My tummy is extremely homesick for some good ol' Tex-Mex! If I could, I would hop in the car and head to Lujans (back in Lubbock Texas) to order an enchilada plate with two cheese and one beef. And while waiting for my food I would fill my tummy with queso, chips and sweet iced tea. But, I live far far away from any restaurant that knows how to serve up Tex-Mex so for now I will just have to daydream about it.

I recently read a New York Times article entitled "A Celebration, of Tex-Mex, Without Apology". Apparently this summer, the government of Mexico flew in the owners of 50 Mexican restaurants in the United States and Canada to teach them what's authentic and what's not. Personally I am partial to Tex-Mex and have no real appetite for "authentic" Mexican food. Among food snobs, the Mexican vs. Tex-Mex argument has been raging for decades.

The thing is that Tex-Mex ISN'T Mexican food. It's origins were surely inspired by our neighbors to the south, but it was "born" on Texas soil! So what happened to Mexican food when it crossed the border? It got cheesier and meatier. Yummy!

After sampling some of the top Tex-Mex establishments in Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston, the article's author who happens to be a former Texan now living in the Big Apple had this to say, "Neither the government of Mexico nor the high priests of that country's cuisine are going to get an apology from me. In the Lone Star state, Tex-Mex is as authentic as any food can be."

I say, "AMEN!"