HOW TO BE A TEXAN: THE MANUAL by Andrea Valdez

By Author Andrea ValdezI understand that the rest of America—and the world—regards Texans warily, their negative preconceived notions born out of the stereotypes and misconceptions perpetuated by popular culture. But while our rancher roots, unassailable swagger, and maverick mentality might give someone the impression that we’re a bunch of uneducated rubes or stubborn mules steadfast in our ways, Texas is always shifting, morphing, and evolving. We’re not resistant to change; rather, we encourage discourse and argument, all in the name of sharpening and improving ideas. It’s no accident that NASA chose Houston as the home base for its Manned Spacecraft Center, that our doctors performed the first heart transplant in the US, that one of our oilmen is the father of fracking, and that Texas has produced countless other inventions and innovations. It’s just that in our path to modernization, we’ve never been willing to forget our past. Texas is a pioneer state, and what is a pioneer but a person who paves a new trail with the bricks of tradition. At times, when I’ve imagined living elsewhere, I remind myself of what the true Texas identity is—or actually, of what it has become—and I’m confident that it continues to represent the philosophies and values I hold important. I still want to tell the world I’m from this place, for this detail to be a conversation starter with exotic strangers.

This book is one more step on my quixotic quest to illuminate others about what it means to be Texan. In it, I lean into the enduring myths. And I deliberately curate what some might consider a Texas experience that kowtows to the clichés of our state. Sure, most people who own this book won’t likely ever have the chance (or the cojones) to ride a bull, or the materials to tan a hide, or the patience to bake kolaches. But that doesn’t mean that in a definitive guide to being Texan, you shouldn’t be given the tools and advice to hop on and ride or roll up your sleeves if you’re so inclined.

Some Texans who pick up this book might question or laugh at the topics I’ve chosen to include. Go ahead. Because just as there’s more than one way to skin a deer, there’s more than one way to be Texan. And I partake in and relish many of our newer traditions: I’ve stood in line at Franklin Barbecue in Austin and eaten Vietnamese crawfish in Houston. I’ve zipped down I-10 going eighty-five miles per hour. I’ve trekked across state borders to gamble in Oklahoma and Louisiana. I’ve paid entirely too much for expensive leather goods simply because they were crafted in-state. But this isn’t meant to be a reflection of the modern “Texas experience” (and now for my next book . . . ); rather, this book is evidence that this place I love is the sum of all of those parts. Our culture has evolved in many ways, but Texas—maybe more than any other state—actively lives in its history. And it is that history that I want to be a part of for years to come.