Every community has their way of life. While some are somewhat similar to people of other cultures, some are never done elsewhere. This is what brings about culture shock to some people.
Thanks to Ibiene, visiting other communities is made easier as you’re taken around the world from the comfort of the palm of your hands. You visit the country even before you take a flight.
This time around, Texas is the focus. Texan life is a unique one filled with diverse cultures and weird traditions. Whether it’s how they prepare their food or the language they use, here are eight wonderful Texan traditions that only make sense to Texans.
1- Squatting beside wildflowers during spring:
Every spring the highways and fields of Texas are filled with the blue lupin known as bluebonnets, which is the official flower of the state of Texas. During this time of year, the highway department stops mowing the grass, and many people don’t mow their lawns. Instead you’ll find groups of Texans stopping along the road sitting in the flowers to take pictures.
2- Everything is intentionally bigger:
Texans like big things. The state is big. Their hat, their egos, their capitol building. In fact, it’s taller than the United States capitol building in Washington, D.C. As the saying goes, “everything is bigger in Texas”.
3- Texas flag is put on everything:
Texans are very proud of their flag. The Texan flag is where the term “lone star” came from. It’s the remnant of those ten years when they were their own nation, a reminder of their fierce independent streak. So it is used in logos, stamped on letterheads, on our license plates, and even sent delegates representing the state during national events.
4- Texans can have Mexican food for breakfast, lunch and dinner:
You will never have Mexican food in any other non-mexican region like in Texas. The love for Mexican food was so much that it was co-opted as theirs and renamed it “Tex-mex.” So a visitor can see a Texan have for breakfast tacos in the morning, quesadillas for lunch and fajitas for dinner.
5- No Ma’am, they’re not trying to make you feel old:
Texans are taught to be polite regardless of what age the recipient is. Texans even say “Yes, Ma’am,” and “Yes, Sir,” to children as a way to teach them how they should respond to everyone else. It may be a term of respect reserved for elders in other parts of the world, but in Texas it is extended to everyone, so they all feel respected.
6- How do you pronounce complex words like this?
Texans are notorious for creating their own pronunciations for words. Many city names in Texas are of foreign origin, so the citizens all agree on how to pronounce a word and stick to that. Here are a few more Texan pronunciations:
*Pedernales in Texan is “Perd-nales”
*Manchaca (in Austin) is “Man-shack”
*Palacios in Texan is “Puh-LASH-iss”
7- Waiting in line for barbecue, even if it runs out:
Visitors to Texas are always surprised to see long lines that wrap around restaurant buildings. It’s all for the barbecue! In Texas, eating barbecue often requires going through a food line (like a cafeteria setting). It’s absolutely worth the wait for a barbecue out of Texas, even if there is a possibility that it might run out before you get to the front of the line. Some even come prepared with fold out chairs for especially long waits.
8- For the love of the game – football:
Texans don’t joke with football game. Their high school football stadiums are as expensive as and on par with some professional stadiums. Thousands of fans gather to watch teams struggle to take the winning position.
The typical Texan is known to take part in a number of traditions not everyone understands. They are also famous for welcoming others who want to take part in those traditions with open arms and a warm smile. So when next you visit Texas some things won’t feel wierd to you and if they do, ask questions.
Do you have any uncommon tradition in your community that the world should know about? Please share with us I in the comment section.