Full Description
There are certain things every Texan should know how to do and say, whether your Lone Star roots reach all the way back to the 1836 Republic or you were just transplanted here yesterday. Some of these may be second nature to you, but others . . . well, maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a few handy hints if, say, branding the herd or hosting a tamalada aren't your usual pastimes. That's where How to Be a Texan can help.
In a friendly, lighthearted style, Andrea Valdez offers illustrated, easy-to-follow steps for dozens of authentic Texas activities and sayings. In no time, you'll be talking like a Texan and dressing the part; hunting, fishing, and ranching; cooking your favorite Texas dishes; and dancing cumbia and two-step. You'll learn how to take a proper bluebonnet photo and build a DÍa de los Muertos altar, and you'll have a bucket list of all the places Texans should visit in their lifetime. Not only will you know how to do all these things, you'll finish the book with a whole new appreciation for what it means to be a Texan and even more pride in saying "I'm from Texas" anywhere you wander in the world.
Contents
Texas, the Texas Identity, and Me
I. Talk Like a Texan
Essential Vocabulary: Words and Phrases (and One Hand Gesture) You Oughta Know
¿Hablas Spanglish?
A Highly Idiosyncratic Selection of Favorite Texas Sayings
You're Saying It Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to Places in Texas
Root for the Home Team
Don't Mess With Texas: More Than a Slogan
II. Look Like a Texan
Buy Custom Cowboy Boots
Attach Spurs to Those Boots
Choose a Belt Buckle
Wear a Cowboy Hat
Get Big Hair
III. Rites of Passage
Handle the Texas Flag
Take a Bluebonnet Photo
Attend Fiesta in San Antonio
Celebrate Juneteenth
Go to a Star Party
Build a Día de los Muertos Altar
Survive Cedar Fever
Shoot a .22
IV. Tend the Ranch
Go Water Dowsing
Build a Barbed Wire Fence
Shoe a Horse
Cut the Herd
Rope a Calf
Brand the Herd
Barrel Race
Wrangle a Rattlesnake
V. Hunting and Fishing
Cut for Sign
Tie a Texas Rig
Noodle for Catfish
Hunt for Dove
Bag a Javelina
Field Dress a Deer
Tan a Hide
VI. Cook Like a Texan
Pork Tamales
Chili and Frito Pie
Texas Caviar
Breakfast Tacos
Barbacoa
Brisket
King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Fried Chicken
Kolaches
Pecan Pie
Margarita
VII. Relax Like a Texan
Spit Watermelon Seeds
Play 42
Float the River
Tailgate
Two-Step
Square Dance
Cumbia
VIII. Tour Like a Texan
The Texas Capitol Building
Barton Springs
Gruene Hall
Cadillac Ranch
Dealey Plaza
Southfork Ranch
Spindletop
Mirador de la Flor
The Alamo
The Window Trail at Big Bend National Park
Acknowledgments
