Time for a Little Culture

One of the things I like about living in Texas is the number of cultures that are present. Many of the smaller towns have a prevalent cultural heritage and they celebrate them with festivals. San Antonio of course has a strong Mexican heritage and celebrates Cinco De Mayo each year in an elaborate fashion. Muenster and Fredericksburg have Octoberfest and German fest each year. You can find great meats and cheeses at both of these places as well as schnitzels and pastries. Near Waco is a small town named West which has West Fest where they celebrate their Czech heritage. They have dancers, music, and of course FOOD! Anyone that's ever been through there knows that you have to stop at the Czech Stop and get kolaches. They're the best in the world.

I really enjoy these events, not that I get to go to them every year. Still, I do like to go once in a while. You can imagine my delight and surprise when I found out that there was going to be a festival within a short drive of where I live. Texas is a BIG state and many of these other festivals constitute a day of driving just to enjoy them. This one was going to be in Dallas!! I wanted to keep with the spirit of the occasion so I went to the local costume shop and rented a traditional costume, complete with Lederhosen and snappy shoes with buckles. When the day came I loaded up the kids and headed to the Oak Lawn area of Dallas for what was being hailed as Sausage Fest!!!

It was an extravagant affair with over the top decorations and costumes, but wasn't the German festival that I had been expecting. It turns out Sausage Fest can be code for something entirely different. I wasn't out of place in my lederhosen and mountain climber outfit. In fact I got many compliments and approving nods for it. They weren't the kind of compliments I wanted my kids to hear and the approving nods were a little creepy as they were accompanied by long leering stares, but you take the bad with the good.

We ended up leaving early since it was not what we had expected, but not before I was called on stage and knighted by the Queen of Sausage Fest and annointed by his royal dancers. Disappointingly I didn't get anything to eat while I was there, but I had lost most of my appetite as my wife and children laughed about the days events on the way home.