Tuesday Talks
 

October 11, 2011

Lela Puckett '12

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I just want to take this opportunity to tell you where I’m from and why I love it. When asked where I am from I typically answer with Texas. Then people say “Oh, I’ve been to Texas.” And knowing exactly where this is going because this conversation follows the exact same pattern every single time I reply with, “Oh really where?” “San Antonio,” they say. “Oh yes sir, Amarillo is about 9 hours Northwest of there.” Astonished they say, “Wow Texas really is a big state.” And I want to say there is a reason that people say “Everything is bigger…and better in Texas.” The other classic conversation that I have with people about where I am from goes like this: “Oh you’re from Amarillo… I’ve driven through there before,” as if they are shocked that anyone in their own right mind would ever want to live there.

For those of you familiar with Amarillo you know that “wonderful” isn’t really an adjective that you would use to describe it’s 40 mph winds, vulgar smell of cow manure, flat plains, brown colored landscapes dry as a bone, or the blistering hot summers. Believe me, these things aren’t wonderful, but rather the people and the food of Amarillo are what make it the place that I love so dearly.

No I don’t have an accent, no I don’t live on a ranch, no I did not ride horses to school, and no I do not have an oil well in my backyard. Believe it or not, these types of Texans do exist. I am a Texan that loves her meat. Y’all there ain’t nothin’ better than a big, juicy piece of steak. My affinity for meat has been going strong for 17 years now. Hamburgers, bacon, brisket, steak, ribs, it doesn’t matter what it is, my mouth will water and my taste buds feel right at home when I eat meat. Another delicacy is Momma Puckett’s cheese grits. And no it is not the “white stuff” that the dining hall calls “Texas Grits.” Rule #1: you cannot put the “Texas” label on food unless it has loads of butter and cheese. In fact, the three main ingredients that make Texan food so delicious are salt, butter, and cheese- all in “Texas-sized” portions of course. My granddad, for example, loves his salt. At every meal he proceeds to suffocate his food in salt crystals until he can actually see it, which he is ninety-three years old so that’s a lot of salt. Time and time again, frustrated he will ask my grandmother, “Mama is there any salt in this damn thing?”

When I came to Cate I was amazed at the fact that almost nobody knows what a Frito pie is. Let me enlighten you. A Frito pie is made up of layers of tender chopped beef, BBQ sauce, Frito chips, beans, and lots of cheese, of course. It’s one of those things that sounds disgusting but you haven’t lived if you haven’t tried one. You can ask Erin Griffin what her first experience was like eating one of these and she will support my claim. You may not know this but Austin Lokre and I share a passion for food and of course, the one and only, magnificent, filled with 23 flavors of goodness. Yep you guessed it…Dr. Pepper! Without a doubt my favorite drink is Dr. Pepper. Besides a juicy piece of steak there is nothing better than a chilled Dr. Pepper. Better yet when you put the two together…yes it gets even better!