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March

March there we are

March 1875 the Corpus Christi San Diego and Rio Grande Narrow Gage Railroad company is chartered and begins construction of a 52 mile line

conducting San Diego, Texas to Corpus Christi in 1881 the company changed ownership and was rechartered as the Texas, Mexican railway

The new owners extended the line to Laredo a border town that would become the primary port of entry for rail commerce into the US from Mexico

This physical connection between two of North America's largest economies would morph into a civilizational connection reflected in the Texas, Mexican Railways commonly use short name the

Tex-Mex

Tex-Mex became slang for the cultural merging of these two independent states most enduringly for food

In San Antonio in the late 19th century Hispanic women known as chili queens gave birth to Tex-Mex cuisine by selling chili con carne

tamales and enchiladas that outdoor stands to local workers the distinctively flavored offerings of these pioneering vendors soon migrated across the Lone Star state

And we've come as much a part of Texas food culture as chicken fried steak and pican pie

In 2006 Michael Ripka who started out as a fried cook at Popeyes then rose in the restaurant industry ranks to eventually be an executive chef at the World Bank

Left the world of fine dining quiz for

Finance tycoons to serve down home Tex-Mex eats to Austinites

Mortgaining his house to open a tokaria that operated out of a trailer the shop struggled at first

So Ripka engaged in gorilla marketing by writing around in his vest by handing out free chips and salsa to depth locals over to his makeshows storefront

Once they tasted the food including the restaurants casso and green chili pork

Locals couldn't stay away and one customer is said to have proclaimed damn these tacos are good

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