Texas Country Reporter
January 30, 2023
The Last Peppermint Show: An East Texas Candy Shop Keeps a Tradition Alive
Halfway between Mineola and Tyler, Lindale Candy Company has been creating hand-pulled peppermint since 1946.
More Stories
The Stand Up Desk
January 30, 2023
January 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn?
You’ve had all month to read the latest issue of Texas Monthly. Take this monthly quiz and we’ll tell you how you stack up at the end.And if you got this quiz from a friend: Hello! We hope you enjoy it. If you do: become a subscriber today, and we’ll send
Art
January 30, 2023
Texas Charged 30 Artists With Capturing the Beauty of State Parks. This Is What Happened.
To mark the state park system’s centennial, the Bullock hosts an exhibit dedicated to the great outdoors.
Politics & Policy
January 30, 2023
Kyle Rittenhouse and What the Right Is Talking About When It Talks About Censorship
Booted from one locale amid outcry, the “Rally Against Censorship” proceeded—with an airing of familiar right-wing grievances.
By
Ben Rowen
![Ben Rowen's Profile Photo]()
Texas Country Reporter
January 27, 2023
Houston’s Hobbit Cafe: From Hippie-dippie to Double-decker
Founder Raymond Edmonds reflects on his Tolkien-inspired vegetarian cafe, which has expanded over fifty years and earned the love of even cheeseburger connoisseurs.
BBQ
January 27, 2023
Is the Fourth Slice the Barometer for a Well-Cooked Brisket?
Two pitmaster friends seem to think so. What started as a theory between them has spread into wider barbecue-nerd circles.
The Stand Up Desk
January 27, 2023
An Author Believed Elon Musk Would Benefit Brownsville. Not Anymore.
National Book Award finalist Domingo Martinez was optimistic about Musk and SpaceX in 2016. Now, he says, “it feels like we sold our souls.”
Music
January 27, 2023
Reexamining Erykah Badu’s Place in the Pantheon With José James’s ‘On & On’
The jazz vocalist pays tribute to the Dallas icon in ways that make her work feel fresher than ever.
By
Dan Solomon
![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Style & Design
January 26, 2023
Three Updated Pearl-Snap Shirts for the Modern Cowboy
With slimmer fits, moisture-wicking materials, and subtle shades, these styles are made for the wide-open plains . . . of Instagram.
Sports
January 26, 2023
The Rise and Fall and Resurgence of Pro Wrestling’s “Texas Death Match”
With WWE in San Antonio for the Royal Rumble, we look at the history of a particularly Texan contribution to the world of scripted combat.
Politics & Policy
January 26, 2023
How to Survive the Texas Legislature
The ways of the Texas Legislature are confoundingly weird. Here’s a guide to the madness.
By
Christopher Hooks
![Christopher Hooks's Profile Photo]()
and
Forrest Wilder
![Forrest Wilder's Profile Photo]()
Meanwhile in Texas
January 26, 2023
An Unforgettable Texas Tale of Envy, Embezzlement, and Fruitcake
The writer of an oddball 2016 crime story recalls emailing with an accountant who skimmed $17 million from Corsicana’s Collin Street Bakery.
By
Katy Vine
![Katy Vine's Profile Photo]()
Food & Drink
January 25, 2023
Barbecue and Mexican Cuisine Strongly Represented Among the 2023 James Beard Award Semifinalists
Eleven pitmasters are in the running for Best Chef: Texas, and thirteen Mexican restaurants are represented in various categories.
Film & TV
January 25, 2023
Kandy Kaye Horn Was Unknown When She Ran for Governor. A New Documentary Only Deepens the Mystery.
With ‘The Baroness From Kaufman County,’ two Austin filmmakers help the East Texas philanthropist tell her story the way she sees it.
The Stand Up Desk
January 25, 2023
The True-Crime Classic That Inspired HBO Max’s Forthcoming ‘Love and Death’
In reporting how Candy Montgomery came to murder her lover’s wife, the authors recall trying to capture a “time and place in Texas history.”
By
Katy Vine
![Katy Vine's Profile Photo]()
and
Sierra Juarez
![Sierra Juarez's Profile Photo]()
Tacos
January 25, 2023
This Brisket Isn’t Barbecued But Is Still a Smoky, Fatty Wonder Served in a Taco
Houston’s El Topo has won awards for its brisket suadero taco, which features nixtamalized blue-corn tortillas and a house-special salsa.
Style & Design
January 24, 2023
How a Texas Baby-Clothing Company Took Target Down (a Peg)
When Adrian Layne saw her best-selling print on Target items, she was flattered. Then she was furious.
Tacos
January 24, 2023
This Mexican Border City’s Signature Taco Is Best Devoured In Two Bites
In the Mexican city near Brownsville, tacos with various cuts and preparations of beef stand out, including tacos estilo Matamoros.
Texas Country Reporter
January 23, 2023
A Texas Artist Creates Detailed Images With Nothing but Her Lips
Natalie Irish describes her lipstick-art process as “making out with a canvas.” Her stamplike technique showcases her unique brand of creativity and playful irreverence.
Sports
January 23, 2023
Another Year, Another Dallas Cowboys Play-off Disaster
After Sunday’s loss, “America’s Team” is now 0–7 in NFL Division Round games since 1996, and 0–3 with Dak Prescott as quarterback.
Books
January 23, 2023
Jones, Manson, and Now Koresh: Writer Jeff Guinn Has Completed His Unholy Trinity
On the occasion of his third cult examination, Guinn shares what he’s learned about the charisma of evil.
Critters
January 23, 2023
After a Long Saga, a Weird Little Texas Cave Critter Is Staying on the Endangered Species List
The blind, elusive Bone Cave harvestman was at the center of a right-wing attempt to weaken the Endangered Species Act.
Texas Country Reporter
January 20, 2023
A Texas Man Discovered an Old Boat in the Attic. Now What?
Wichita Falls resident Jim Loudermilk carefully removed a 1930s racing sailboat from an old downtown building and restored it to its original glory.
Texas Country Reporter
January 20, 2023
A Nacogdoches Artist Creates Giant Metalworks for the Kids Inside Us All
Jeffie Brewer’s sculptures transform rusty metal into whimsical figures that look like drawings from a coloring book.
Film & TV
January 20, 2023
How Well Texas Cities Would Survive a Zombie Apocalypse, Ranked
The HBO series ‘The Last of Us’ spent its first act showing us how Austin would handle people-eating monsters. Houston, on the other hand . . .
By
Dan Solomon
![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Food & Drink
January 20, 2023
The Only Asian Grocer in Waco Serves Its Growing Community With Hard-to-Find Ingredients and Filipino Food
Even though East Market and Goods only opened in 2020, it’s already become a pillar in town, hosting cultural events and educating customers.
Politics & Policy
January 19, 2023
Michael McCaul Is the Most Powerful Texan in the House. Will He Be Able to Lead Foreign Affairs With a Divided Caucus?
The new chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee discusses divisions in the House on continuing aid to Ukraine, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and more.
Sports
January 19, 2023
A Regulatory Feud Threatens to End Thoroughbred Racing in Texas
While the state racing commission jousts with a new federal oversight body, business is cratering at Texas racetracks.
Texas Country Reporter
January 19, 2023
A Visit to This Is It, Houston’s Soul Food Staple
Texas Country Reporter interviews Craig Joseph, grandson of the restaurant’s original owners.
BBQ Joint Reviews
January 19, 2023
A Decade of Experimentation Led This Beloved Ramen Restaurant Group to Open a Barbecue Joint
Ramen Tatsu-Ya’s latest addition offers house-made noodles to dip into chili-inspired broth, whose leftovers are meant to be eaten as Frito pie.
Texas Country Reporter
January 19, 2023
A Forester Turned Artist Creates Wire Sculptures of Trees
Retired forester Mike Woody lives in a log cabin in the Piney Woods creating intricate tree sculptures. You just can’t make this stuff up.
Politics & Policy
January 18, 2023
Update: Family Members Press Congress on the Korean War Memorial Wall’s Errors
Families of those who died in the Korean War are asking Congress to investigate why their relatives’ names aren’t on the recently raised memorial wall in Washington, D.C.
By
Michael Hall
![Michael Hall's Profile Photo]()
Books
January 18, 2023
Brownsville’s New Independent Bookstore Is an Oasis in the Desert
Búho, opening in the historic district, is one element in the revitalization of the border town.
BBQ Joint Reviews
January 18, 2023
New York Deli Meets Central Texas Barbecue at This Pastrami-Forward Joint
Mum Foods’ Geoffrey Ellis grew up in Austin and spent time in Queens, and both places inform his menu, which features beef sausage and matzo ball soup.
Texas Country Reporter
January 18, 2023
Meet the Couple Behind the Tropical Taqueria in East Texas
Rogelio and Carrie Tellez combine the cuisines of their Mexican and Pacific Islander roots at a restaurant that serves tacos unlike any others in Texas.
Politics & Policy
January 18, 2023
Opinion: Texas Should Accept Medicaid Expansion
By not doing so, the state is jeopardizing the health of its most vulnerable populations and leaving billions of savings on the table a year.
Tacos
January 18, 2023
Egg Prices Are High, but Your Breakfast Taco Craving Doesn’t Have to Suffer
Some Texas taquerias have increased prices due to the egg shortage, so we’ve compiled a list of great eggless breakfast tacos in case you’re starting to feel the pinch.
Press Room
January 17, 2023
Celebrating 50 Years of Texas Monthly
February 2023 marks fifty years of chronicling life in the Lone Star State.
Texas Country Reporter
January 17, 2023
The Lone Bookstore in a Town With No Library
Heidi Frazier opened 40 Acre Wood over ten years ago with a mission to make books accessible to any and all readers in the small town of Lexington.
Critters
January 17, 2023
I Wrote a Book Called ‘The Leopard Is Loose.’ Then a Leopard Got Loose in Dallas.
An escape in 1950 inspired my novel. The wildly different public reactions show how much our relationship to animals has changed.
Music
January 17, 2023
Bob Dylan’s Favorite Texas Songs
Dylan lovingly highlights several Texas artists in ‘The Philosophy of Modern Song.’
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The Age-old Levi’s vs. Wrangler Debate Has Finally Been Settled
And everybody won.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The Great Texification of Dairy Queen
A stubborn and savvy group of franchisees turned the Midwest-based dessert chain into a Lone Star institution beloved for its steak fingers and Hungr-Busters.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The Taco Welcomes All Into Its Fold
Nothing transcends culinary borders like the tortilla.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Myrtis Dightman Is the Jackie Robinson of Rodeo
The Hall of Fame bull rider is the subject of an upcoming documentary and a Hollywood biopic—but if you ask him he’s “just a cowboy.”
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Why the Deer Are Bigger and the Hunting Is Easier in Texas
Wildlife biologist Larry Weishuhn explains the changes he’s seen in his lifetime of Texas woodsmanship.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The Pastor of Dallas’s First Baptist on W. A. Criswell, Donald Trump, and God Himself
Robert Jeffress resuscitated a once powerful church—and courted controversy too.
Music
January 17, 2023
You Don’t Know Texas Music if You Don’t Know Flaco Jiménez
“I can talk to my accordion and make it respond to me; I can make it happy or make it cry.”
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The “Come and Take It” Flag Now Symbolizes Something It Never Stood For
On T-shirts and bumper stickers, the flag that flew during the Texas Revolution has had its cannon replaced by an AR-15. Would our ancestors approve?
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Texas’s Big Ranches Are Still Selling for Big Bucks
Even when interest rates are high, people want a place where they can hunt actual bucks.