Just over a month ago, I moved from a suburb in Missouri to Dallas, Texas. In many ways, the move has been an upgrade. Dallas has more to do, see and eat. But there are some things you just can’t beat about home.
White Castle
White Castle is a burger chain that serves up greasy sliders and fried chicken rings. The closest White Castle to me is back in Missouri, over 600 miles away. This Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic chain was one of the first fast-food chains in America. White Castle is usually open until to 2a.m. or for 24 hours.
“But,” you’ll say, “in Dallas, you have What-a-Burger and In-n-Out.”
I do, but sometimes, I need 2a.m. sober-me-up cheeseburgers. And the chicken rings, I love the chicken rings. The rings are thin, crisp and a little peppery. White Castle is drunk junk food at its finest.
Timid Drivers
Missouri drives can be overly cautious, especially when freak weather hits (as it does often). Driving well beneath the speed limit and waiting for the light to be fully green before going are staples of Missouri driving. Our worst driving habit is the St. Louis stop– ignoring stop signs by slowing down and rolling through the stop instead of coming to a complete stop.
Missouri driver habits are quaint compared to Dallas traffic. Dallas drivers scare me. Drivers switch lanes for the hell of it and the use of turn signals is almost nonexistent. Cops seem to avoid the highways, waiting until the inevitable car accident and traffic is backed up at almost any time of the day. I’ll take slow Missouri drives over the mess that is Dallas highways.
Having nothing to do
There was never a lot to do in the suburbs. Even as an adult, the best ideas my friends and I could come up with were bowling, going to “the boat” (the local casino), and drinking beer in someone’s backyard.
In Dallas, every night of the week, there is something new and interesting to do. A quick google search returned Adult Nights at LEGO land in the Discovery Center, 8 concerts happening within the next week, a peach festival and an event called 10,000 scoops of free ice cream.
I love experiencing new things but sometimes I want to waste my entire weekend by avoiding human contact and watching Netflix. I feel guilty because there are so many things to do. I should be experiencing life in Dallas. This is not, in any way, a bad problem to have. I know I’m whining. But sometimes, having absolutely nothing to do is the perfect way to spend a weekend.
Cheap Beer
I enjoy trying new and unusual beers but my go-to beer is Budweiser. Originally brewed in St. Louis, you’ll find this cheap, easily drinkable beer just about everywhere in Missouri. You can usually get 12oz. of beer for a few dollars at any restaurant and dive bars often have two-for-one specials or generous happy hours. College towns in Missouri are notorious for practically handing out cheap beer after you pay cover.
In Dallas, “cheap beer” is just as expensive as the nice stuff. After I settled in Dallas, I ventured out to the nearest liquor store to find six packs of Bud Lite going for $8. That price isn’t much more than in Missouri but it was enough to give me pause.
Then I went out to a club in Uptown and spent $10 on a Coors Lite. That’s more than ballgame beer prices. I don’t know what Texans are drinking but it isn’t cheap beer.
Shorts
People in Dallas wear jeans and I don’t get it, it’s hot here. I’m oversimplifying, people do wear shorts but not at the frequency of my fellow Missourians. Even when I factor out business people, most everyone else is wearing pants of some kind.
This could change in the coming weeks as temperatures reach their peak but I still think it’s odd to choose jeans when shorts are a cooler option.
