooter or bowie knife. Oh... thought of one more thing:
In Texas, women know how to throw a football. Right. And make it spiral. And chances are, in Texas, the average woman knows more about college football than women in any other part of the country. Or football period?
people in amarillo drive like total jackasses. i hate driving here! people have the worst road rage and drive very aggressively. a guy i work with had a gun pulled on him for cutting somebody off. i miss easy going midwestern drivers!
i do love how everything has the word texas in front of it. or a mention of texas. for example, "texas truck!" or dairy queen's jingle, "that's what i love about texas." like they aren't an international chain from illinois. haha.
i am sure loving texas panhandle weather though. sooo much nicer than houston.
that post sounded a little bitter. i really do love the great state of texas and its healthy dose of narcissism! i always puff up a bit when people ask where i'm from. yeah, that's right, texas! what lame state are you from?
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