The Texas Connection Vol. 24

July 14, 2021 Hanna Carroll

Happy Wednesday, Folks

As always, welcome back to the Texas Connection. Grab your coffee and read this week's interesting finds from your Pals at Texas Humor.

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Howdy, friends! Here's your news updates for this week:

In Your Neck of the Woods:

Our hearts are hurting. This $50M Buc-ee's isn't going to land in Texas...
This TX Chicken chain is offering $50k Salaries to Teen Managers amongst a worker shortage
What's Elon Musk doing in Bastrop, Texas??

Weird Finds:

Imagine going fishing in a Lake only to catch a giant goldfish
If you still haven't seen this Zillow Viral "Texas Castle" yet, here ya go.
Take a gander and read about the Haunted San Antonio Mansion: Gillespie Mansion
This 1,000 lb. Tiger Shark was just caught off the coast of Galveston

The Furry Friend Weeklies:

I'd thought I'd try something new... Here's the pet of the week from a Texas SPCA. Meet Sissy. She needs a loving home.
Have you ever seen a bear on a swing? Now you have.

Until next week... stay newsy my friends.

Paris, Italy, London, Athens – Texas has it all.

Did you know we even have our very own Stonehenge and Easter Island?

You don’t have to leave Texas to get a view of this Texas Hill Country attraction, just make your way to Ingram, Texas and you can say “I’ve been to Stonehenge… the II” . Built by Al Shepperd and Doug Hill, this simple unused limestone slab, found itself turned into an idea to replicate the prehistoric monuments of England. To add to the structure, after a visit to Easter Island, a replica of the heads found on Easter Island was built just off in the distance.

In 2010, Stonehenge II almost met its fate when the land was sold to a new owner – a new owner who thought the structure needed to be taken down. But with a little rallying from the local town of Ingram, they were able to buy the monument and move it to its current location, just off old lake ingram.

Been to Stonehenge II? Send us pics! And feel free to send us any new spots you'd like to share with the rest of Texas!

Happy Trails y’all!

Sid

Howdy Y’all!

This week I’ve got a fun fusion for you. I went to Smokin’ Beauty BBQ in Austin, TX, a Viet-Tex restaurant that combines the flavors of classic Vietnamese street food and Texas BBQ. Let’s dive in y’all!

The first thing I noticed when I pulled up was the stage, outdoor seating and live band! I never expect a place to have outdoor seating let alone a live band!!

The band in question was Kentucky Divide, a local band that is a fusion as well. They combine the sounds of pop and rock with bluegrass to give a unique and fun spin to any dinner. I won’t lie, I did not want to sit outside at first because it was so hot, but their sound drew me out of the A/C and into musical bliss.

While the music was great, we all know why we’re really here. The food was equally as great and really made the whole trip worth it. I ordered their classic Brisket Banh Mi which is a popular sandwich from Vietnam that is packed full of meat and veggies.

They put a massive strip of brisket on my sandwhich that was probably close to an inch thick. Now, I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. I’m not a big fan of brisket, but I knew if I didn’t get the brisket bahn mi, y’all would be mad. The sandwich all together was quite nice. The veggies were all really crispy and flavorful. The carrots were lightly pickled and provided a nice vinegary flavor to cut through the fattinest of the brisket. As for the brisket, it was tender and fatty in all the right ways. I won’t lie, overall, the flavor of the brisket got lost in the creamy cilantro sauce. It was really unfortunate because it was such a good cut of meat, but it is what it is. I also got a side of potato salad that was absolutely delicious! I know a lot of y’all aren’t potato salad people, but I am, and it was great!

This food-venture, I was accompanied by a friend who ordered the spicy pork banh mi. Something I should point out is that neither of us were able to finish our sandwiches because they were HUGE. We split our sandwiches so we could eat try the different sandwiches, and y’all? That spicy pork banh mi was SO FRICKEN GOOD.

It was spicy, it was savory, it was Life Changing. It had fresh jalapenos, a sweet and spicy sauce, and sriracha to make sure you feel that heat. The crispy cabbage added a refreshing crunch and the pork was nicely seasoned. Overall this sandwich was a slam dunk! The fried though, my friend and I were split. I thought they were great! Very crispy, not too salty, and perfect for dipping in a sauce. My friend however, he felt they could have been saltier. To each their own I guess, but you can always pick another side that would fit to your pallet! OVeral this trip was a success, and I hope you are able to visit Smokin’ Beauty in the future. When I go back, I think I would probably order that spicy pork banh mi or their smokin’ fries which features that brisket on a bed of those crispy fries with all the fixings.

Until next time, I hope you eat something delicious!

5 Invasive species in Texas and why they suck…

1. Zebra Mussels

Ok these things are just gross and annoying. They colonize waterways and basically cause a whole mess of problems in the food chain. But wait, they clean the water right, that's a good thing? WRONG! Clear water doesn't mean great things for aquatic life that depends on the survival of phytoplankton to live.

2. European Starling

Look at this smug little turd. These we’re introduced in the U.S. in the 1890s because some dumb dumb thought it was cool because its the bird included in evey Shakespear play. But these winged rats basically take over native birds' nests by putting their eggs in the nest and waiting for the baby starling to hatch and kill all its nest bros and mooch off of that poor bird parent!

3. Air Potato

Seems innocent enough just a vine with some above ground spuds. But this is actually a super invasive plant that can overtake areas full of actually beneficial plant life. Also this stuff is super toxic so it's not even good for wildlife.

4. Tiger Mosquito

It's a mosquito...need I say more?

5. Torpedo Bug

These gross little things need to LEAF us alone. They basically eat produce and leave this gross substance that causes mold and bacteria to grow on the mother plant. Making the world a worse place one fruit at a time.