Hunger: Ugly Truths About Who Is And Isn't Hungry in America
Feb/28/2006 04:41 PM Filed in: Thoughts
from Purple Land
One of the great
blessings in my life has been to get to know many of
the folks who provide social services to the poor,
elderly, hungry and disadvantaged in the Dallas area.
Bruce Buchannon is the director of the
Stewpot,
a ministry of First Presbyterian Church downtown that
has grown over the years into one of the most
respected and stable agencies providing services to
the poor and homeless.
Even though Bruce and I were both doing "outreach" ministry at the time, I got to know Bruce through another unlikely connection: he and I were both members of the Planned Parenthood Religious Advisory Council. Bruce's church, and he in particular, had been targeted by Operation Rescue at the time, and were being picketed regularly.
We've both rotated off that board, and I've moved to another position entirely. But Bruce remains there at Stewpot, doing an amazing job each and every day.
James Raglund, columnist for the Dallas Morning News, visited the Stewpot this last week, and today he has filed a disturbing column for the paper. (read the whole thing here) It's about not only the usual suspects among the poor and hungry, but it's also about a disturbing new trend. The trend is that folks with paying, full time jobs, cannot make ends meet and are turning to places like the Stewpot for assistance... (Read the rest. Click here)
Even though Bruce and I were both doing "outreach" ministry at the time, I got to know Bruce through another unlikely connection: he and I were both members of the Planned Parenthood Religious Advisory Council. Bruce's church, and he in particular, had been targeted by Operation Rescue at the time, and were being picketed regularly.
We've both rotated off that board, and I've moved to another position entirely. But Bruce remains there at Stewpot, doing an amazing job each and every day.
James Raglund, columnist for the Dallas Morning News, visited the Stewpot this last week, and today he has filed a disturbing column for the paper. (read the whole thing here) It's about not only the usual suspects among the poor and hungry, but it's also about a disturbing new trend. The trend is that folks with paying, full time jobs, cannot make ends meet and are turning to places like the Stewpot for assistance... (Read the rest. Click here)
Barbara Jordan (Yes, she really was from Texas)
Feb/27/2006 04:43 PM Filed in: Things to
Like about Texas
These days,
when you say you're from Texas, you're likely to get
a few smirks and comments about politicians from our
state. Whether it's Rick "Good Hair" Perry, or either
of the George Bushes, the politicians folks hear
about from our state tend to be conservative, and
tend to be hated by just about as many folks as those
who like them. So, for those who hate Texas, or are
predisposed to, this doesn't help.
So, for all you potential or active Texas-haters out there, let me remind you of another politician and an unlikely Texas legend: Barbara Jordan... (Read the rest. Click here)
So, for all you potential or active Texas-haters out there, let me remind you of another politician and an unlikely Texas legend: Barbara Jordan... (Read the rest. Click here)
Crimes and Misdemeanors: A Scorecard for the Current Scandals
Feb/25/2006 04:44 PM Filed in: Thoughts
from Purple Land
There sure
are a lot of Republican scandals these days. And,
anymore, it's not just the kind where things
sound
morally
squishy or ethically weak. People are actually going
to jail. (Or about to) They're pleading out cases, or
being convicted by judges and juries. Jeez, it's
getting to be so many that it's kind of hard to keep
track of...
Talking Points Memo(TPM), one of my favorite blogs, has taken this to heart and now comes to your rescue. If the old expression is, "You can't know the players without a scorecard," then consider "The Grand Old Docket" your official Republican scandal scorecard. "The Grand Old Docket" is a new project of "TPM" where they keep track of the current status of all those indicted, convicted, or named as unindicted coconspirators. And, man, that list is getting pretty long. (Read the rest. Click here)
Talking Points Memo(TPM), one of my favorite blogs, has taken this to heart and now comes to your rescue. If the old expression is, "You can't know the players without a scorecard," then consider "The Grand Old Docket" your official Republican scandal scorecard. "The Grand Old Docket" is a new project of "TPM" where they keep track of the current status of all those indicted, convicted, or named as unindicted coconspirators. And, man, that list is getting pretty long. (Read the rest. Click here)
Living Legacy Update
Feb/24/2006 04:45 PM Filed in: Music News
We had
another rehearsal yesterday for the Dan Fogelberg
Tribute Show. In case you missed it,
I blogged last week
about Dan
Fogelberg, and one of the things I mentioned is an
upcoming tribute show to Dan which I am privileged
to be a part of.
Here are the details again: (Read the rest. Click here)
Here are the details again: (Read the rest. Click here)
Domestic Relations (It's a kind of law, and a new novel)
Feb/23/2006 04:47 PM Filed in: Life Happens
Charles
Geilich is a friend to both Dennise and me. He's the
cohost of a radio show, "A Lawyer and a Cop,"
that I've been
a guest on a couple of times in the
past year. He and his wife, Mary, are also the
friends who have really
great Maverick tickets. (I offer both of these
facts, in the interest of relatively full
disclosure...)
Before Charles got trained as a lawyer, he got trained as a writer: a journalism degree from UT Austin. As we've gotten to know each other, we've found that, except for golf, we have a lot other things in common. (For Charles, however, this is akin to saying "Except for breathing, we have a lot in common") We both have UT journalism degrees. We're both married to family law judges. We both like the same kinds of music and political thought. And we were both at that same undergraduate school at about the same time, and even find that we were at some of the same events (concerts at the Frank Irwin Center).
Which makes us wonder, if we met each other back then, were we nice to each other?
But, I digress...you can read more about Charles here. And you can read about his profession as a lawyer here. And as I said, before Charles was a lawyer, he was a writer. And now he's come back to those roots, with the publication of his first novel, "Domestic Relations."
The title refers to the old-timey name for "Family Law." In fact, I am told that older lawyer sometimes still refer to it this way. If you're like me, and you grew up here in Dallas County, you'll really identify with much of the "background" of this book. In fact, it may sound a bit like your own life. (Especially the early chapters about growing up in the suburbs...)
The book chronicles the life and times of family lawyer Norman Spiczek. It's written in an easy-to-read, and very conversational first-person, style. You'll feel as if an old friend is reading to you from his journal over coffee. But it's filled with humor too. If you can imagine Woody Allen ghost-writing an old Raymond Chandler "film noir" novel (only the lead character is a sophisticated urban Dallas attorney, not a gritty New York detective. And, nobody dies) then you can begin to understand "Domestic Relations."
In real life, Charles has wonderfully dry, quick, and sometimes cynically delicious sense of humor. So does his lead character, Norman Spiczek. In fact, there were at least two moments in the book where I literally guffawed out loud (as Norman relates his fears about having sex with his pregnant wife, and later when he's visiting a doctor for a vasectomy). But there is humor throughout the book.
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and sometimes truth and fiction are both pretty strange. I don't know a lot about family law, but I know more than the average human being. And I know enough to say that sometimes family law truth and family law fiction are both a little strange, and Charles Geilich does a good job of capturing all that strangeness. This is not a courtroom drama. No Perry Mason pyrotechnics here. But, then, much of a the average legal case does not actually take place in the courtroom. So, in that sense, it's much more realistic than the average book about the legal profession.
If I had complaints, they would be two, and they would be minor. One is a complaint is that Norman really loves to describe the female anatomy....breasts, specifically. Just about every woman character except his mother, secretary, and opposing counsel, are described in terms of their breasts.
The second complaint would be that almost all the "clients" come off as less than sympathetic. They are rich North Dallas people with far too much money to spend on a divorce. They are men who have gotten themselves into trouble. And they are old childhood friends who have totally changed their affectation and manner. Most of them have done things that make them unsympathetic to the reader, and it's Norman who rides to their legal rescue; making you sometimes question their motivations, other times his. Such stereotypical clients do exist in Dallas, and I know enough about this kind of law to know that most of the anecdotes in the book are loosely based on real-life situations.
But, I would bet that, now and then, Norman Spiczek encounters clients that he can actually, and deeply, sympathize with without reservation(he says as much at one point). I would bet he has clients whose stories he believes, and who don't lie to him, and who genuinely need a lawyer to help them get out of a jam. It would have been nice to have a story or two about them, to break up the line of annoying and petty clients.
We do end up with a lot of sympathy for the old high school friend, Lisa. And perhaps her becoming "human" by sharing a deep secret with Norman serves to remind us that each of these clients have similar stories of pain and angst, lurking beneath the shiny surface of their North Dallas personas.
All in all, such complaints are really pretty minor, and Charles does a great job of blowing a humorous kiss at his profession and the city of Dallas.
Learn more below:
You can read a profile on Charles that ran in last Sunday's Dallas Morning News here.
You can find another bio of Charles here.
And you can order the book right now from Amazon.
Before Charles got trained as a lawyer, he got trained as a writer: a journalism degree from UT Austin. As we've gotten to know each other, we've found that, except for golf, we have a lot other things in common. (For Charles, however, this is akin to saying "Except for breathing, we have a lot in common") We both have UT journalism degrees. We're both married to family law judges. We both like the same kinds of music and political thought. And we were both at that same undergraduate school at about the same time, and even find that we were at some of the same events (concerts at the Frank Irwin Center).
Which makes us wonder, if we met each other back then, were we nice to each other?
But, I digress...you can read more about Charles here. And you can read about his profession as a lawyer here. And as I said, before Charles was a lawyer, he was a writer. And now he's come back to those roots, with the publication of his first novel, "Domestic Relations."
The title refers to the old-timey name for "Family Law." In fact, I am told that older lawyer sometimes still refer to it this way. If you're like me, and you grew up here in Dallas County, you'll really identify with much of the "background" of this book. In fact, it may sound a bit like your own life. (Especially the early chapters about growing up in the suburbs...)
The book chronicles the life and times of family lawyer Norman Spiczek. It's written in an easy-to-read, and very conversational first-person, style. You'll feel as if an old friend is reading to you from his journal over coffee. But it's filled with humor too. If you can imagine Woody Allen ghost-writing an old Raymond Chandler "film noir" novel (only the lead character is a sophisticated urban Dallas attorney, not a gritty New York detective. And, nobody dies) then you can begin to understand "Domestic Relations."
In real life, Charles has wonderfully dry, quick, and sometimes cynically delicious sense of humor. So does his lead character, Norman Spiczek. In fact, there were at least two moments in the book where I literally guffawed out loud (as Norman relates his fears about having sex with his pregnant wife, and later when he's visiting a doctor for a vasectomy). But there is humor throughout the book.
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and sometimes truth and fiction are both pretty strange. I don't know a lot about family law, but I know more than the average human being. And I know enough to say that sometimes family law truth and family law fiction are both a little strange, and Charles Geilich does a good job of capturing all that strangeness. This is not a courtroom drama. No Perry Mason pyrotechnics here. But, then, much of a the average legal case does not actually take place in the courtroom. So, in that sense, it's much more realistic than the average book about the legal profession.
If I had complaints, they would be two, and they would be minor. One is a complaint is that Norman really loves to describe the female anatomy....breasts, specifically. Just about every woman character except his mother, secretary, and opposing counsel, are described in terms of their breasts.
The second complaint would be that almost all the "clients" come off as less than sympathetic. They are rich North Dallas people with far too much money to spend on a divorce. They are men who have gotten themselves into trouble. And they are old childhood friends who have totally changed their affectation and manner. Most of them have done things that make them unsympathetic to the reader, and it's Norman who rides to their legal rescue; making you sometimes question their motivations, other times his. Such stereotypical clients do exist in Dallas, and I know enough about this kind of law to know that most of the anecdotes in the book are loosely based on real-life situations.
But, I would bet that, now and then, Norman Spiczek encounters clients that he can actually, and deeply, sympathize with without reservation(he says as much at one point). I would bet he has clients whose stories he believes, and who don't lie to him, and who genuinely need a lawyer to help them get out of a jam. It would have been nice to have a story or two about them, to break up the line of annoying and petty clients.
We do end up with a lot of sympathy for the old high school friend, Lisa. And perhaps her becoming "human" by sharing a deep secret with Norman serves to remind us that each of these clients have similar stories of pain and angst, lurking beneath the shiny surface of their North Dallas personas.
All in all, such complaints are really pretty minor, and Charles does a great job of blowing a humorous kiss at his profession and the city of Dallas.
Learn more below:
You can read a profile on Charles that ran in last Sunday's Dallas Morning News here.
You can find another bio of Charles here.
And you can order the book right now from Amazon.
--30--
A Dubai-ous Deal: Can the President sail this ship into port. Or will this idea be dead in the water?
Feb/22/2006 04:49 PM Filed in: Thoughts
from Purple Land
What
an
interesting story this is, about the
Administration selling six American ports to a
company called "Dubai World Ports," and owned by the
United Arab Emirates.
It's interesting for a number of reasons. Because:
a) Nobody in the Administration apparently thought it would be a very big deal
b) It's conservatives leading the angry charge this week
c) The President pulled out the veto threat yesterday when it seems (from a "thumb in the air") that everyone on both sides of the aisle will support a ban
d) An Administration, whose hallmark has been the appearance of working hard on Homeland Security, looks like they're oblivious here
It's a really fascinating story... (Read the rest. Click here)
It's interesting for a number of reasons. Because:
a) Nobody in the Administration apparently thought it would be a very big deal
b) It's conservatives leading the angry charge this week
c) The President pulled out the veto threat yesterday when it seems (from a "thumb in the air") that everyone on both sides of the aisle will support a ban
d) An Administration, whose hallmark has been the appearance of working hard on Homeland Security, looks like they're oblivious here
It's a really fascinating story... (Read the rest. Click here)
Early Voting Starts Today (Do it)
Feb/21/2006 11:02 PM Filed in: Thoughts
from Purple Land
Last night,
Maria and I went with our favorite judicial
candidate to a forum in North
Dallas at Fretz
Park Recreation Center. It was a joint
meeting of North Dallas Democratic Woman, North
Dallas Democrats, and other sponsoring groups. And
there was a good turnout. Probably more than a
hundred folks. Maybe even a
hundred-and-fifty. Lots
of
candidates too. Especially those in the contested
primaries.
During a break in the speakers, I stepped out for a minute and happened to peek in the windows of the room next door. There, lining the other side of a movable wall that separated that room from ours, was a row of voting machines...
I was struck by the metaphor of it. On one side of the wall, the free-speech part of democracy in its most basic form:
- Ordinary citizens turning out for a candidate's forum, trying their best to be informed on the issues.
- Candidates, eager and bright-eyed (it's still early in the season...), ready to talk about their ideas for bringing positive change to our society.
Meanwhile, waiting silently on the other side of the wall, and not really calling attention to themselves: voting machines. Just waiting quietly for someone to come and use them. Waiting for someone to make that democracy real. Waiting for someone to make it more than just words and slogans.
Early voting starts today in Dallas County.
You can find out information about the early voting locations here.
Here is the sample Republican ballot.
Here is the sample Democratic ballot.
As you might suspect, I have pretty strong preferences in this election that I trust I don't have to repeat in this moment (OK, maybe I will). But more than anything else, even more than who wins and who loses, democracy stands or falls something along the lines of an old Woody Allen quote. Woody Allen once said "Eighty percent of life is just showing up."
Well, maybe it's just eighty-percent of life, but it's one hundred percent of democracy. The truth is that our democracy does not stand or fall at the end of a gun, or through the power of a corporation, or even within the coalescing of interest groups and the running of political campaigns. The key moment for democracy --the moment it stands or falls-- is through what does or does not take place in that room of that community center, and in a thousand other rooms in a thousand other centers just like it.
Democracy is about showing up.
It takes people, idealistic, passionate, patriotic, and perhaps even crazy enough to put themselves out there....to run for public office...to believe that perhaps they can answer the call to serve the people.
But it also takes all of you who come out and vote for or against them.
Do it today.
During a break in the speakers, I stepped out for a minute and happened to peek in the windows of the room next door. There, lining the other side of a movable wall that separated that room from ours, was a row of voting machines...
I was struck by the metaphor of it. On one side of the wall, the free-speech part of democracy in its most basic form:
- Ordinary citizens turning out for a candidate's forum, trying their best to be informed on the issues.
- Candidates, eager and bright-eyed (it's still early in the season...), ready to talk about their ideas for bringing positive change to our society.
Meanwhile, waiting silently on the other side of the wall, and not really calling attention to themselves: voting machines. Just waiting quietly for someone to come and use them. Waiting for someone to make that democracy real. Waiting for someone to make it more than just words and slogans.
Early voting starts today in Dallas County.
You can find out information about the early voting locations here.
Here is the sample Republican ballot.
Here is the sample Democratic ballot.
As you might suspect, I have pretty strong preferences in this election that I trust I don't have to repeat in this moment (OK, maybe I will). But more than anything else, even more than who wins and who loses, democracy stands or falls something along the lines of an old Woody Allen quote. Woody Allen once said "Eighty percent of life is just showing up."
Well, maybe it's just eighty-percent of life, but it's one hundred percent of democracy. The truth is that our democracy does not stand or fall at the end of a gun, or through the power of a corporation, or even within the coalescing of interest groups and the running of political campaigns. The key moment for democracy --the moment it stands or falls-- is through what does or does not take place in that room of that community center, and in a thousand other rooms in a thousand other centers just like it.
Democracy is about showing up.
It takes people, idealistic, passionate, patriotic, and perhaps even crazy enough to put themselves out there....to run for public office...to believe that perhaps they can answer the call to serve the people.
But it also takes all of you who come out and vote for or against them.
Do it today.
--30--
(Read the rest. Click here)The Frozen Margarita: How Tex-Mex Libation Met 7-11 Technology
Feb/18/2006 04:56 PM Filed in: Things to
Like about Texas
In
the last entry in this section, I
waxed about my love for Tex-Mex; and how, if you
love it too, then there's something you love about
Texas. This entry is sort of it's own special
subset of the last one. It's about a special part
of the Tex-Mex universe: the Frozen Margarita.
Perhaps one of the ways we can judge that the
Tex-Mex in general --and the Frozen Margarita
specifically-- has really become a part of the
American psyche, is that the Smithsonian Museum
has seen fit to acquire
the very first Frozen Margarita
machine. Like Fonzie's
jacket, or Walter Cronkite's chair, it now rests
in the hallowed halls of that great recepticle of
history...
I have actually seen this machine many times. For years, it stood inside the original "Mariano's Old Town," another fine Tex-Mex place about five minutes from SMU. (Well, it WAS....it's now closed. And the new one is at Skillman and Abrams. The family has also branched out into a new venture called "La Hacienda Ranch" which we also like, but which is a tad pricey...) You'd pass by this machine on your way in the door to have some fine food. Nobody knows the real history of the Margarita itself. But the history of the Frozen Margarita is that it was invented right here, in Dallas, Texas.
On May 11, 1971, Mariano Martinez --the owner of Mariano's-- got the brilliant idea to put Margarita mix inside a soft-serve ice cream machine. You should probably also know and remember that 7-Eleven was created here in Dallas too....and in those days, there was nothing bigger on a hot summer day than a 7-Eleven Slurpee. (perhaps a future entry?) So, one day after a visit to 7-Eleven for a cold slurpee, Mariano said to himself, "Why not do that for the Margarita too?"
And history was made. And it happened at just the same cultural moment that Tex-Mex was making its way from Texas, north across the United States, and eventually around the world. To use the theological word, it was the Kairos time for the Frozen Margarita to be invented. And so now, the original machine rests in the Smithsonian, and the drink itself has been, ahem, toasted by the likes of the Texas Legislature.
And I bet you like the Frozen Margarita. I bet you, or someone you know, has blended some up in your own home. And if you like them, then there's one more thing that you like about Texas.
I have actually seen this machine many times. For years, it stood inside the original "Mariano's Old Town," another fine Tex-Mex place about five minutes from SMU. (Well, it WAS....it's now closed. And the new one is at Skillman and Abrams. The family has also branched out into a new venture called "La Hacienda Ranch" which we also like, but which is a tad pricey...) You'd pass by this machine on your way in the door to have some fine food. Nobody knows the real history of the Margarita itself. But the history of the Frozen Margarita is that it was invented right here, in Dallas, Texas.
On May 11, 1971, Mariano Martinez --the owner of Mariano's-- got the brilliant idea to put Margarita mix inside a soft-serve ice cream machine. You should probably also know and remember that 7-Eleven was created here in Dallas too....and in those days, there was nothing bigger on a hot summer day than a 7-Eleven Slurpee. (perhaps a future entry?) So, one day after a visit to 7-Eleven for a cold slurpee, Mariano said to himself, "Why not do that for the Margarita too?"
And history was made. And it happened at just the same cultural moment that Tex-Mex was making its way from Texas, north across the United States, and eventually around the world. To use the theological word, it was the Kairos time for the Frozen Margarita to be invented. And so now, the original machine rests in the Smithsonian, and the drink itself has been, ahem, toasted by the likes of the Texas Legislature.
And I bet you like the Frozen Margarita. I bet you, or someone you know, has blended some up in your own home. And if you like them, then there's one more thing that you like about Texas.
--30--
TEX-MEX. Does YOUR State have an entire style of food named after it?
Feb/17/2006 04:58 PM Filed in: Things to
Like about Texas
TEX-MEX
Does YOUR State have an entire style of food named after it?
When I was fresh out
of grad-school, I took a trip to Washington DC
with my sister Dianne and my Dad. While there, I
reconnected with an old friend, who was now
living in Georgetown. She insisted that we come
by her place in and around lunchtime one day, so
she could take us to lunch at one of her
favorite restaurants. Now, this was someone who
had lived in Dallas. And this was someone who
was raised in Texas.
The place she wanted to take us was a Georgetown-area Tex-Mex Restaurant. It was a place she and her knew husband had found, and they were thrilled with it. "You gonna love it,"she told us.
So, we all went. And I have to be totally honest, it was one of the worst meals of my life. I mean that sincerely. It was really horrid.
We should have known better. In Texas, there are those who question whether you can actually get good Tex-Mex north of Austin.
Admit it, you like Tex-Mex. You probably call it "Mexican Food," and that's OK. But what you know as "Mexican Food" is really a Texas original. Mexican Food --or "Interior Food" as we call it here-- is a totally different animal. But, if you're going out to eat, and there's beans, rice, a taco, an enchilada, and a tamale, on your plate; that fine food conglomeration was created from the synergy of Texas and Mexican cultures. It's really a border food, created first in the border lands of the Rio Grande Valley. It migrated North throughout the state, and has now made its way all over the country and the world.
You can learn more about it here.
There are LOTS of variations on Tex-Mex. Let's be clear, Chi-Chi's is NOT good Mexican Food. I shudder to imagine the poor life-lessons these children are learning from this field trip. And Tex-Mex continues to evolve. Thirty-five years ago, nobody had heard of a Chicken Fajita, or even a Frozen Margarita. (In fact, linguistically, there is actually no such thing as a Chicken Fajita. The word has taken on a life of its own...just a part of the evolution of Tex-Mex)
There seems to be a kind of Tex-Mex that originates from Austin. Or, at least there seem to be a lot of folks from Austin who open Tex-Mex places in Dallas. Pete Dominguez specializes in "Austin-style Tex-Mex." His "Casita Dominguez" was about five minutes from my first apartment after grad school. And Dennise and I would probably eat there once a week.
The great Matt Martinez comes from a long line of Tex-Mex royalty. His father being the proprietor of "Matt's El Rancho" in Austin, and his own signature place being "Matt's Rancho Martinez" in East Dallas. It's about five minutes from our log house...and when we lived there we probably ate their once a week. (Are you detecting the trend?) Matt has brought a flair to Tex-Mex cooking. While staying with the basics, he delivers them with a lot of class and taste.
But probably our favorite Dallas Tex-Mex place is Herrerra's. We've never once actually lived close to one, so we will drive quite a ways to get to one. (For those of you who don't have a lot of Tex-Mex places, this is kind of like driving past five or six churches to get to the one you like...). There are the locations down off Maple...there's also one in Addison and Richardson now. Herrerra's is no-frills, classic, bed-rock basic, Tex-Mex. From the radioactively green Margaritas, to the bean soup and seriously greasy enchiladas, it's the real deal.
I you happen to visit the state, here are some starting places for your culinary enjoyment.
When in Dallas, be sure and visit:
Matt's Rancho Martinez
Casita, or Casa Dominguez
Herrerra's (any location)
El Fenix (we admit to actually liking it...)
Chuy's (Eric likes. Dennise doesn't...take that for what it's worth...)
Cantina Loredo (You're venturing away from the one, true, and apostolic Tex-Mex here...but the quality is quite good...)
When in Austin, visit:
Matt's El Rancho
Chuy's (the original on Barton Springs)
When in San Antonio, visit:
La Margarita
Mi Tierra
Let me be clear, all these places I've mentioned are the real-deal. I could be stranded on a desert island with any of them, and be fat and happy...literally. And I'll be happy to make additions to this list, as my stomach and your comments warrant.
After decades of obscurity here in our state, Tex-Mex food has rocketed to international acclaim and notice. It's changed the way we eat, even if you don't live anywhere near Texas. As food writer Robb Walsh has noted:
Thanks to Tex-Mex, salsa has replaced ketchup as America's favorite condiment. Tacos and tortilla chips have reached a level of popularity rivaling the almighty hamburger and french fries. Chile peppers have become a national obsession, and the popularity of guacamole has moved the avocado from total obscurity to the front row of the produce section. (1)
But let's be clear, the real-deal ain't no "Chi-Chi's." And we ain't talkin' no "New Mexican Food" either; with that green and red chili sauce that destroys the taste buds, and deadens the enjoyment of everything it covers. We're not talkin' Taco Bell either.
But there IS such a thing as the one, true, and apostolic Tex-Mex. We take it for granted down here.
And if YOU like it, then whether you realize it or not, there's one thing you like about Texas.
Does YOUR State have an entire style of food named after it?
When I was fresh out
of grad-school, I took a trip to Washington DC
with my sister Dianne and my Dad. While there, I
reconnected with an old friend, who was now
living in Georgetown. She insisted that we come
by her place in and around lunchtime one day, so
she could take us to lunch at one of her
favorite restaurants. Now, this was someone who
had lived in Dallas. And this was someone who
was raised in Texas.
The place she wanted to take us was a Georgetown-area Tex-Mex Restaurant. It was a place she and her knew husband had found, and they were thrilled with it. "You gonna love it,"she told us.
So, we all went. And I have to be totally honest, it was one of the worst meals of my life. I mean that sincerely. It was really horrid.
We should have known better. In Texas, there are those who question whether you can actually get good Tex-Mex north of Austin.
Admit it, you like Tex-Mex. You probably call it "Mexican Food," and that's OK. But what you know as "Mexican Food" is really a Texas original. Mexican Food --or "Interior Food" as we call it here-- is a totally different animal. But, if you're going out to eat, and there's beans, rice, a taco, an enchilada, and a tamale, on your plate; that fine food conglomeration was created from the synergy of Texas and Mexican cultures. It's really a border food, created first in the border lands of the Rio Grande Valley. It migrated North throughout the state, and has now made its way all over the country and the world.
You can learn more about it here.
There are LOTS of variations on Tex-Mex. Let's be clear, Chi-Chi's is NOT good Mexican Food. I shudder to imagine the poor life-lessons these children are learning from this field trip. And Tex-Mex continues to evolve. Thirty-five years ago, nobody had heard of a Chicken Fajita, or even a Frozen Margarita. (In fact, linguistically, there is actually no such thing as a Chicken Fajita. The word has taken on a life of its own...just a part of the evolution of Tex-Mex)
There seems to be a kind of Tex-Mex that originates from Austin. Or, at least there seem to be a lot of folks from Austin who open Tex-Mex places in Dallas. Pete Dominguez specializes in "Austin-style Tex-Mex." His "Casita Dominguez" was about five minutes from my first apartment after grad school. And Dennise and I would probably eat there once a week.
The great Matt Martinez comes from a long line of Tex-Mex royalty. His father being the proprietor of "Matt's El Rancho" in Austin, and his own signature place being "Matt's Rancho Martinez" in East Dallas. It's about five minutes from our log house...and when we lived there we probably ate their once a week. (Are you detecting the trend?) Matt has brought a flair to Tex-Mex cooking. While staying with the basics, he delivers them with a lot of class and taste.
But probably our favorite Dallas Tex-Mex place is Herrerra's. We've never once actually lived close to one, so we will drive quite a ways to get to one. (For those of you who don't have a lot of Tex-Mex places, this is kind of like driving past five or six churches to get to the one you like...). There are the locations down off Maple...there's also one in Addison and Richardson now. Herrerra's is no-frills, classic, bed-rock basic, Tex-Mex. From the radioactively green Margaritas, to the bean soup and seriously greasy enchiladas, it's the real deal.
I you happen to visit the state, here are some starting places for your culinary enjoyment.
When in Dallas, be sure and visit:
Matt's Rancho Martinez
Casita, or Casa Dominguez
Herrerra's (any location)
El Fenix (we admit to actually liking it...)
Chuy's (Eric likes. Dennise doesn't...take that for what it's worth...)
Cantina Loredo (You're venturing away from the one, true, and apostolic Tex-Mex here...but the quality is quite good...)
When in Austin, visit:
Matt's El Rancho
Chuy's (the original on Barton Springs)
When in San Antonio, visit:
La Margarita
Mi Tierra
Let me be clear, all these places I've mentioned are the real-deal. I could be stranded on a desert island with any of them, and be fat and happy...literally. And I'll be happy to make additions to this list, as my stomach and your comments warrant.
After decades of obscurity here in our state, Tex-Mex food has rocketed to international acclaim and notice. It's changed the way we eat, even if you don't live anywhere near Texas. As food writer Robb Walsh has noted:
Thanks to Tex-Mex, salsa has replaced ketchup as America's favorite condiment. Tacos and tortilla chips have reached a level of popularity rivaling the almighty hamburger and french fries. Chile peppers have become a national obsession, and the popularity of guacamole has moved the avocado from total obscurity to the front row of the produce section. (1)
But let's be clear, the real-deal ain't no "Chi-Chi's." And we ain't talkin' no "New Mexican Food" either; with that green and red chili sauce that destroys the taste buds, and deadens the enjoyment of everything it covers. We're not talkin' Taco Bell either.
But there IS such a thing as the one, true, and apostolic Tex-Mex. We take it for granted down here.
And if YOU like it, then whether you realize it or not, there's one thing you like about Texas.
--30--
When Religion Goes Bad. Or, When Religious People Do (A Terrying Video Symbolizes a Very Real Issue)
Feb/16/2006 05:01 PM Filed in: Angels and
Pins
Religion can
bring out the best of our human nature.
Religion can bring out the worst of our human nature.
Religion ought to teach folks to be more loving, more kind, more generous, and more caring. Religion ought to teach us compassion for our fellow human beings, a reverence for what is holy , for other humans, and for the natural world. Religion ought to inspire people to great acts of mercy and great attitudes of service toward the world.
It doesn't always, though. Sometimes, religion gets twisted. Sometimes, it becomes nothing more than rule-following. In fact, there are a great many people who believe religion is ONLY about "rule following," and not about any of the values I've mentioned above. Jesus used to get frustrated with these kind of folks...folks who were more concerned with following the rules than helping people. The Bible is full of stories where it's clear Jesus cares more for people than for following a set of rules... (Read the rest. Click here)
Religion can bring out the worst of our human nature.
Religion ought to teach folks to be more loving, more kind, more generous, and more caring. Religion ought to teach us compassion for our fellow human beings, a reverence for what is holy , for other humans, and for the natural world. Religion ought to inspire people to great acts of mercy and great attitudes of service toward the world.
It doesn't always, though. Sometimes, religion gets twisted. Sometimes, it becomes nothing more than rule-following. In fact, there are a great many people who believe religion is ONLY about "rule following," and not about any of the values I've mentioned above. Jesus used to get frustrated with these kind of folks...folks who were more concerned with following the rules than helping people. The Bible is full of stories where it's clear Jesus cares more for people than for following a set of rules... (Read the rest. Click here)
Dan Fogelberg
Feb/15/2006 07:47 AM Filed in: Balcony
People
Dan Fogelberg
(Note: I've done a little reorganization of the blog today, and created a new category called "Balcony People." Joyce Landgraff created the term some years back, to describe folks living, dead, fictional, and non, who were her support system....her cheerleaders....her inspiration. It seems to me that part of this blog should be to recognize those kinds of folks, and thus the new category. So, I've moved some old entries into this category, and will try to write new ones as life allows...EF)
---------------------------------
(Note: this entry utilizes external links to the iTunes Music Store. If you have iTunes installed, you'll be taken right to sound clips you can hear while reading. If you don't have iTunes installed, why not?)
When I was in college, I used to sit up late nights in Moore-Hill dorm playing Dan Fogelberg songs. It's been said that every guy starts out playing music because he imagines it will "attract the chicks." I certainly would have never admitted as much at the time, but I definitely had a fantasy back then.
My fantasy was that I'd be sitting in my room, playing a Dan Fogelberg song --perhaps something like "These Days"-- and some really gorgeous young coed would walk by, hear the music, come it to listen for a while, fall madly in love with me, and we'd live happily....well, you know... (Read the rest. Click here)
(Note: I've done a little reorganization of the blog today, and created a new category called "Balcony People." Joyce Landgraff created the term some years back, to describe folks living, dead, fictional, and non, who were her support system....her cheerleaders....her inspiration. It seems to me that part of this blog should be to recognize those kinds of folks, and thus the new category. So, I've moved some old entries into this category, and will try to write new ones as life allows...EF)
---------------------------------
(Note: this entry utilizes external links to the iTunes Music Store. If you have iTunes installed, you'll be taken right to sound clips you can hear while reading. If you don't have iTunes installed, why not?)
When I was in college, I used to sit up late nights in Moore-Hill dorm playing Dan Fogelberg songs. It's been said that every guy starts out playing music because he imagines it will "attract the chicks." I certainly would have never admitted as much at the time, but I definitely had a fantasy back then.
My fantasy was that I'd be sitting in my room, playing a Dan Fogelberg song --perhaps something like "These Days"-- and some really gorgeous young coed would walk by, hear the music, come it to listen for a while, fall madly in love with me, and we'd live happily....well, you know... (Read the rest. Click here)
Spies Like Us: Thoughts on the Domestic Spying Scandal
Feb/11/2006 05:03 PM Filed in: Thoughts
from Purple Land
I've been
worried about this Domestic Spying Scandal for
several weeks now. And now it's clear that, not only
am I not alone, but a lot of Republicans and
conservatives are worried about it too. To me, the
more the President defends the program, the more he
sounds Nixonian. Apparently, the Democratic Party
noted this too, and produced this
video.
The President continues to make two assertions that can't both be true:
1) That wiretapping needs a court order, and
2) That the secret spy program didn't break the law.
Either wiretapping does need or a court order, or the secret spy program did break the law. But they can't both be true... (Read the rest. Click here)
The President continues to make two assertions that can't both be true:
1) That wiretapping needs a court order, and
2) That the secret spy program didn't break the law.
Either wiretapping does need or a court order, or the secret spy program did break the law. But they can't both be true... (Read the rest. Click here)
Getting Priorities Straight (Mike Holmgren and hs wife remind us about what's important)
Feb/05/2006 05:04 PM Filed in: Angels and
Pins
Before
the
game gets going in a little
while, I wanted to post this story that I just read
about. This is the kind of story I love to hear
about, and it makes all the hype and bs of the day
fade away for me for a moment....maybe it will for
you too.
Here's the original reference, and the text of the story is provided below.
What caught my attention was Holmgren's quote about his wife:
"She works very hard at a lot of things that are more important than coaching a football game."
What an great perspective... (Read the rest. Click here)
Here's the original reference, and the text of the story is provided below.
What caught my attention was Holmgren's quote about his wife:
"She works very hard at a lot of things that are more important than coaching a football game."
What an great perspective... (Read the rest. Click here)
SBXL
Feb/04/2006 05:05 PM Filed in: HSOs from a
Bitter P1
The game
tomorrow is not my game. The teams tomorrow are not
my teams. And yet, riding my high from wise and
prescient pick in the college national championship
game, I feel led to put my .02 cents in here too.
(translation: I don't know how to quit while I'm
ahead...)
So, here goes... (Read the rest. Click here)
So, here goes... (Read the rest. Click here)