How-do! Welcome to Cowboy Town

Mostly when I was growing up, we went south to Florida or east to the Atlantic or north to Virginia. My first trip west of the Mississippi included layover in Dallas. Walking from one gate to another was all it took to convince me: The Lone Star Republic is another country.

Big hair. Comically big buckles. And freakishly big hats. In Texasland, every single person regardless of age, gender or ethnicity is part-human, part-cowboy.

Fast-forward to just after we got married and we ended up in Houston for about a year. Key impressions: It was so hot. People were so friendly. Hospitality was next-level. And Texans eat some weird and wonderful things.

For instance, if someone invites you to their ranch for a party and offers you prairie oysters, for the love of God please just say no. If someone offers you ranch water on the other hand, say yes. If you go to a rodeo, be forewarned that you will definitely eat some form of meat on a stick. (This meat may or may not be alligator.)

Cowboy Candy is one of the things Texans make with their abundance of chillies. We have friends who describe American cuisine as “swavoury”. In my homeland of Yankeedoodleville, anything that should be straight savoury will have an extra punch of sweetness. Cowboy Candy is exactly that. A sweet brine brings out the fruitiness of the chilli, but the tingly heat remains.

My favourite Cowboy Candy consumption methods are as follows. Spoon it onto homemade mac and cheese or arrange it on soft cream cheese on a toasted bagel. It’s also good on tacos and pizzas. (Maybe even on prairie oysters, but I really can’t speak to that.)

SIDE NOTE
My mom really does say HOW-DO when she greets people. It’s short for “how do you do” and “howdy do” and “howdy”.