April 2002 Issue

A Good Mango Is Hard to Find

Unless you’re Susana Trilling, who taught me how to prepare traditional Oaxacan dishes at her cooking school in Mexico. This month she’ll teach you too—right here in Texas.

Mack McCormick Still Has the Blues

His cache of unpublished interviews and unreleased recordings is unrivaled—but both collector and collection are showing signs of age. Who will save the legacy of the man who saved Texas music?

Does Napoleon Beazley Deserve to Die?

In 1994 the president of Grapeland High’s senior class committed a brutal, senseless murder. Now he’s on death row, waiting for the courts to decide his fate.

Caught Looking

When I was asked to step down as the manager of the Houston Astros last year, I bade a bittersweet farewell to a team I had loved for more than three decades. Among the many lessons I learned: how to motivate millionaires, how to lose in the playoffs. And I

Fine Art

Point of View Since 1993, the bodies of 266 murdered young Mexican women have been found in the desert surrounding Ciudad Juárez, an industrial city that sits directly across the border from El Paso. A multimedia exhibit that opened March 8 and runs through April 11 at the UTEP Union

A Great Weekend In Fort Worth

Sports Center May I have your attention, please? Fort Worth is the place to be the first weekend in April. For starters, check out Chevy Thunder Days in Sundance Square, a NASCAR celebration with concerts, racing displays, and driver appearances. Of course, you’ll also want to head out to the

Straight Talk

Nanu, Nanu Academy award- winning actor and comedian Robin Williams brings his first one-man show in fifteen years to the University of Texas at Austin’s Performing Arts Center on April 9, the Music Hall at Fair Park in Dallas on April 10, and the Verizon Wireless Theater in Houston on

Tune In

Independents’ Day In 1982 John Kunz opened the doors to a 1,200-square-foot music store on Lamar Boulevard called Waterloo Records. Austin has changed over the years—for one thing, Lamar had considerably less traffic in those days—and so has Waterloo. While Kunz watched other independent music stores barely stay afloat, and

I, the Juror

As a "recovering" attorney with a mixed record at picking juries, I always wondered what made them tick. After receiving a summons this year, I'm still deliberating.

Small Stuff

The Hyde Park Miniature Museum in Houston is an outsized testament to one man's love of his life's little treasures.

We Are the World

With colorful music and dynamic performers who hail from Africa, Asia, and all points in between, the Houston International Festival puts the globe onstage.

Perilously Plump

Texans love to say that everything’s bigger here, but when it comes to the waistlines in one in four of our largest cities, that’s nothing to brag about.

Our Towns

What's the story behind "Bug Tussle"? "Old Dime Box"? "Frognot"? It turns out there's more to a name than I ever expected.

Life of the Party

Night of the living Democrat.

Johnny Winter

Johnny Winter keeps singing his song.

Snow Job

The Dallas Police Department's Sheetrock Scandal.

Road Test

Anne Dingus puts her teenage son in the driver's seat.

Fish Cooked In Paper

Pescado Empapelado al Diablo (Fish Cooked In Paper With Devil’s Sauce.)One of the most relaxing places on Oaxaca’s coast is the picturesque Lagunas de Chacahua. At the restaurant Los Delfines de Chacahua, owner Juana Ramírez says that this is the most popular dish she serves. The “paper” used is actually

Cedar Smoked Scallops

Cedar Smoked Scallops With Cauliflower-Brown Butter Soup8-10 scallops (very large), cleaned2 ounces clarified butter1 tablespoon sea salt, finely crushed1/4 ounce cedar wood shavingsToss the scallops in clarified butter and season with the sea salt. In a hot sauté pan, quickly sear one side of the scallops. Place the scallops, seared

Taste of the Town

Senior editor Patricia Sharpe, a judge at this year’s Dallas Wine and Food Festival, talks about the biggest event.

Baked Squash With Chiles, Corn, and Cream

Calabazas Horneadas (Baked Squash With Chiles, Corn, and Cream)This combination of corn, squash, chiles, and cream is a comfort food for me, and this method is one of my favorite ways to make it. It is best eaten as a taco filling in corn tortillas and served with soup for

Grilled Venison Smeared With Chile Paste

Asado de Venado Enchilado (Grilled Venison Smeared With Chile Paste)Oaxaqueños have been eating venison since pre-Hispanic times. Although it is less available there now, it’s still used in moles and stews. I learned how to make this tasty dish from Carmen of the Restaurante Carmelita, located outside Tuxtepec. After marinating

Sweet Potatoes and Guavas in Syrup

Camotitos Potosinos (Sweet Potatoes and Guavas in Syrup)These sweet potatoes and guavas are simmered in clay ollas for the fiesta of San Francisco de Asis in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Enjoy them as a wonderful, healthful dessert (with or without ice cream) or as a syrup for French toast. Yum!1

Bacon-Wrapped Veal Tenderloin

Recipe from the Dallas Wine and Food Festival featured in “Taste of the Town” April 2002 issue of Texas Monthly6 five-ounce portions veal tenderloin (veal chop with bone cut off is cheaper but more fatty and not quite as tender) 8 slices smoked bacon olive oil as needed 1 yellow

Primary Flavors

Bubbles in Paradise Think of bubble tea as the Hello Kitty of beverages. The trendy Asian drink is as frivolous and fun as the perennially popular Sanrio character, with the same power to appeal to your inner adolescent. The main ingredients in bubble tea, also known as shaken tea or

On The Road

Top Of The Line We never need an excuse to hop in the car and drive to Round Top, but if we did, the assorted annual spring antiques festivals March 27-April 7 in this east central Texas hamlet would be the perfect reason. Part of the attraction is the chance

Scented Geranium

The Smell Of Yummy Here are my top five reasons to visit the Scented Geranium, a cool new Vietnamese cafe in Dallas owned by Sony Nguyen. Reason number five: The decor—minimalist and edgy, with walls painted chartreuse, lavender, aquamarine, and candy pink. Reason number four: The music—a soothing amalgam of

Right on Track

NASCAR racer Bobby Labonte is quick on everything—life and the racetrack.

Gate Session

Weatherford ranch manager Larry McWhorter sees his poem “Gate Session” as an ode to the cowboy code—a set of rules that he believes is dying out. “You didn’t ride in front of a man. It was just considered impolite,” McWhorter says. “It used to be that people respected that, but

SOWERS AND REAPERS

With a deep drawl that rivals actor Sam Elliott, J. B. Allen is the quintessential cowpuncher. The Cochran County commissioner has cowboyed all of his life, and that’s what he knows. He doesn’t call himself a writer; he’s just a cowman who writes poetry. His poems just come to him,

Proverb

Lubbock writer and poet Andy Wilkinson doesn’t sound like a cowboy poet on the phone, but once he gets on the subject, his knowledge is extensive. The balladry is as much in his heart as in his head. His style is more modern than fellow wranglers, but the message is

The Oyster

Cowboy humorist Baxter Black is known for his jokes, and so when he puts them in a poem, the crowds laugh twice as hard. “The Oyster” is one of his favorites, and he describes the poem as “a rubbing of cultural tectonic plates.”“It is country versus city,” Black chuckles. “‘The

Anthem

“Anthem” is Buck Ramsey’s calling card in cowboy poetry and serves as an introduction to his sixty-page poem “And As I Rode Out on the Morning.” Awarded the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship in 1993, Ramsey is considered one of the best Texas cowboy poets, and every

The Fence That Me and Shorty Built

As the cowboy poet of Texas, Red Steagall takes great pride in his poetry, as well as his songs. He considers “Born To This Land” from his first book Ride For the Brand and “The Fence That Me and Shorty Built” from his latest collection to be his banner poems.

The Men Who Ride No More

Horse-breaker Joel Nelson tries to carry paper wherever he goes, and the second a line hits him, he has to scribble it down, putting whatever he is doing on hold. It’s a good practice that led to his poem “The Men Who Ride No More.” En route to Hawaii to

Whooping It Up

Even though my family is steeped in Longhorn tradition, I decided to go to College Station for the weekend to see what it's like to be an Aggie.

Write ’Em

Modern cowboys tame poetry to tell about life in the saddle.

Racing Is in the Blood

Terry Labonte talks about his family's need for speed and success that could fuel a Texas racing dynasty.

Texas History 101

Brass bands in Texas entertained the masses and left a lasting mark on the state's music scene.

Smooth Ride

Teaching your child how to drive is no easy task. Senior editor Anne Dingus offers ten tips to make your assignment successful—and enjoyable.

Texas Tidbits

Chomping at the bit to see some Thoroughbred racing? We have something for you.

Back on the Ranch

Ken Kercheval, who played Cliff Barnes on the television series Dallas, talks about going back to Southfork.

How the West Is Fun

Baxter Black, the first full-time cowboy poet, gives away his formula for great poetry.

Books That Cook

Brennan's of Houston In Your Kitchen

Man Hunt

Executive editor Mimi Swartz talks about Wadih el-Hage and this month's cover story, "The Traitor Next Door."

Seein’ Red

Texas' official cowboy poet kicks back to talk about his life in poetry and song.

Happy Trails

Rockport is a jewel. Not only does this coastal town offer quaint bed-and-breakfasts but it also offers good restaurants and lovely vistas.

Does Not Compute

Why I won't plug in, boot up, or log on.

Around the State

Restaurant Guide