AUSTIN, TX.

Looking out over Austin from the top of Mount Bonnell, I realise that Texas is a completely different colour to what I was expecting. In fact, it seems to be mostly trees, stretching out as far as the eye can see. The monks who were laughing hysterically on the way up ahead of us don’t seem surprised, but this explodes not only my idea of what Texas would be like (it’s West Texas that’s desert, I see that now), but also the impression you get when you’re on the ground. This is definitely car-is-king America, and you spend so much time on roads that the verdant paradise you see from above does come as a surprise. 

Texas, is that you?

Just some monks having a good time.

This also continues our run of foodie cities. I had not expected the food here to be so good but my oh my. It’s as we’re eating some of the best bagels we’ve ever eaten that Leyla makes the connection between car culture and good food that I want to explore a bit more here. The theory goes something like this: If people are mostly going to drive to your restaurant, you need to be somewhere worth driving to. This might explain why so many of the things we eat are delicious; bagels, tacos, donuts. My god, those donuts. This isn’t a food blog but the freshly fried dough, the sweetness of the peanut butter frosting, the squishy fruitiness of the fried bananas and the saltiness of the bacon… Gordough’s Big Fat Donuts will always be in my heart. Probably literally.

There's a donut under there somewhere...

I was talking to a friend recently who was describing feeling faintly ridiculous when, stood in a long queue for a TikTok-famous bakery in Amsterdam, an old Dutch woman approached them and asked whether they knew that there was another bakery, just as good, round the corner. This idea of food as a destination, fuelled by TikTok, suddenly makes much more sense in the States. If you’re going to the trouble of driving somewhere - even if it’s not seen as a trouble here - it better be worth it. So the food places are generally delicious, the kind of place you’d tell a friend to come to. And there’s so much space, especially in Austin, that queuing also doesn’t seem like as big a deal. What looks ridiculous in London, with people snaking out into the drizzle to get the latest type of Scotch Egg, makes more sense when you’re waiting for Tacos from a food truck in the sun. The weather and space, the abundant space, make such a difference here. There’s a nice culture of people working outdoors at coffee shops, people spreading under the shade of trees to work for hours, with none of the elbow-to-elbow, do-you-have-wifi, can-I-use-that-plug-please of trying to work at a cafe in London. Yes, they have wifi, and unlimited coffee refills. The Americans are a caffeinated people. I also wasn’t expecting so many sprout-based dishes, but the Texans sure know their way around a Brussel.

That’s not to say there aren’t drawbacks. There are often just no pavements; a sidewalk might appear randomly, but then will disappear after three houses worth, just as suddenly. So the idea of wandering in anywhere by chance, of getting lost in an enchanting labyrinth of backstreets, is off the menu. The backstreets are just houses, and all the roads are straight anyway. It also means that if you want to sit outside, it’s often just a bench on some astro in a car park. There’s no watching the world go by. You come, you eat the best doughnut of your life, you have regrets, you leave. It’s hard to people watch in a parking lot. 

I do miss the feeling of a chance encounter, the magic of potential, but it’s also hard to complain when the food is so good. The overall feeling of Austin is one of a series of islands, pockets of deliciousness and fun vintage shops, connected by roads. And trees, apparently.

Texas gonna Texas.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS 

Austin wasn’t quite the musical Mecca I was expecting, but there’s still live music in many bars as you walk around. The highlight was the famous Continental Club, where the Blues Specialists were playing. Terrible name, brilliant band, and what a place to listen to music. Leyla’s pictures capture the cool far better than I could:

We were hosted in Austin by an old friend, who was the most generous host and perfect guide to the filthiest Martinis in town. I am talking, of course, of Dr. Ruth:

OVERHEARD IN AUSTIN

Dance instructor Terri White, at the Broken Spoke Honky Tonk, choosing a teenage girl to dance with who was unable to keep a straight face:

“We got ourselves a Gigglepuss”

The Broken Spoke.

P.S. BEST “You’re from London?” MOMENT SO FAR:

Woman at a Louisiana service station: “You’re from London? I hear they have sausage rolls over there, not hot dogs… are they good?” I’m not sure she could quite picture what I meant by sausage “encased” in pastry, but I hope she gets to try one someday…