Column: Texas Tavern column prompts laughs, questions
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My email and voicemail here at the newspaper always fill up after the annual Texas Tavern birthday column, and 2013 was no exception.
The Feb. 10 tall tale was about how the nation of Chile and the venerable diner on Church Avenue almost started a world war over the menu item “chile.” It left many readers laughing and a few flummoxed.
At least who shall remain nameless were perplexed by the disclaimer near the column’s end indicating most of it was fiction. They called and left messages wanting to know which parts were fact, which were fancy.
Most didn’t take it quite so literally.
“You have won the ‘Lie of the Year’ Award and it’s only February!” penned Marian Horne of Roanoke. “All other contestants need to acknowledge your superior talent and give up. Sunday morning’s story was as good as O. Henry could write.”
Frank Saunders of Roanoke County chimed in with a bit of sarcasm-laced fiction of his own:
“The article today on the TT was amazing investigative reporting in the tradition of Woodward and Bernstein, he wrote. “Your obvious journalistic restraint in not earlier publishing the story as it unfolded that could have led to an unfortunate diplomatic incident is admirable.”
READ THE REST OF THIS COLUMN HERE.
March 5, 2013 - 6:00 AM
The nastiest chili around. No wonder everyone squirts half a bottle of mustard in their bowl. Dan was right when he compared it to sawdust. On the other hand they have a great hot dog.
Wow, do you get free food at Texas Tavern for life or what??? All the constant free publicity you give them is bound to be not for free from the likes of you!
Come on, Eddie, it it was so nasty we would not sell thousands of gallons of it a year. There is nothing nasty about beans, meat, and spices. Maybe you got some mustard in yer attitude !
I hear ya Jim, but so does Hormel! I’m just a chili snob and even travel to chili cook off competitions. But I will rephrase my comment about your hot dogs. They are, in my opinion, one of the top dogs in Roanoke. The cheesy western is pretty awesome too. I’m a TT fan, just not of the chili.