Food for Thought

Trying Tex-Mex in Bangkok: Welcome to the alternate universe of food — no freenachos for you

When I think Tex-Mex, I think of combo plates with enchiladas and gravy, maybe afried egg on top, Spanish rice and refried beans.
El Real Tex-Mex Cafe/Facebook
The very first day Sis arrived in Bangkok, she ate at a place called Coyote. Thevery first day.
EventSeekr.com
The website says they serve “classic Mexican dishes alongside the adventurousand ultra-hip Southwest U.S. cuisine such as quesadillas, burritos, enchiladasand Coyote (sic) very own Cowboy Skewers….”
Courtesy Photo

People are always saying to me that they had Tex-Mex in New York City or at a restaurant in Florida.

And I’m always saying: “No, no you didn’t.”

Not to get to picky about what is and what isn’t Tex-Mex, because that’s a debate that books have been written about, but when I’m talking Tex-Mex, I mean the kind of made from scratch, hopefully with real lard, from recipes handed down through generations. The kind of grub you can really only get in South Texas. The kind I first ate as a kid visiting my grandparents’ ranch in Poteet, at that little diner with the plastic checkered tablecloths that exists only in my memory now.

When I think Tex-Mex I think of combo plates with enchiladas and gravy, maybe a fried egg on top, Spanish rice and refried beans. And chili con queso topped with spicy picadillo and lots and lots of hot, fresh tortilla chips.

I once ate at the aforementioned Tex-Mex restaurant in Florida and the food was about par with Taco Bell. Not knocking the Taco Bell but I’m just saying if you go to Florida, eat at seafood restaurants.

But now versions of that type of food have spread, probably along with the diaspora of Texans, around the world.

When I’m talking Tex-Mex I mean the kind of made from scratch from recipes handed down through generations. The kind of grub you can really only get in South Texas.

As for so-called Mexican and Tex-Mex eateries in other countries, the last time I was abroad, and yes it was a long time ago, there was not a sign of a tortilla anywhere in Europe, so I’m no authority on this. Which is why I turned to my sister.

Sis is a real globetrotter who hasn’t lived in the United States in so long she barely remembers we have 50 states. OK, I kid. She hasn’t been gone that long but it’s been a while.

So when she comes home to visit Texas she wants to eat Tex-Mex. Three times a day if possible.

But she recently moved from a country where she had electricity at only certain times of the day to Bangkok. Now besides living in a city of some seven million people, where the gridlock makes Houston traffic look like a stroll in the park, she’s been thrilled to have constant electricity, hot and cold running water and . . . Tex-Mex.

The very first day she arrived she ate at a place called Coyote. The very first day.

“The chef is Thai,” she explained on Skype the other day. “But he was trained at the Hong Kong headquarters.”

A Burgeoning Market

Coyote apparently has several locations, including three in Thailand. The one in Bangkok is apparently wildly popular with foreigners, in part because of the huge margarita bar. One of the 75 margaritas served here is a Mint Chocolate Margarita. Oh hell no. That’s just wrong.

The website says they serve “classic Mexican dishes alongside the adventurous and ultra-hip Southwest U.S. cuisine such as quesadillas, burritos, enchiladas and Coyote (sic) very own Cowboy Skewers . . .”

Who knew burritos were ultra-hip?

Anyway, Sis went with the “ultra-hip” enchiladas. Spinach and mushroom to be exact.

“They were pretty good,” she reports. “My friend had the nachos and she liked them.”

Not exactly a stellar recommendation, but hey, better than nothing when you need a Texas food fix.

And apparently a lot of folks agree because there are actually several restaurants in Bangkok serving up nachos and enchiladas. According to the Bangkok Post, there are 27 restaurants dishing up versions of Mexican, Tex-Mex and Southwestern U.S. food.

Sis also tried a well-known place called Charley Brown’s where she reports the soft tacos were pretty good and she says she has a friend who knows of another place that actually has a chef from Mexico.

And she went back to Coyote the other day for fajitas.

“I could have had something more exciting, but the fajitas were a lunch special for 199 Thai baht, less than $7, and Bangkok is expensive,” she says. “You can order chips with all kinds of things to dip, including queso with chorizo, and a sun-dried-tomato-and-mango salsa. But they don’t put chips and salsa on the table for free like Texas.”

She also took these photos of the fajitas and the staff that I showed to Christian over at El Real Tex-Mex who recognized the fajita platter but when he looked at the staff picture figured it was a Tex-Mex eatery in an “alternate universe.”

Which, basically it is. But it’s still just nachos, enchiladas, fajitas and tacos. And it’s nice to know that if you find yourself in that part of the universe there are places you can go to get a taste of home.

“All the food was pretty good,” Sis says. “Coyote is the best so far, but, no, it’s not as good as home.”

Yep, there’s no place like Texas.

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Now hear this

New Texas museum shines spotlight on Tejano music history

Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum, San Antonio, tejano music

Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Roger Hernandez serves as board president of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum.

For a city that proudly calls itself the capital of Tejano music, San Antonio has long been missing a permanent place to honor the genre’s pioneers and preserve its history. That gap officially closed In December with the opening of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum at 1414 Fredericksburg Rd.

The music couldn’t have found a better steward than its founder and board president. Roger Hernandez has had his finger on the pulse of Tejano music for decades. His company, En Caliente Productions, has provided a platform for countless performing artists and songwriters in Tejano, conjunto, and regional Mexican music since 1982.

Hernandez says his wife, who ran a shop at Market Square years ago, would often get questions from visitors about the location of a physical Tejano music museum, a thing that simply did not exist. In 2022, he banded together with friends, family, and other local Tejano music supporters to make the nonprofit Hall of Fame a reality.

“I decided I've been in the music scene for over 40 years, it's time to do a museum,” Hernandez recalls.

Hernandez says a brick-and-mortar Tejano music museum has long been needed to remember musical acts and other individuals who grew the genre across Texas and northern Mexico, especially those who are aging. Recently, the community lost famed Tejano music producer Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla, the renowned Tejano singer/songwriter and father of the late superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Both deaths occurred roughly one week after the Totally Tejano museum opened to the public.

“They're all dying. They're all getting older, and we need to acknowledge all these people,” Hernandez says.

The Totally Tejano Museum — named after Hernandez’s Totally Tejano Television Roku streaming — has 5,000 square feet of space packed with plaques, photos, promotional posters, musical instruments, and other memorabilia honoring the pioneers and stars of the beloved genre. Mannequins wear stage outfits from icons like Laura Canales and Flaco Jimenez, and a wall of photos remembers late greats. Totally Tejano Television plays legendary performances on a loop, bringing the exhibits to life.

The newly opened Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum includes a growing collection of memorabilia. Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Hernandez says the museum will soon welcome permanent and rotating exhibits, including traveling shows, a Hall of Fame section, and an area paying homage to Chicano music crossovers, such as the late Johnny Rodriguez, the South Texas singer-songwriter who blended country with Tex-Mex music. Plans call for the organization to hold its inaugural Hall of Fame induction in February 2026.

Eventually, a 2,000 square feet back room will be converted into additional display space and host industry gatherings, community symposiums, and record and video release parties. The museum also plans to add a gift and record shop and a music learning room where visitors can listen to early Tejano music and browse archival photos. Hernandez is already talking with local school districts about educational field trips.

Much like Tejano itself, the museum is a grassroots production. Hernandez and fellow board members have used their own money to rent, renovate, develop, and maintain the museum space. The board also leads the selection of the Hall of Fame honorees and curates the exhibits.

Hernandez has been heartened by the museum’s reception, both from media outlets and music fans around Texas and beyond.

“We had a radio station come in this morning from Houston to interview us,” he says. “People have come in from Lubbock, Texas. We have had people from Midland, Texas. We have another person who emailed us who’s coming in from New York. People are learning all about us.”

That includes many of the musicians who helped shape the genre. Johnny Hernandez, Sunny Ozuna, Elida Reyna, and Danny Martinez from Danny and The Tejanos are among the luminaries who have already graced the halls.

The Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum is now open 10 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday, and closed Monday. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Fans can call 210-314-1310 for more information.

san antonio tejano music museums hall of fame music openings