by Phil Houseal | Jul 5, 2023 | All Articles, Education, Food, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
July 5, 2023–Soap in a sock, batteries in the dishwasher, and banana peels on burns. These are a few of your favorite hacks, according to responses to my online request. I always regret crowd-sourcing my column, but sometimes it’s fun to let people try at home what I...
by Phil Houseal | Feb 22, 2023 | All Articles, Food, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy
Feb 22, 2023–A native Texan who worked one summer for a farmer in Iowa was describing the experience: “I’d help during the soybean harvest. At noon, his wife would drive out into the field in the family station wagon, open the tailgate, and there would be a full...
by Phil Houseal | Dec 21, 2022 | All Articles, Food, History, Philosophy
Dec 28, 2022–How many spices and seasonings do you have in your kitchen? How many do you actually use? I’m guessing those are wildly divergent numbers. I’m working on a theory that the hidden culprit in unhealthy eating is the amount of seasoning we use. Whenever I...
by Phil Houseal | Nov 23, 2022 | All Articles, Education, Food, History, Philosophy
Nov 23, 2022–As you sit down to your Thanksgiving Day meal, I am confident you will observe the list of manners to be followed “At Table:” Promptness when meals are announced When to sit; position; fidgeting Waiting one’s turn When to begin to eat How to eat and drink...
by Phil Houseal | May 18, 2022 | All Articles, Food, History, Philosophy
May 18, 2022–We all like to count the ways we are “too busy.” “There are not enough hours in the day.” “I just don’t have time.” “I wish I could, but…” So I decided to actually time how long it took me to do each of my myriad regular daily tasks. The impetus...
by Phil Houseal | May 4, 2022 | All Articles, Food, History, Philosophy
May 4, 2022–When I was a paperboy, every Christmas customers would give me a treat as I collected for their weekly delivery. This surprised me at first, because at age 11 I was unfamiliar with the concept of tipping for service. I couldn’t believe my good fortune. I...
