ON THE COVER: Cover photograph by Steven Pumphrey
October 1988
Table of Contents
Features
The Good, The Bad, and The CountryIn the small world of country’s New Traditionalism, George Strait and Steve Earle still manage to be worlds apart. Good-bye, Kenny Rogers, Hello, WagoneersWhen it’s hot, it’s hot! And country music is hot tonight at your nearest dance hall, beer joint, or record store. The Fall of Country/The Rise of CountryAs Nashville pandered to the lowest common denominator, Texans found a new audience hungry for old traditions. One Brick Shy of a LoadNot your run-of-the-mill pickers and singers, these performers are determined to carve out new territory. |
Worked to DeathThe allure of Galveston Bay is not natural beauty but the determination of nature to survive ugliness. It’s the Way We’ve Always Done It, SirHow the Pentagon really works, as told by a Texan who tried to make it work a little differently. Tempest in a TacoTaco Cabana pioneered patio dining—a winning formula of Tex-Mex food and margaritas in the open air. When competitor Two Pesos introduced its look-alike layout, the lawsuits started to fly. Texas Primer: Football Hand SignalsFrom “Hook ‘em, Horns” to “Peck ‘em, Owls,” the Southwest Conference is football’s most hospitable habitat for hand jive. |
Columns
Behind the LinesTo Preach or Teach? FoodNights of Wine and RosesThanks to adventurous chef Michel Bernard Platz, the flowers at Dallas’ L’Entrecôte are as likely to be on the menu as in a vase. |
BooksThe Old West, the New SouthIn Anything for Billy, Larry McMurtry trounces the Western myth; Frederick Barthelme, in Two Against One, casts a cold eye on a self-desdtructing marriage. HealthMedicine and MiraclesAfter learning that he had cancer, the author began a search for a cure that took him far beyond medical expertise. |
Reporter
ReporterTexas Monthly ReporterCorpus Christi learns to grow through adversity; Houston gives Percy Foreman a rousing send-off; Austin ponders the mystery of the misappearing shoes. |
Miscellany
Roar of the CrowdBattling a ferocious foe. |
State SecretsIt’s beef against chicken in the war of weights. |
Domain: A TEXAS MONTHLY Editorial Supplement
Specialty of the HouseCulinary secrets revealed: You know that famous dish that your best friend always fixes? Well, we raided the kitchen and found the recipe. Vegetable PieRecipe from “Specialty of the House” |
Quick Cuisine: After the HuntA bird in the pan is worth two in the bush, especially when it’s quail. |
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