The girls and I are in Austin, TX…here for a week…Jill is visiting her family, and I am enduring the heat.
Usually, the first thing that happens when I get to Texas is the rapid consumption of large amounts of tex-mex (which is not to be confused with “mexican food”…tex-mex is a cuisine all it’s own). So tonight, we will be meeting Auntie Tiff for dinner at Pappasito’s.
It may be hard for some to understand my addiction to, and desperate need for, tex-mex…especially if said person did not grow up in central Texas, then relocate to Tennessee. While we’re extremely happy in TN, there are approximately two things that we miss about TX: Auntie Tiff…and tex-mex. You see, the population in Texas is 36% Hispanic…the population in Tennessee is 3.5% Hispanic. You do the math… 3.5% = no tex-mex.
Jill says she misses the tortillas the most. Texas tortillas are not like other tortillas. For starters, they were made less than 2 weeks before you purchase them at the store. In Tennessee, apparently folks think you are supposed to age tortillas like cheese or wine…this is not a good idea. Second, Texas tortillas, the really good ones, have a very fine coating of flour on the outside. This is a sign that they are homemade…you want that flour on your tortillas, trust me.
But freshness is really the key when it comes to tortillas. People in Tennessee must think I’m nuts, watching me as I’m sifting through the packages of tortillas, pressing on them to see which ones are the softest (the soft ones are freshest). One of the things I never really noticed about Texas (until I was subjected to 14-day old TN tortillas), is that in Texas, most grocery stores have a dedicated “tortilla lady”. Her sole duty is to make fresh tortillas every day. You can always buy a tortilla that’s literally “hot off the press”.
Today I thought about the tortilla lady, and how much I always took her for granted when I lived in Texas. I barely noticed her when I had all the fresh tortillas I could want. But now that the tortillas are gone, I miss her like she was part of the family.
This proves two things:
1) I am sometimes a selfish individual, who does not appreciate what he has until it’s gone.
2) Familiarity is the enemy of Appreciation.
And it makes me wonder how many other things in life I take for granted, but would miss if they were suddenly taken from me: Oxygen, Socks, Toothpaste, Paper, Remote Control, Soap, Virgil’s Rootbeer, Computers, Luggage, Air Conditioning, Freedom, Chairs, Friendship, Trash Bags, Light Bulbs, Straws, Door Knobs, Doctors, Pillows, Prayer, Rain, Sight, Scripture, Forgiveness, Caffeine, Reading, Refrigerators, Grocery Stores, Paved Roads, Running Water, Etc, Etc, Etc, Etc………….
It is easy for blessed people to long for what they do not have…and forget how much they’ve already got. We all have a “tortilla lady”…things that we love, but do not necessarily appreciate. Until they are gone…….
We have much to be grateful for. Think about it…
. . .
or you can learn from those around you when you have the opportunity, and LEARN how to make fresh homemade tortillas. I know this sounds cheesy, but i’m really trying to make a point. not only is familiarity fatal to appreciation, but by not learning from those people and circumstances around you, you miss out on potential to grow. I believe that a good way to show appreciation is by gaining knowledge from those around you… it’s all a process of maturing (which is great for fine wines, and not tortillas :D hahah ). just a thought :D
good point jennifer…we do miss out if we don’t make the most of every opportunity.
I did learn to make killer fajitas…breakfast tacos…and queso…but alas, tortilla-making is an art I never got to learn ;-) maybe I’ll have another chance one day…
Awww…. I don’t think I’ve ever been put in the same category as a tortilla before. But apparently in Jill’s eyes, I can only play second fiddle to a good tortilla. Lord, what must I do to surpass the tortilla??
I cherish your friendships more than a hot slice of NYC pizza. Austin just hasn’t been the same since you left :0(.
I’m pretty sure she misses you more than tortillas :-)