“It’s impolite to ask a person where they are from. If they are from Texas, they will tell you. If they are not from Texas, it’s not nice to embarrass them,” the late journalist and author John Gunther once quipped. And he’s right. Besides, there are easier ways to tell if you’re dealing with a true Texan.
Take the quiz below, or take the extra challenge of the print edition quiz.
Spotting true Texans, whether native or adopted, is like studying creatures in the wild. You have to listen to their speech patterns, see what they eat, note how they interact with others, and observe various other habits and traits before you know you’ve encountered a real ones.
For example, when Texans tell you they are “fixing” to do something, it means they are about to embark on a task or journey. They aren’t planning to repair anything … that is, unless they say they are “fixing to work on the car” or something like that. “Fixings” are also a noun ‑ all the good sides that complete a barbecue meal. Note: Texans would actually pronounce this “fixin’.” Texans have pockets full of unused “g”s.
Texans can look you in the eye and say, “Why, bless your heart!” And even though you can’t tell if they are being empathetic or snarky, they still manage to make you feel a little warm on the inside.
If you let a Texan set an ideal menu, it will likely include some of the key Texas food groups ‑ chicken-fried steak, barbecue, Tex-Mex, and chips & salsa.
Furthermore, you can spot a Texan running around in shorts in the dead of winter. After all, the weather’s quite nice then.
So, are you a true Texan? Take the quiz.
