ON THE COVER: Illustration by Marc Burckhardt.
December 2006
Table of Contents
Features
The Greatest Tacos Ever SoldSixty-three of them, to be exact: from picadillo in Dallas and brisket tinga in Houston to carne asada gringa in San Antonio and chorizo-and-jalapeño in McAllen. Be sure you don’t leave this earth without trying each and every one. Eating A Dead HorseEven if you’ve never dined on the delicious remains of a noble steed, you probably have an opinion on whether the state’s two slaughterhouses should remain open. Boone Pickens does. And Charlie Stenholm. And Bo Derek. Not to mention the many traders and “killer buyers” for whom business is business. Ron White Gets the Last LaughThanks to the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, he’s richer than all get-out, and you’re not. “You Don’t Want to Know What We Do After Dark”The young, tattooed men who are members of the Southwest Cholos, La Primera, La Tercera Crips, Somos Pocos Pero Locos, Mara Salvatrucha, and other Houston gangs are vicious career criminals who regularly rob innocent people in some of the city’s most dangerous neighborhoods. They steal cars and break into businesses. They deal drugs on street corners. And they constantly wage war with one another. |
Spurs of the MomentThese practical accessories of the cowboy lifestyle are some of the world’s most-sought-after Western collectibles—and every pair has a story. Pasó por AquíJosé Cisneros, the legendary illustrator of the Spanish Southwest, is 96, almost blind, and nearly deaf. And, of course, he has no plans to put down his pen. The Best Public SchoolsA ranking of 574 elementary, middle, and high schools that really make the grade. |
Columns
Letter From HoustonPhysician, Heal ThyselfWhen Sam Hassenbusch was diagnosed with a deadly form of brain cancer, the only saving grace was his own history of treating the very same affliction. |
Reporter
Music ReviewThe Complete Atlantic SessionsMusic ReviewRockin’ Bones: 1950s Punk & RockabillyMusic ReviewNashville Rebel |
The Filter
Pat’s PickCentral 214 |
Miscellany
Editor’s LetterNow ServingRoar of the CrowdWalk This Way |
ContributorsPatricia Sharpe, Chester Rossen, and Penny De Los Santos. |
Web Exclusives
Taco HeavenSenior editor Patricia Sharpe on eating and ranking tacos. Horse SenseSenior editor Karen Olsson talks about horse slaughter—watching the deed, talking to advocates, and writing about the contentious issue. The Good DoctorWriter-at-large Jan Reid on interviewing neurosurgeon Sam Hassenbusch, who was diagnosed with the same kind of cancer he had been treating for years. |
Funny GuySenior editor John Spong on spending time with comedian Ron White. Freddy BoyFriends, admirers, and Texas musicians such as Augie Meyers and Ray Benson say good-bye to music legend and San Benito’s favorite son, Freddy Fender, who died October 14, 2006. |
Recipes
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