| |
| |
|
|
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
|
|
|
WHEREAS, Texas is renowned for its innovative cuisine, and |
|
|
certain beloved dishes have become integral elements of the state's |
|
|
culture and folklore; one such food is chicken-fried steak, and the |
|
|
epic deliciousness of this specialty has inspired not only |
|
|
countless satisfied diners but also an enduring Lone Star legend; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, For generations, Texans pondered the seemingly |
|
|
eternal mystery of who invented the chicken-fried steak; then, in |
|
|
1976, came an answer: Larry BeSaw published an article in the Austin |
|
|
American-Statesman explaining that this wondrous combination of |
|
|
beef, batter, and breading had first been dropped onto a well-oiled |
|
|
skillet in 1911 by Jimmy Don Perkins, a short-order cook at Ethel's |
|
|
Home Cooking in Lamesa, Texas; according to the published story, |
|
|
Mr. Perkins had mistakenly combined two separate orders for chicken |
|
|
and fried steak into a single culinary creation whose savory |
|
|
goodness became famous far beyond West Texas; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The account received wider attention after being |
|
|
picked up by a syndicated columnist and was later repeated in |
|
|
publications that ranged from the Washington Post to Texas Monthly |
|
|
to trivia books; cited again and again through the years and given a |
|
|
further boost through Internet postings, the anecdote about Jimmy |
|
|
Don's handiwork earned Lamesa the enviable status of being the home |
|
|
of the chicken-fried steak; there was just one small problem: it was |
|
|
not true; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Mr. BeSaw had created his article as a spoof, never |
|
|
intending it to be taken as fact, but the story quickly took on a |
|
|
life of its own; though the journalist has tried numerous times to |
|
|
set the record straight, the yarn continues to be widely told, |
|
|
having attained the status of a Texas tall tale; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Not wishing to spoil a good legend, the city of |
|
|
Lamesa has embraced its role as an epicenter of epicurean |
|
|
invention; it celebrates the lore of its mythical short-order cook |
|
|
with its Chicken-fried Steak Festival, which includes a cook-off |
|
|
competition for its namesake dish in addition to live music, a |
|
|
classic car show, and numerous other activities; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, While everybody knows that honesty truly is the best |
|
|
policy, residents of the Lone Star State have long demonstrated |
|
|
their appreciation for harmless exaggeration and some good |
|
|
old-fashioned leg-pulling; in that same spirit, and because the |
|
|
Jimmy Don Perkins tale is just a darn good story, it is indeed |
|
|
appropriate that the city of Lamesa be recognized for its role in |
|
|
this imaginative and imaginary incident in Texas history; now, |
|
|
therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas |
|
|
hereby declare Lamesa the Legendary Home of the Chicken-fried |
|
|
Steak. |