By Kolina
Last weekend I escaped the chilly February temps and took refuge in Austin, Texas. I spent a few days hiking, swimming, wine tasting and, most importantly, eating. Austin is known for its hearty barbecue, so for a meal to satisfy our wine-filled bellies, my fellow travelers and I made a pit stop at Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q. The “Country Store” part of the name refers to the fact that Rudy’s is connected to a gas station. You wouldn’t necessarily expect savory meats and sweet creamed corn from an establishment at which one can fill his or her gas tank, but Rudy’s made all my dreams come true. Instead of plates, we were given five pieces of wax paper to eat our meat and sides on. The crate-like device our food came on was topped with 15 slices of the whitest bread I’ve ever seen. As a bonus, we stocked up on all-you-can-eat pickles and onions to top our sandwiches. It was an exquisitely trashy experience.
Barbecue isn’t the only cuisine Texas is known for, however; it’s also a hotspot for Tex-Mex. Now, if you’re like me, you’ve used this term loosely several times, but never thought much about where the “Tex” part came from. If “Tex” refers to Texas, then how can we call Don Pablo’s and Cowboy Slims Tex-Mex? Maybe etymology isn’t your guilty pleasure like it is mine, but I decided to stop wondering and get to the bottom of this very important roadblock to foodie wisdom. Austin gave me a chance to do this.
It turns out the only difference between Mexican and Tex-Mex – coming from the mouth of a Texan, mind you – is that the latter has a lot more cheese and sour cream. That’s it. The real and un-biased answer to the question is that Tex-Mex (Texan + Mexican) is the combination of Mexican recipes and Anglo fare, and it doesn’t just refer to the Southwest (though it’s presumably more delicious there, considering its proximity to Mexico).
Does this mean that Pancho Villa and Salsa A La Salsa – both renowned Mexican establishments on Nicollet Avenue – are considered Tex-Mex, even though they are over 1,000 miles away from Texas? The answer is yes. Maybe we should call it Minne-Mex; that way it at least sounds a little more homegrown.
Whether the ingredients come from the Lone Star State or the Land of 10,000 lakes, Tex-Mex is the term to use for anything resembling Mexican found here in America. After tiresome interrogations, excessive Googling and grueling internal debates, I thought I should share this breakthrough with y’all.
So what’s your take on Tex-Mex versus Mexican? Where are your favorite local restaurants to get some of this ethnic food? Shoot me an email at [email protected].
Pingback: The Week-ender – March 5, 2011 |
I love Minne-Mex. I think that term will catch on!