Rishi lured me to Dallas for the weekend by proposing a trip to the Texas State Fair. As it happened, this was also the weekend of the 103rd annual Texas Longhorns-Oklahoma Sooners game, aka the Cotton Bowl, aka the Red River Shootout. It was, quite possibly, the greatest football game in the history of the world. I hadn’t thought seriously about going to the game until Thursday night, when the chance to see something I’d never ordinarily see–and to be present at such a major event–overwhelmed me and I scrambled to find a ticket. Of all the impulsive decisions I’ve ever made, it was one of the best.
The game, the rivalry, the crowd… the whole spectacle was intoxicating. (Figuratively, of course. No alcohol was served inside the stadium, thank goodness. It would’ve been like throwing napalm on a bonfire.) I made some new best friends up in the stands–my actual friends had planned better and were down in the lower deck–and learned a bunch of new cheers. Fortunately, there was only one hand signal to learn. The oval of the stadium was split in half, one half Sooners red and the other Longhorns burnt orange. The line between the two was defined very clearly. It made for a great visual.
On the fairgrounds before and after the game, just about everyone was wearing red or orange. [I'll note, without comment, that the UT cheerleaders wear chaps over their short shorts.] There were a few very popular looks. Some worked; others were, um, regrettable.
The game itself was incredibly hard-fought and suspenseful. Fifth-ranked Texas ended up beating top-ranked OU, 45 to 35. We all screamed ourselves hoarse and rode a wave of jubilation out of the stadium. Just outside our gate, a pretty cool band was playing; as we floated out, they were tearing up a version of “Blitzkrieg Pop” that featured fiddle and bagpipe solos. Achtung, Ramones!
The Fair itself was fun, too. We walked in and out of the exhibit buildings and ate fair food, like fried green tomatoes, corn dogs, funnel cake, etc. The Fair’s mascot, Big Tex, gave his 2008 Best Taste award to a new treat: chicken-fried bacon. It was not very popular in our group. I decided I will never again take food suggestions from enormous statutes, even if they’re wearing Dickies and booming out messages about energy conservation.
We also saw a whole lot of brand-new, hot-looking cars in the (air-conditioned!) Auto Show building, as well as a belly-dancing exhibition and a few things that defied explanation.
Many thanks to Rishi, Manisha, and Rachel for being very gracious hosts–and a hell of a lot of fun.
A mere ten days before I join you in this strange land that is Texas! Let’s start making plans…I am thinking Saturday, day and night.