Is there no food item that I will not toss down my gullet then report my findings? I think not! And just the other day at work, I was the beneficiary of some mighty fine luck in that a co-worker had an unplanned layover in the Houston Airport and encountered a man selling beef jerky. Not just any beef jerky, but his own Po-Po's Old West Style Beef Jerky.
Now I must tell you that I'm not a huge fan of beef jerky, mostly because of the jerky part of the situation. I just don't like the idea that most beef jerky seems like leather to me. Oh sure, people spice it up or make it some sort of special flavor, but my usual complaint (aside from the cost) is the fact that it is tough.
This Po-Po's was like biting into a tender piece of steak. It almost felt moist and juicy as opposed to what I have experienced before. The flavor was incredible with a perfect blend of spices.
Now here is the deal; this guy doesn't seem to have a web site to sell his product, but he told my colleague that his family members sell the stuff out at Bussey's Flea Market. I sent him an e-mail and sure enough, he tells me that you can buy it from his brother out of the office there. Needless to say, I'm gonna have to make a trip out there to see if I can round up another pouch.
We went through an 8 ounce bag of the stuff in less time than it takes to spot a chubby girl at Curves. It wasn't until I read the nutrition information that we had just consumed 4 servings apiece at a rate of one a minute. Seriously, that was some good stuff!
I try not to steal other people's Internet stuff and post it here so please don't send me a bunch of goofy pictures (unless you want to), but this was just too rich to not pass on. A guy I work with got this sent to him from a friend who claims to be the taker of the picture. Of course, it seems like everyone says that when they forward e-mails involving unbelievable stories. So, for all I know, this could be a stunt from a movie or a Super Bowl commercial for Home Depot.
According to the "friend", this is on Highway 59 near Sugar Land, TX southeast of Houston, and the pictures were taken about 9AM on Tuesday, the 19th of February. 
The guy who took the pictures also says that, yes, the driver was on the cell phone.
Strange. Strange that the guy didn't make it to to San Antonio by lunch time.
Though we live in what many consider to be a pretty crowded area, complete with occasional bouts of bumper to bumper traffic on the drive to and from work,one of the beautiful things about living close to the ever moving edge of town is that, in 15 minutes or less, we can be out in the middle of open country. And we like to take advantage of that.
You need only take a single flight between San Antonio and Dallas or San Antonio and Houston, and you can see just how wide open and unpopulated the state of Texas is. But sprinkled between the major cities are small little towns, each of them with their own interesting history and architecture worth exploring when you get a chance. 
Today, we headed West of San Antonio and hit three small towns: Castroville, Hondo and D'Hanis. This little adventure started because my wife wanted to go to the Tractor Supply Company.
In case you aren't familiar with them, they are sort of an all purpose hardware store but with an emphasis on things you might need out in the country, on a farm or ranch. The have a slogan that goes something like, "The Stuff you Need Out Here" where "out here" is in the country or on a farm or a ranch or away from the city.
But the main purpose of our going "Out Here" was so my wife could buy some toy animals.
Yea, aside from all the farm implements you might need, TSC knows that country kids like country toys, including toy tractors, toy animals and the like. My wife needed some real farm animals, and specifically, a Texas Longhorn to complete her Christmas Manger set-up.
So once we spent $120.00 on stuff I had no idea we were in the market for, we continued West on Hiway 90 into Castroville. I nearly shit myself with excitement when I passed a '72 Camaro just like mine from high school. Just this one was nicer.
Castroville is a nice little town full of antique shops and meat processing places. Being so close to San Antonio, it is a frequent stop for people looking to attend flea markets and craft bizarres. But if you get off the main road, you can find some interesting old places to gawk at.
We decided that after all the years we have been passing through Castroville on our way to other places, we were going to once and for all stop and take a walking tour of the town.
Of course, this would have to happen on a day when it wasn't so cold or windy.
So, we moved on down the road to Hondo. You may have heard of Hondo, TX either in the movies or from the famous sign that warns drivers in a nice and polite way, not to speed through town.
In the past twenty years, Hondo has gone from a speed trap with a McDonald's to a full fledged, Wal Mart and now, Super Wal Mart metropolis, yet maintaining that Dairy Queen small town feel about it.
We drove up and down a few streets just to enjoy some of the small town feel. I know that people in these towns have cable (or at least the Dish) and they certainly get the paper, but you can't help but feel as though you are experiencing life in a slower, simpler and more enjoyable pace when you visit. And please don't misunderstand, I don't suggest for a moment that these folks are bumpkins, just that they have a lot less traffic than we do.
My wife was especially fond of the Santa Cowboy. How appropriate for Hondo.
I liked the fact that the local country radio station went all out in their Christmas display along the main road.
Up next: Lunch in D'Hanis.
This Po-Po's was like biting into a tender piece of steak. It almost felt moist and juicy as opposed to what I have experienced before. The flavor was incredible with a perfect blend of spices.
We went through an 8 ounce bag of the stuff in less time than it takes to spot a chubby girl at Curves. It wasn't until I read the nutrition information that we had just consumed 4 servings apiece at a rate of one a minute. Seriously, that was some good stuff!
