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Comfort Food, pt. 3

So here's another of my comfort foods: Tex Mex. And let me be clear, I am not talking about Mexican food, which is very good. Tex Mex is much different, and better, in my opinion.

My roots run deep here, from early memories of El Chico (back when that was a pretty good place to eat) to Jose's Restaurant in Cleburne, to Joe T. Garcia's in Fort Worth, to many wonderful little places in San Antonio (my favorite was Tex Mex Willie's, which moved and changed names). That meaty, cheesy, spicy flavor has left an indelible mark on my life. When I need to reconnect with something deep inside me, it never hurts to have Tex Mex.

So, what separates Tex Mex from traditional Mexican cuisine? I'm glad you asked. There are several answers to this, but two things stand out in a big way.

First, Tex Mex uses yellow cheese. This is the American influence on traditional Mexican fare that made it north of the border. Government cheese was easy to produce, often free, and was bright yellow. We call it "American Cheese" now. It was so readily available in the homes of many poor Texas families that it was incorporated into traditional Mexican cooking. When these folks set out to start restaurants and diners offering food "the way Mama used to make it," that meant using yellow cheese as well. Today many places have switched to using cheddar cheese instead of American, which is what I prefer. Cheddar tends to be tastier, but greasier, and it preserves that splendid yellow color that says, "Tex Mex."

The second thing that separates Tex Mex from traditional fare is chili gravy. Please, no enchilada sauce, sour cream sauce, ranchero sauce, tomatillo sauce, or queso sauce or any other sauce. Just put the chili gravy on there. I have much to say about chili, but that will come later. Suffice it to say, whoever it was in the mists of Texas' past who adapted a chili recipe to make a tasty, meaty sauce to cover enchilada's and everything else, well that person deserves sainthood. Oh, those other sauces are good from time to time, but chili gravy is the real deal.

Now I'm hungry. How about you? Do your crave Tex Mex? Where are your favorite places to get your fill?

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