Recipes
November 20, 2013
Let’s Eat
Treasured recipes—and the stories behind them—from our staff.
336 Articles
Food & Drink
November 19, 2013
My Mother’s Kosher Dill Pickles (Made by Sammie Marshall)
The best pickles I have ever tasted came from my mother.
The Texanist
November 18, 2013
The Texanist: Do East Texas Purple Hull Peas Count as Good Luck on New Year’s?
Offering fine advice since 2007.
The Texanist
October 14, 2013
The Texanist: How Do a Husband and Wife Resolve Backyard Barbecuing Duties?
How do a husband and wife resolve backyard barbecuing duties? Illustration by Jack UnruhQ: My wife has recently taken a keen interest in my backyard barbecuing duties. In fact, last weekend she asked me if I wanted her to start cooking the beans from now
The Texanist
September 23, 2013
The Texanist
Offering fine advice since 2007.
Arts & Entertainment
August 15, 2013
On Sports and Sportsmanship
Q: I’ve had a tailgate party in the same spot for just about every Aggie home game since R. C. Slocum’s last season, in 2002. This year I’d like to make the move to a different spot, on the other side of the stadium, but it’s between two established tailgates, and I
The Texanist
August 15, 2013
On the Great Outdoors
Q. I am an avid South Texas hunter. A while back, I was en route to Concan and stopped to get gas when I saw a group of grown men shamelessly flaunting their pink camouflage hats and shirts. In almost three decades of hunting I have never seen a pink
The Texanist
August 15, 2013
On the Home and Lawn
Q: Will hiring a lawn service to do my mowing make me soft?Preston CulbersonNacogdochesSeptember 2009A: Well, boy hidy, Mr. Deep Pockets, seems somebody has suddenly found himself standing in some mighty high cotton. And, at the same time, in some increasingly tall grass. Did your numbers hit? Ol’ Aunt
The Texanist
August 15, 2013
On Child-Rearing
Q: My twelve-year-old daughter is a complete and unashamed tomboy. She hunts with me, fishes with me, and throws the football with me. Wouldn’t be caught dead in a dress. I love every second of it, but her mother thinks it’s come time for her to drop some of these boyish
The Texanist
August 14, 2013
On Dipping and Spitting
Q: I work for a technology company in a nice office in Austin—despite what you have heard, we are required to wear shoes. Anyway, I have a co-worker who dips Copenhagen and spits into a Styrofoam cup. Is this acceptable in an office environment? Mike Via e-mailSeptember 2007A: Though
The Texanist
August 14, 2013
On Romance
Q: How many Gulf oysters does it take for a person to see results from the aphrodisiac qualities that they are said to possess? My wife and I were recently visiting Galveston and shared three dozen to no avail.Name WithheldFebruary 2011A: Ah, the oyster. The most delectable and voluptuous of
The Texanist
August 14, 2013
On Beer, Tequila, and Other Libations
Q: If I go to a fiesta and take a twelve-pack of Lone Star with me and only drink eight, can I take the remaining brews home with me? John ValdezAustinApril 2008A: Experience tells the Texanist that even when one arrives at a party empty-handed, drinks
The Texanist
August 14, 2013
On “Y’all” and Other Matters of Regional Dialect
Q: My husband originally hails from Wisconsin, and I was raised in Indiana. After three years in the Lone Star State, we have become comfortable throwing a “y’all” or “fixin’ to” into our conversations at home, but we still feel a little unqualified to use these expressions in public. At
The Texanist
August 14, 2013
On Relieving Oneself
Q: If one makes a genuine effort not to be seen while peeing outdoors, can that still be considered urinating in public?Frank AllenRicardoMarch 2009A: Yes and no. The need to shake the dew off one’s lily away from modern facilities is one of life’s many inevitabilities (and one of its
The Texanist
August 14, 2013
On Bluebonnets and Other State Emblems
Q: Every year at wildflower time my wife, whom I love dearly, insists that I come with her and the kids for the annual bluebonnet portrait. I usually protest a little but inevitably end up out there on the side of the road with them. Do I really have to go
The Texanist
August 14, 2013
On Driving and the Rules of the Road
Q: I live in Arkansas but recently visited Port Aransas with my family for our summer vacation. We had never been to the Texas coast and were really looking forward to the trip, but it turned out that what could have been four beautiful days on the beach were marred by
The Texanist
August 14, 2013
On Guns and Weaponry
Q: How old need a boy be to receive the gift of a first gun? ChristopherAustinJanuary 2009A: Assuming that we are not speaking of some wild-assed hellion who will bury his relatives in a torrent of tiny steel balls the first time a firearm is laid in his hands, age
The Culture
August 14, 2013
On Sartorial Matters
Q: I was born and raised in Texas and have resided in New York City for the past couple of years. On a recent trip back home, I visited a friend on his ranch in West Texas and was mocked unmercifully for wearing skinny jeans. I will admit that the jeans
The Texanist
August 13, 2013
The Texanist: How Far-Reaching is the Tradition of the Piñata?
Offering fine advice since 2007.
The Texanist
July 15, 2013
The Texanist: Why is Driving Allowed on Texas Beaches?
Offering fine advice since 2007.
The Texanist
June 10, 2013
The Texanist: Have Rural Texans Always Been Close-Minded About Clothing?
Offering fine advice since 2007.
The Texanist
May 13, 2013
The Texanist: Who’s Responsible for Repairing an Old Barbed-Wire Fence Separating Two Ranches?
On why good neighbors mend good fences, drinkin' while dog walkin', and the proper way to dispose of bacon grease (hint: in your belly).
The Texanist
April 15, 2013
An Open Letter From the Texanist
To Daniel Vaughn, New Barbecue Editor of Texas Monthly, on the Occasion of His First Day On the Job
The Texanist
April 10, 2013
The Texanist: Should I Just Let My Dogs Loose on the Possums in My Backyard?
On unleashing the hounds, the definition of a dance hall, and relieving one's self in the Gulf of Mexico.
February 12, 2013
The Texanist: Can Texas License Plates Support Rival Sports Teams?
Offering Fine Advice Since 2007
The Texanist
January 23, 2013
The Texanist’s Take on Picking Pecans Out of Other People’s Yards
On pecan picking, marrying a Californian, and apartment dwelling . . .
The Texanist
January 21, 2013
The Texanist’s Parenting Quiz
How are you doing as a raiser of authentic Texan offspring? Take this handy quiz and find out.
The Texanist
January 20, 2013
The Texanist: Are Gulf Oysters Really an Aphrodisiac?
Oyster aphrodisiacs, hat manners, drill team attire, and why a man needs a weekender.
The Texanist
January 20, 2013
The Texanist: How Do I Confront a Neighbor Who Let’s His Dog Mess in My Yard?
Wayward dog droppings, “barbecue” versus “grill,” flag displays, and the best way to get a husband to slim down.
The Culture
January 20, 2013
The Texanist: What Happened to the Texas Hi Sign?
The disappearing hi sign, an off-color in-law, outdoor urination, and the critical function of weather-related small talk.
The Texanist
January 20, 2013
The Texanist: Is My Son Being Bullied or is This a Case of Boys-being-boys?
School yard bullying, game-day taunts, gambling etiquette, and children who dislike bones in their meat.
The Texanist
January 20, 2013
Pink camouflage, Floridian “friends,” a bedtime dilemma, and whether or not it’s acceptable to mock Chileans for their flag’s similarity to ours.
The Texanist dishes up a heaping helping of fine advice.
The Texanist
January 20, 2013
The Texanist: Where is the Texanist From?
A fond look back at Temple, a.k.a. Ratsville and/or Tanglefoot, that fair burg wherein your dedicated advice columnist learned the location of the thin line between right and wrong.
The Texanist
January 20, 2013
The Texanist: What Do I Do About My Vegetarian Son?
Vegetarian offspring, a barroom dispute, maintaining the “Texas identity,” and whether anything can be done to cure a marriage-threatening case of snoring.
The Texanist
January 20, 2013
The Texanist: Is It Real Tex-Mex if It’s Served With Black Beans?
The trouble with black beans, an unnatural attachment to Texas license plates, the perils of striking up a conversation in the restroom, and the discomfort of two men riding together on the same Harley.
The Texanist
January 20, 2013
The Texanist: Is It Legal to Be Buried on My Own Property?
Is it legal to be buried on my own property? Illustration by Jack UnruhQ: My wife and I are working toward finally buying some property in Washington County to retire on and have a place for the kids and grandkids to come and enjoy the
The Texanist
January 20, 2013
The Texanist: Do I Need to Stick With the One That Brung Me?
Dance hall guilt, faded accents, SUVs with “Truck” plates, and the ancient initiation ceremony at which a young Texan male is presented with his first firearm.
Food & Drink
January 20, 2013
Famous Texans on Their Favorite Burgers
Yes, even famous people have favorite burgers. And since the hamburger was invented right here in Texas, we decided to ask a few famous Texans to tell us their stories about their favorite burger experiences. Rebecca RobinsonMiss Texas 2008, Miss Congeniality in Miss America 2009Lives in Dallas Rebecca
The Texanist
January 20, 2013
The Texanist: What’s the Best Cure for a Jellyfish Sting?
What’s the best cure for jellyfish stings?
The Texanist
January 1, 2013
The Texanist: Is the Secret to Good Healthy Actually “Crazy Water”?
Is the secret to good healthy actually “Crazy Water”? Illustration by Jack UnruhQ: I am a Texan of advanced age who is hearing all the clamor surrounding health care. I grew up in Mineral Wells, drinking the famed water they merchandise, and I enjoy great health
The Texanist
December 1, 2012
The Texanist: Is It Wrong to Taxidermy Your Pet Dog?
My husband wants to taxidermy our dog when he goes to that big yard in the sky. I don’t. Can I convince him this is wrong? Illustration by Jack UnruhQ: Our family dog is getting on in age, and my husband and I have begun to
The Culture
October 31, 2012
The Texanist: What’s the Etiquette of Political Yard Signs?
What’s the etiquette of political yard signs? Illustration by Jack UnruhQ: My housemate and I have very different political leanings, but we’ve never let this get in the way of our friendship. We have an agree-to-disagree policy. Then, without any discussion, she put a yard
The Culture
September 30, 2012
The Texanist: What Are the Rules for Setting Up in a New Tailgating Spot?
The Texanist on tailgating, winterizing grass, and beer cocktails.
The Texanist
August 31, 2012
The Texanist: Do I Need to Stop Raising My Little Girl Like a Tomboy?
On tomboys, spiciness, and the end of the UT-A&M rivalry.
The Texanist
July 31, 2012
The Texanist: Can I Keep a Loose Country Dog?
Stray dogs, baby-blue guayaberas, matters of pigskin loyalty, and the proper disposal of beer cans at the beach.
The Texanist
June 30, 2012
The Texanist: Can I Shoot a Rattlesnake in My Suburban Backyard?
Unwelcome shotgun blasts, unwanted mustaches, uncouth behavior, and the un-bare-able truth about going sockless in your cowboy boots.
The Culture
May 31, 2012
The Texanist: What Are Some Texas Rites of Passage?
Violent mockingbirds, farm-to-market roads, football versus lacrosse, and the incredible nerve of storekeepers who charge for spit cups.
The Texanist
April 30, 2012
The Texanist: Do Country Dancers Ever Go Clockwise?
Boot-scooting in the right direction, leaving New York, wondering about the yardman, and trying out the cowgirl look when you’re no longer 25.
The Texanist
March 31, 2012
The Texanist: Are “Truck Nuts” Appropriate?
How to respond to those weird bumper testicles, pledge allegiance to the flag, ask to see the top of someone’s boots, and decide between sweet and dill.
The Texanist
March 1, 2012
The Texanist: Can I Discipline My Niece Over Spilt Dr. Pepper?
Disciplining a wayward niece, care packages for Texas soldiers, revisiting South Padre, and the truth about raccoon penis bones.