Texans In The UK....

Awesome thread .  I just found out we'll be moving for certain (no time table yet, probably December / January).   Poor England.  It looks like we're trying to take over ... one Texan at a time.

Well I guess we can attempt it,    But considering the amount of people in England, its going to be very tough.  Worst comes to worst we can just help guide them to the ways of mexican food, and southern cooking   
Its always good to know you have people you can relate too, even if we are all in another country.

Well I guess we can attempt it,    But considering the amount of people in England, its going to be very tough.  Worst comes to worst we can just help guide them to the ways of mexican food, and southern cooking   
Its always good to know you have people you can relate too, even if we are all in another country.

And teach them that quesadilla is pronounced as kehsideea. The Spanish double LL is pronounced 'yeh.'

I am from Austin as well...The BF lives in NE England - Newcastle area...I am here now and LOVING IT....
We were at Lake Windemere and he had chili con carne and I will say I am impressed...I was also shopping at ASDA and found small 3 packet of Guac/Salsa/Sour Cream will let ya know how it was and I found real tortilla chips as well...

This is my first trip over but it is fantastic and I know there are more Texas people out there...Technically I have lived in Austin for 8 years but I am Jersey girl at heart.

Love these threads - LAYER for sure b/c I have been wearing tank tops with jeans because my BF booked in the weather while I am here ;-)

Yes pronunciation of the spanish words with be a help from us as well    Then again, my fiance always laughs hysterically when I say either "cant" "can" "a*s"....its really funny to hear him try and imitate me.  I dont think I will ever be able to say those words like he he does with the long..."ahhhh" 

Where do you get those ticker things from, I want one!!!! 

I am from Austin as well...The BF lives in NE England - Newcastle area...I am here now and LOVING IT....

Yay! The Northeast is, IMO, the best place for a Texan. Or a Jersey-Texan.  Something about the people here reminds me of Texas in some strange way. It's a good thing. And there is at least one Texan who isn't too far from you.... 

Cooking Tex-Mex is no problem here, really, once you learn to make your own taco seasoning and enchilada sauce then you are pretty much all set (both are very easy to make and actually taste better than the processed stuff, anyway). There are some differences, of course, like the cheese (though mild cheddar works fine.) There are some things that I miss - fresh jalapenos, canned green chiles, chipotles in adobo sauce, salsa verde, and mole. You can order the stuff in the tins and bottles from MexGrocer, but I plan to bring some back with me after Thanksgiving. Also, I miss tamales and may have to bring some corn husks and masa to make my own sometime. But, overall, I make tasty burritos, quesadillas, guacamole, and enchiladas very easily at home without those things.

ME too!  Where in OK did you live?

Where in OK are you at Julie?

Jewlz - I am loving it here, the weather is beautiful...
I will be back for New Years and then see how cold it is ;-)

Busy weekend thought - out in Durham 2 nights and cricket on Sunday for the one off <?> he has never gone and doeswnt watch it but figure what the heck something different...

We are doing the anwick castle next weekend witht he kids thanks to the FB group telling me about it as he didnt know it was HP castle and the kids don't know we are going!!

Now I am off to meet the dad for pint, lunch and some pool

Jewlz - I am loving it here, the weather is beautiful...
I will be back for New Years and then see how cold it is ;-)

Busy weekend thought - out in Durham 2 nights and cricket on Sunday for the one off <?> he has never gone and doeswnt watch it but figure what the heck something different...

We are doing the anwick castle next weekend witht he kids thanks to the FB group telling me about it as he didnt know it was HP castle and the kids don't know we are going!!

Now I am off to meet the dad for pint, lunch and some pool

Oh cool! Hope you have a great time. You will be just 9 miles from me when you go to the castle this weekend.  When are you moving over? Or are you even planning to move over yet? (I might be getting ahead of myself...)

Hi, Erika 

I'm from west Texas and have been here since March. So far, no complaints (except the always in a hurry driver syndrome) and the Brits I've encountered who are curious about my accent seem to view Texas as some exotic place that surely doesn't really exist.    Of course, the ones who have actually been there seem to have positive things to say about it and the size of it is always an issue.

In any event, I've convinced my hubby to get us an automatic SUV, so we just bought a Chevy Cavalier and I am ready to cut loose on the roads...now that I can see where I'm going! No way was I going to tackle these narrow, winding roads in a manual or without a size and weight advantage.

I warn you, you will go through Mexican food withdrawals, so bring with you what you can in your suitcase. Tortillas and salsa are available here (corn ones are a bit weird, but I'm ready to learn to make my own), but there are no green chiles or true enchilada or chipotle sauces.....if you have any other specific ingredients you need to know about, feel free to ask.

The one good aspect to the lack of true appreciation for Mexican food is that what you can make for Brits makes good gifts. This Christmas, I am making tamales, borracho beans and cornbread for our neighbors as a peace-offering for all the hassle and noise from our renovating and I think I can get everything I need to do that at the grocery stores or online. Many specialty items we view as standard groceries can be found online and I can hardly wait to get my first order from a chili farm in Devon.

We're just north of London, so a short train ride would get you to a place where someone else speaks your language, should you need it....and yes, you will feel at times as though you are definitely amongst foreigners.  You may not think you have a Texas accent, but they will. 

Rotsa ruck!

And teach them that quesadilla is pronounced as kehsideea. The Spanish double LL is pronounced 'yeh.'

I think teaching the English how to properly pronounce Spanish words is a lost cause.

Thanks for the valuable info TexPat, I will definately try and bring some mexican must haves when its time for the move. And if I am ever north of London we could get together, any of us actually..it would be cool to meet all of you someday. 

Hi, Erika 

I'm from west Texas and have been here since March. So far, no complaints (except the always in a hurry driver syndrome) and the Brits I've encountered who are curious about my accent seem to view Texas as some exotic place that surely doesn't really exist.    Of course, the ones who have actually been there seem to have positive things to say about it and the size of it is always an issue.

In any event, I've convinced my hubby to get us an automatic SUV, so we just bought a Chevy Cavalier and I am ready to cut loose on the roads...now that I can see where I'm going! No way was I going to tackle these narrow, winding roads in a manual or without a size and weight advantage.

I warn you, you will go through Mexican food withdrawals, so bring with you what you can in your suitcase. Tortillas and salsa are available here (corn ones are a bit weird, but I'm ready to learn to make my own), but there are no green chiles or true enchilada or chipotle sauces.....if you have any other specific ingredients you need to know about, feel free to ask.

The one good aspect to the lack of true appreciation for Mexican food is that what you can make for Brits makes good gifts. This Christmas, I am making tamales, borracho beans and cornbread for our neighbors as a peace-offering for all the hassle and noise from our renovating and I think I can get everything I need to do that at the grocery stores or online. Many specialty items we view as standard groceries can be found online and I can hardly wait to get my first order from a chili farm in Devon.

We're just north of London, so a short train ride would get you to a place where someone else speaks your language, should you need it....and yes, you will feel at times as though you are definitely amongst foreigners.  You may not think you have a Texas accent, but they will. 

Rotsa ruck!

I'm just starting driving lessons myself after 1+ years in the UK. I'm kind of opposite of you, though, in that I am glad we have a tiny car for all these narrow roads. I think I will leave the extra room for the double deckers coming my way! I'm driving manual, it isn't too bad. The no-coasting thing is dragging me down a bit, though.
I'm about to order some jalapenos from Devon, too, since I can't find any fresh ones around here. I've had some decent luck making things at home, but I am just learning, really. I certainly haven't tried to make tamales yet, but I may do that around Christmas since we are going back to Dallas for Thanksgiving and I can pick up some supplies there. Anyway, I may have to swap some tips with you for recipes that can be made here since it sounds like you are ahead of me on that one. 
It would be hard for me to make it to London due to the cost of a train ticket from here to there (and it takes about 3-4 hours) but if I knew in advance I could try to work something out. Either way, if anyone comes oop norf you can give me a shout and I will meet up with you here! Just PM me if you want my Facebook, MySpace, or email details.

Oh cool! Hope you have a great time. You will be just 9 miles from me when you go to the castle this weekend.  When are you moving over? Or are you even planning to move over yet? (I might be getting ahead of myself...)

hee hee a little ahead...There are processes in order that must happen before I move aka marriage ;-)  Then yes I will be on my way here.  When ya love a man the way I love him you just do it plus he has kids and would never dream of him moving to the US b/c of them.
When I know, you will know heck the whole world will know lol

hee hee a little ahead...There are processes in order that must happen before I move aka marriage ;-)  Then yes I will be on my way here.  When ya love a man the way I love him you just do it plus he has kids and would never dream of him moving to the US b/c of them.
When I know, you will know heck the whole world will know lol

My husband has a three year old boy, so me moving here was an easy decision, too.  So you'll be a stepmom, then, if you do get married. How old are his kids? I enjoy being a stepmom most of the time, but considering how young he is, there are some painful moments, too... lol.

Found this site today, with all sorts of recipes for things I haven't had in ages, like chess pie. http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/

I love that blog! Hands down, best flour tortilla recipe ever. I had spent an entire weekend determined to nail down flour tortillas. I tried making the recipe I had from a book several times, before banging my head against the keyboard and finding the homesicktexan's recipe. Brilliant! Key is in the oil (as opposed to lard or crisco).