Lifestyle

10 Ways to (NOT) Make a Texan Mad

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Texas is a legendary and enigmatic state, with a history as unique as modern-day life in the Lone Star State. Texans are among the friendliest in the world; however, that doesn’t mean that we smile through all those stereotypes about us. Prevent yourself from two-stepping right into those false ideas about Texans and our wonderful state with these top 10 ways to avoid making a Texan mad!

1. Barbecue is NOT Better in Your State

Barbecue surf and turf

Photo: Freeimages.com/Eric Dungan

It just isn’t, sorry not sorry. Our barbecue is a serious business here with competitions, fairs, festivals, and charity fundraisers built around the amazing deliciousness of our barbecue. Wood smoke, dry rub, and secret recipes make up the heart of Texas barbecue. Brisket is a food group here…you’re welcome.

2. Texas is a Massive, Diverse State

Texas state map

Photo: Facebook/Texas Map

“People don’t realize how massive Texas is, so when they see one small area, they assume the whole state is the same. That is simply not the case. West Texas looks drastically different than East Texas and the southern parts of Texas all look different than those two as well as each other,” as described on Rant Places. From the Gulf Coast to the Hill Country and the Plains of the Panhandle, Texas is so large that we have very diverse ecosystems and environments.

3. Always, Always Hold the Door for the Person Behind You

Rustic welcome sign

Photo: Freeimages.com/Gabriella Fabbri

Texans are quite friendly, and one of our biggest pet peeves is when someone doesn’t hold the door (so it’s slammed right in one’s face)! This is not a tradition is most Northern states, but we know all about Southern hospitality here. It is a gesture of politeness, of welcoming another, and of kindness.

4. Don’t Go Giving Us “That” Look When We Say Y’all!

Y'all necklace in Texas state outline

Photo: Facebook/Y’all Had Me at Texas

We know the look, just stop. The Texas vernacular might seem funny to outsiders, but dang it, it’s polite! “Y’all” is just a sweeter, nicer version of several other ways of addressing a group! Try this experiment from Rant Places, “Y’all is a simple contraction for ‘you all’ and it rolls off the tongue way better than any other so-called “proper” way of addressing a group of people. Say ‘youse guys’ to a group and then call them ‘y’all’ and see which one garners more smiles.”

5. Texans Love Our Football, Don’t Make Fun Us

Texas football

Photo: Facebook/Longhorn Network

We love our Friday Night Lights, our Saturday afternoons with the SEC, the NFL on Sunday nights and football on any other day that ends in Y! Fun fact from Rant Places: most Texas high school stadiums rival most college and some professional fields! Small towns in the Lonestar state start celebrating the weekly game early with a pep rally on Friday afternoon and then the big game that night! Outdoor patios are set up for Saturday and Sunday games, as well as the barbecue that goes along with this fabulous fall sport. A popular fall saying for Texas ladies is featured on t-shirts, like this one featured on Etsy, “Jesus, Sweet Tea, and the SEC!” We just love our pigskin here!

6. Texas Really IS That Big

Speedometer

Photo: Freeimages.com/Bartex Ambrozik

Texas is so big, we have to drive fast or we would never arrive! From Central Texas, one can drive for eight hours in any direction and just arrive at another state! In West Texas, we can drive for 12 hours and still be in the Lone Star state! Many out-of-state drivers underestimate how big Texas and drive under our 75-85 highway speed limits! A popular highway sign on I-35 is “keep it moving, stay in your own lane,” which is great advice for driving in Texas, as well as life!

7. We Close School for a Tiny Bit of Winter Weather

Icy Road

Photo: Freeimages.com/Steve Gray

This might seem ridiculous in Northern states, but we are equipped for summers that melt tar, not ice that freezes our roads! We know to carry a cooler home from the grocery store but not so much on how to drive in that frozen stuff! It doesn’t snow beautiful fluffy flakes to make soft and pillowy yards, it simply ices over!

“That fluffy, harmless stuff you northerners are used to doesn’t exist in Texas; you can’t drive on solid ice,” states Rant Places.

8. Texas is an Essential Ingredient in Tex-Mex!

Tex-Mex dinner

Photo: Freeimages.com/Shannah Pace

Food advertised as Tex-Mex in other states just is not! Onlyinyourstate.com proudly proclaims, “Newsflash: if you aren’t in Texas, it ain’t Tex-Mex. It’s just a lame, disgusting excuse for food.” We used to be Mexico, we know a little bit about this category of food!

9. We Don’t Ride Our Horse to Work, So Don’t Ask

Horse with rider at sunrise

Photo: Stocksnap.io/Priscilla Westra

Really? Do you know how much worse the traffic would be if there were a whole mess of horses everywhere? Now, there may be a horse or two at Whataburger, but that doesn’t mean that the whole state is living centuries behind the times!

10. Sweet Tea is Different Than Unsweetened Tea with Sugar

sweet-tea

Photo: Stocksnap.io/Robbins Flores

Trust us, we’re sweet tea experts. Every restaurant, especially barbecue, has a big jug of sweet tea and it’s delicious! It’s an art form, so much more than sprinkling sugar over unsweetened tea! This recipe from Food.com is a great place to start to make your own Texas sweet tea, and have a little Lonestar love wherever you are!