The ravenous, smoky aroma of God’s musk, better known as smoking barbecue, catches my attention. I move towards it as if it is calling me. The familiar sight of brisket, along with ribs and pulled pork, brings back a wealth of memories and emotions, some good and some bad.
These emotions often remind me of a specific day when I lived in Texas and went to Miller’s Smokehouse. My family and I walked down a side street in Belton, Texas, which opened up to a storefront with a large garage door surrounded by red brick. Above a porch with outdoor seating swung a large black sign with the name in white lettering. I walked into the building, my feet clomping on shiny concrete floors and my eyes observing the exposed ductwork. It looked like a sleekly renovated building where the architects tried to hold onto the building’s past life. I smelled that same smell of smoking barbecue. A large number of people were bustling about - the after-church crowd. After some time, we finally ordered and found a table to sit at.
In the corner, we saw a woman sitting alone, and my mother asked her to come sit with us. Once she came over, we learned that she was South African and that her husband was teaching a class at a local college. The conversation continued, but I kept thinking how amazing it was that she was able to sit with us. It made me also think about what I need to do to change as a person so as not to miss future opportunities that can come from interactions like this one.
This thought - spurred from a random encounter at a random moment when I lived in Texas - has inspired me from that moment on. Repeatedly, I've compared my time in Texas to the other eight places I've lived, especially Virginia, where I worked incredibly hard to branch out more and become more extroverted. I readily applied this to my life, gaining a reputation of being someone who could get along with everyone, a reverse of the lonely years spent in Texas.
While being stationed at Ft. Cavazos (Ft. Hood at the time) was not always easy or enjoyable, I couldn't have asked for a better duty station at that point in my life. Living there helped me become more vulnerable, as well as connect with more military teens. This is something I often try to share with others who are dealing with their own difficult assignments. If it wasn’t for the Texas barbecue, especially Miller's Smokehouse, I don’t know where I would be today. That same barbecue smell makes me think of what I’ve become. There are parts of every place I have lived that bring out feelings like these. However, none had a greater impact than Texas.
Your vivid description of Texas barbecue truly resonates with the transformative power of great food and shared moments. It reminds me of how argentine asado can also create memorable experiences and bring people together in unexpected ways. Whether it's the smoky aroma of Texas barbecue or the rich flavors of asado, these culinary traditions have a profound impact on our lives and personal growth. Thank you for sharing how your time in Texas shaped who you are today.