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is may explain how I came to order a small plate of chopped watermelon and was asked if I wanted to put chili pepper, lime and salt on it. Fruits and vegetables have always been suspect in Texas. at dish of green beans goes undercover behind a tall hat, mustache, and dark glasses of deep fried batter, cheese, butter, bacon, slivered almonds... and chili pepper, lime and salt. e same could go for any vegetable and some of the veggie cousins, such as sh. Anything that grows in the ground, as opposed to on it, is integrated into Texas society this way. In the San Antonio Mercado, I ordered a piña colada, described as pure coconut, served in a hollowed out pineapple. is time, I asked for some lime (because you put the lime in the coconut) and received a quizzical expression. ree fruits together is a conspiracy. e drink came out with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle on top.
I’m not the kind of food writer that has the gift of e ortlessly nding funky, forgotten roadside places with tempting local cuisine every time I stop for gas. My interest is documenting how you and I actually eat along the road, no matter whether it’s at a sit down restaurant or a vending machine in a laundromat. I’d love to tell you about the historical origins of quirky regional specialties in Texas, but I’m going to come clean about what we actually ate, which may prepare you for your experience in the real world of Texas cuisine. For instance, lunch one day was a scoop of chocolate ice cream and two chocolate dipped strawberries. is was followed by a long hike out on the San Antonio River Walk with no restaurants in sight, until nally when we were starving and it was nearly dark, we
Top: Local avors are found at the historic Mercado in San An- tonio. Bottom: Chili, lime and salt on everything in San Antonio
18 Spring 2016
www.edibleorangecounty.com