2 weeks deep in the heart of Texas.

[fulenn]

Do I have to go to mexico to get the large corn tortillas just made from corn with a little lime? The kind you can actually roll and they don't crack and stuff doesn't fall out? Only the small ones here and even in AZ where there is a large mexican population. What are those people thinking? The only thing you can do with the little ones is to layer them for enchilada casserole or mexican lasagna.

WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE SELL THOSE BIG CORN TORTILLAS!

didi

I'm not even sure you would find them in Mexico, at least not on the shelf. I live in Central Texas and have never seen them here; recently I have seen medium-sized tortillas that are part corn part wheat flour. I just texted a couple of friends who are from Mexico and was told that all I had to do was make them myself. I already do that, but just the small ones. Maybe you can find them in a larger city than Austin.

Fulenn

[dteresa]

for years I bought large ones when I visited arizona. Then they just disappeared. it's a conspiracy.

didi

[Wildapple]

fulenn, could you post your recipe for the tortillas? Thanks. I feel your pain Jim. I am also in the deep south (east) and it is so hard. I so love to visit my relatives in Houston because you can find anything there.

[fulenn]

fulenn, could you post your recipe for the tortillas? Thanks. I feel your pain Jim. I am also in the deep south (east) and it is so hard. I so love to visit my relatives in Houston because you can find anything there.

I just follow the recipe on the bag of masa. 2 cups of masa, a pinch of salt, and 1 3/4 cup warm water. Mix well, let it sit for 10 or so minutes, scoop out a golfball sized lump, roll it between your hands to make it round, then roll it out or use a tortilla press. This would make a small tortilla. I have made them larger, just use the same recipe and use more of the mixed masa. The large ones do not hold up to rolling very well; they crack and fall apart much easier than the flour ones. I like to use blue corn masa, but the yellow is the same procedure.

Fulenn

[txveggie]

Small town Texas is rough, what part of the state were you in (if you don't want to say the city), it seems to make a huge difference. We live in the Corpus Christi area and HEB has a great produce section and is improving the organic selection. However in my are I don't know anyone who eats this way, I know one vegan who is a chef but cooks with tons of coconut oil.

About those corn tortillas......the best way to heat them is on a cast iron skillet, dry of course! Just cook them on a hot pan until they start to brown and flip them, don't let them get crunchy though. They are more pliable and the flavor is much improved.

[f1jim]

I was in the little town of Coleman. It's about 50 miles south of Abilene.
f1jim

[frozenveg]

Interesting post Jim. yes it seems like travel is the hardest for finding good options. We have been recently going to Mex DF from our home in a town that has some veggie restaurant options. Luckily we have found a small grocery store with deli where we can stock up on rice, beans and tortillas, salads and fruit, so we can make our meals in our room. I always take camping plates and cutlery etc. with me. There is no micro or frig so we shop daily for what we need for the few days we are there. Dlee

Dlee, do you find cooked rice at the stores? How do you prepare rice & beans without a microwave or stove? I can see eating the beans cold from the can, but how do you cook the rice and heat the tortillas?

[LauraA]

I live in Richmond Hill GA, south of Savannah, and it is a really small town. There are three sushi places, and i can gets veggie sushi at all of them, or steamed veggies and white rice. They all know my name and my voice on the phone if I call for take out. The only other place is really subway, but I'm trying to stay away from bread. Oh, and there is always Wendy's!! Savannah has a few places that are good for this way of eating, though. Once I was at a seafood place, and my plan was to get a baked potato and some steamed veggies. I asked if I could get the broccoli steamed with no oil or butter or salt. The server gave me an odd look and said, "we can do that, but it won't taste good". I told her that would be fine! Take care, LauraA

[dteresa]

A thought occurred to me and I can't stop laughing. How do we get decent food in strange places? I can beat everybody. How do you get decent food in a hospital after surgery?

A dietitian comes to your room or they send up a menu. The dietitian will write down everything you request and what you will actually get is---whatever is on the menu.

In a rehab hospital recovering from a hip replacement, the dietitian wrote down what I eat and the only thing I actually got was oatmeal and fruit for breakfast. Everything else was meat and dairy. I could not even get a good salad. Once I ordered plain rice with no oil or butter or any kind of fat on it. It came to me greasy with oil. I asked about it and they said in the kitchen it didn't taste right without oil in it.

My daughters cooked for me and I stored my own food in the kitchen off the dining room. Will probably be going in for another surgery and this time will bring a cooler with my food. I hope there is ice somewhere on the floor.

didi

[Langeranger]

Jim, Road trips are always a challenge. My wife and I spent several days in June traveling, relying considerably on Wendy's for baked potato and side salad, both naked for a nutritious and inexpensive meal. I wrote an account of the trip and am including the most interesting dining experience of the entire run which happened to be our last day out. Here it is.

Our last night on the road. Muskogee, Oklahoma. The town made famous, or infamous, by songwriter and Country crooner, Merle Haggard. I called a local Subway. A woman answered. Sez I, “Hey, I heard that some Subways now have some vegan items on the menu.” That’s all I got out of my mouth before she stopped me. “Not in Muskogee, she giggled.” To the yellow pages I go. I spot The Magic Wok. Well, that’s encouraging. A bit of magic might be just the thing I need. An enthusiastic man with a high-pitched voice speaking good English, tinctured with an accent, answers. I figure he acquired the accent somewhere considerably east of Muskogee. He quickly convinced me he could fix a meal without using oil in his Wok. I think he even used the word “steam.” My kind of guy. “Pass the Wal-Mart, turn right, look for the Sonic. I’m right next door.” Explicit directions. Let’s go Royanna!
We wheel into the drive of what we quickly opine to be the shabby corpse of the snazzy Sonic “right next door.” For a moment, each of us I’d guess, wondered whether The Magic Wok had ever passed a health department inspection. From superficial appearances it might take some magic to clear that hurdle. Inside we discovered (1) we were the only patrons, (2) a small dining area where a dishpan size mixing bowl sat on a table, heaped with carved, raw chicken, (3) to read the menu board and the miscellany of, mostly hand-lettered, signage would take several uninterrupted minutes, and (4) the magic man with the Wok, all smiles, rightly guessing I was the guy on the phone minutes earlier. Probably in his mid-fifties, Steve Chang came to this country from Taiwan at age 22. He’s lived in New Jersey, Colorado, and California, and now Oklahoma. A few curiosity questions from me were all it took to prompt a non-stop, table-side account of his life as we snarfed down the meal he prepared to our specs. His parade of words was interrupted only (but frequently), by a peal of enthusiastic laughter. He told us of learning to cook by watching a chef where he worked. Later, at home, he’d try to mimic what he’d seen the older man do, tweaking the result, until his father gave his approval. His grown daughter is to visit Taiwan soon and has been given permission by Mr. Chang to remain there if she so wishes. We learned that he routinely puts in fourteen hours a day, keeping the magic place going.

Royanna and I are both a bit puzzled by our decision to not leave when we first laid eyes on this dilapidated eatery; particularly after we went inside and saw the raw chicken at room temp. Clearly, it wasn’t a pleasant place to dine. On the other hand, of all the meals we had on the road, Steve Chang’s Magic Wok was one of the more nutritious, but more lastingly, it’s the one that makes a memory. Put another way, Steve’s joint was no Wendy’s. And though we’ll never go back, I’m glad we went once.

good eatin', Don

[Clifford]

I am planning a trip to Texas with the thought of moving there in my retirement. This thread gives cause for concern, but I came on a local website that stated. No matter what you have heard and fear about Texas, you can visit or move to Austin and not be in Texas.

I know Austin is the home of the Engine No 2 diet plan by Rip Esselten, so I should find friends there.


I also like Sans Antonio as a possible destination. I would would appreciate comments.

[f1jim]

Don't be afraid to move anywhere! Every place has it's own unique beauty and intrinsic fine points. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and later moved to Texas to attend college. Moving there was different than visiting, which was my only experience up to that point. After a week or so of feeling isolated and worried about the major cultural differences I found myself getting more at ease. I fell in love with many aspects of Texas. The people couldn't have been more outgoing and helpful. I began to learn about the changing of the seasons and what each season brought. Like every place there were things I had to learn to adjust to.
The area between Austin and San Antonio (the hill country) is some of the most beautiful parts of Texas. Both Austin and San Antonio have big city amenities and you shouldn't lack for anything in either place. The smaller, more rural parts of Texas have their own specialness. Don't let preconcieved notions blind you to them.
I see you are from Cleveland and you probably would be the first to acknowledge that same truth about Cleveland.
There is a reason people live most everywhere and finding out why can be enjoyable. That's the beauty of travelling. Finding the special qualities of any place you visit.
We have McDougallers in most every corner of the country and they get by just fine. You can do it in Texas anywhere and it's easiest in the Austin/San Antonio area. We have McDougallers in the big cities, in the tiny towns. From Alaska to Florida.
You will be fine. Enjoy your visit.
f1jim

[BlueHeron]

I read somewhere that one of Dr. Esselstynn's patients featured in Forks Over Knives was served greasy vegetables on an airplane. He asked for a bowl of hot water and rinsed them off before he ate them.

[Clifford]

Thanks f1jim for your your excellent and complete response. This has removed my fear, and I am excited about the Hill country.

I am preparing for m trip.

[Happydaze]

I would buy or take a blender, either VitaMIx or Blentec. You will never have a problem and the product can be consumed the next day with no loss of quality or nutrition. I use mine most every day. You can buy one at Costco with 30 day ret urn policy.