Twenty-Four Reasons Why We Love Texas

Admit it, food lovers of the world. There's a part of you that wishes you were Texan. And who would blame you? Texans, virtually all 25 million of them, have a way with food you won't find anywhere else: slow-smoked brisket so good it makes you sigh; plump Galveston Bay oysters seared on a hot grill; over-the-top steaks cut from prime Texas steer; legendary chili cook-offs; the world's greatest hot sauce festival; the mesquite-kissed cooking of the state's southern frontier; and that delicious hybrid phenomenon called Tex-Mex. And we're just scratching the surface. Texas also has artisan cheeses, burgeoning urban farm markets, brilliant winemakers, chefs who have made local ingredients a national obsession, and, lest we forget, the best margaritas on Earth. Is it possible to capture all the bravura and glory of Texas food in just 24 short articles? Probably not, but it would be awfully un-Texan not to try.