Recently, I was visiting my family in the Northwest and I could not help but notice how different the way of life is in other states then back home in Texas. The people, the places, and the mannerisms in other states could never match those of the great state of Texas.
1. You use the word "Y'all" in almost every sentence.
The word 'Y'all' for a Texan is just a word you grew up saying. It is a word that was in our vocabulary from birth. The phrase "you guys" just does not feel right.
2. Sweet Tea is on every menu and in everyone's refrigerator.
In the North, sweet tea is not really a thing. Shocking, I know. But in the south, specifically in Texas, sweet tea is everywhere. It is a staple drink on every menu and in every home. When you have guests over, sweet tea is always served. It is always a battle in Texas over which fast food restaurant has the best sweet tea.
3. Southern Hospitality is a real thing.
In Texas, we treat everyone like our family, we invite strangers back to our home, your momma and daddy taught you your "yes sir's" and "yes ma'am's" and you would not dare forget it. You bring people a casserole when they are going through a hard time, and every Texas gentleman knows that chivalry is not dead.
4. There is a Tex-Mex restaurant on every corner.
We do not just call it Mexican food, in Texas we have a whole new name for it; we call it "Tex-Mex", and we love it. Of course, we have to include our state name in everything.
5. You blast the AC in your car and in your home year 'round.
It is always hot in Texas, even when it is not summer, it is still hot, so we always have the AC on. In the north, they build homes without AC in them and they just roll their windows down in their car. In Texas, we laugh at the thought of no AC.
6. You call every soft drink a "Coke."
When you are from Texas, the words "soda" and "pop" just sound funny. Every soda is a "Coke" and that's that.
7. All of your friends either go to UT, A&M, Tech, or Baylor.
Texas is proud of their Universities and you cannot live in Texas without having a friend who went, or goes to, one of these four Universities. And if you go there, you wear your colors proudly.8. You do not think you have an accent; everyone else just sounds funny.
Our accent does not sound weird to us, but when you travel to any state up north, people always comment on your accent and ask where you are from. To us, we sound normal, everyone else just sounds funny.9. You get angry when the speed limit is anything under 70 miles per hour.
Let's be real, in Texas, we love to speed. The goal when driving for any Texan is not to just get to our destination, it is to see how many cars we can pass, and how fast we can go, while getting to our destination.
10. It takes over an hour to get to any other major city.
Texas is like its own country in itself. The worst part of it, it takes forever to travel between major cities. It can be a pain, but it also makes for fun road trips.
11. You are proud of your roots.
If you are from Texas, currently live in Texas, or a recent Texas citizen, one thing is for sure; you can take the Texan out of Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of the Texan.