How to blend in with the locals in Texas?

30 comments

1. Just be your normal polite selves. People won’t care that you are tourists, but they might find it interesting and try to start a conversation.

   We like to talk and get to know people. But here are some quick tips:

   – a common greeting is “how’s it going?” We usually aren’t actually trying to understand how you are feeling at that time, it is more just a polite way to say “hey”. A proper response usually is “good, and you?”
   – tip your waiters, 20% is the standard now. As for drinks at a bar, I usually do $1 per drink
   – ~~as for drinking, the legal age to consume alcohol is 21. If you are not 21, you will not be served. We don’t care what the drinking age is in your country~~ nvm, I missed the part where you said you were a middle aged couple
   – we like our personal space. When talking with an American don’t stand too close, we don’t want to smell your breath and don’t want you to smell ours
   – we have a lot of variety of great food, use yelp or ask around to find good local places to eat. Food chains are what foreigners think is “American food” but we have a lot more to offer
   – Walmart is not a grocery store. They have groceries/food there, but most Americans buy their groceries from true grocery stores like HEB, Kroger, Food Lion, Acme, etc… They will have a larger variety of food.
   – respect queues when waiting in line. I know Italians and French Canadians do not abide by our strict queues. No cutting. If you do, expect to be called out.
   – don’t get into conversations with locals about why the US is “bad at ___. In ‘MyCountry’ we do it this way, which is better” We do not like this superiority complex and it is the fastest way to piss us off. I was having a lovely conversation with some Spaniards while on vacation in Iceland. We were discussing American culture, politics, etc.. and we were having a lovely time. Then they started transitioning to “Why are all Americans racists, why is cost of living so high, all Americans have guns and are dangerous. In ‘MyCountry’ we don’t have these issues and America should be more like ‘MyCountry’”. I had to find a way to end the conversation because it had turned into one-way accusations.
   – when in a national park, stay on the trail. Don’t walk into a meadow or whatever to take a photo. Respect our land. This is an issue that some Americans struggle with as well, but just wanted to let you know.
   – and finally, just enjoy your trip. Us Americans are friendly and love sharing our nation/culture with others

2. As with anywhere in the US, don’t be a jerk. You are going to stick out, that’s not a bad thing. Strike up a conversation with a friendly local in a bar. I bet you will have a great time.

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4. Texas is a big, diverse state with people from all over the world. People are extremely used to foreigners.

   Pretty much the only thing you have to do to blend in is not try too hard. If you show up in a cowboy hat, boots, and spurs, everybody will look at you like you’re a giant doofus.

   If you where normal clothes and strike up a conversation with people, they’ll be pretty quick to take a liking to you.

   Be sure to try the local food while you’re here. Texas Monthly’s BBQ guide is great for enjoying the current golden age of Texas ‘cue. Any local worth their salt will have an opinion on where you should get breakfast tacos. If you find yourself in Houston, hit up Crawfish and Noodles because you can’t get Viet-Cajun anywhere else on earth.

   Enjoy your stay y’all.

5. just act like you would anywhere else in the US

6. You’re probably going to stand out, but don’t worry about it. Americans are not going to treat you differently because you’re not from here. They’ll be excited someone from a land far off has come to see their town.

   Be polite and respectful, that is what’s most important. So long as you are polite and respectful, Americans do not care where you’re from.

7. You won’t blend in. Don’t embarrass yourself by trying to. Just be you. Talk in your weird accents and wear your weird European clothing.

8. Don’t try, you’ll probably have more fun and better interactions.

   To clarify, *anywhere* in the US if you try to “blend in”, people are more likely to avoid you entirely. Tourists trying to act local are epically cringe, and we simply don’t want to deal with it. Tourists being themselves and enjoying their time are vastly more approachable.

9. I hope you’re going to The Hill Country and Sam Antonio!

10. Are y’all going for the eclipse? If so it’s gonna be pretty different from how rural Texas normally is, and you’ll be FAR from the only out-of-towners. I wouldn’t be too worried.

    ALSO I’m not sure how good the Tex Mex is where you’re gonna be (probably best near the border?) but if you’ve never had it before it’s worth a try. Texas also has a pretty big BBQ culture so that’s worth a try too.

11. Where in Texas will you be going? If you’re going to one of the major cities, they’re actually very diverse. No one will mind you being yourself. I live in Houston and probably half of my neighbors are immigrants, to give you an idea. I highly doubt you could do something to really stand out here as long as you’re not bothering anyone else.

    I would say the biggest thing to be aware of is that Texas is a place where people smile a lot. I’ve heard that can be off putting for visitors from some parts of the world. But think of it this way, when you have so many people from so many places coming together, they might not all speak the same language or have the same practices. I’m pretty sure the American habit of smiling at people came from a background where they needed to show “hey, I’m friendly” without speaking.

    So don’t be surprised in Texas if people smile at you in passing, or wave, or anything like that. People are just being friendly.

    More important to know is where you will be visiting and when. Texas is very large and has several climate zones. We could give advice for how to dress for the weather, at least.

12. My general advice to any tourist from any place is this: don’t try to blend in, just try not to stand out. It will always be obvious to someone raised in the culture you’re visiting that you were not also raised there, but that’s okay! As long as you are not being rude and not going out of your way to be the center of everyone’s attention, people will just be happy you visited.

13. This is America. Land of immigrants and tourists. Just don’t be a jerk and you’ll be fine.

14. Just be yourselves, standing out is not a bad thing, we are used to tourists. Why does everyone want to hide?

15. Don’t try to blend in. You’re not Texans. You’ll either look silly or stereotypically offensive.

    Texans are friendly. Just be yourselves and nice and people will do the same.

16. One of the best things about America is that you get to be yourself. If someone doesn’t like that, you tell them to stick it where the sun don’t shine

17. You don’t blend in. It doesn’t matter. Be yourself, don’t be afraid to talk with people, they will be interested in where you are from.

18. Glad to hear that you’re reciprocating the Texan culture of trying to blend into whatever area they are visiting 😉

19. Trying to blend in could actually be offensive. The best thing you can do is be yourself. Americans love foreigners. We love to talk to foreigners. We just love to talk.

20. Be delusional about how this year is going to be the Cowboys year.

21. So how do you politely address an older lady, when does a Miss become a Mam? & are all male’s OK with Howdy sir /young Sir?

22. Remember the Alamo

23. If you want to act like a Texan, tell everyone you’re from Texas *as soon as possible*. Like really force that in to a conversation.

24. Enjoy your trip and tell the locals what *you like* about the area and Texas in general!!
    They’ll be buying you a beer in no time!

25. I hope you’re coming to Texas in the springtime or fall/Autumn and not summer.

    If you come to Texas in July or August, you will be miserable. Sorry, but the heat keeps most of us indoors then.

26. Complete honesty: You’re not going to blend in. Be okay with that.

    Be polite, don’t bring up hot button issues unless you are talking to friends or they bring it up first. Otherwise just be authentically yourselves.

    Many Americans enjoy talking to people who choose to take their time and money to come here and visit the US.

    The one thing I will say is that you will deal with humans who you think are being ‘fake nice’. It’s just them being polite.

    I grew up where the south and midwest meet. I’ve got some of that ‘syrupy sweet’ niceness in me as well because it’s how I was raised. It is just simple politeness for us. We’re not being fake.

27. Most ppl you see in cities in Texas aren’t from here. Don’t worry about blending in.

28. Just be yourselves-Texas is a very diverse place so it really depends on where you go, but almost everyone will be excited to meet people from Central Europe 🙂

    ​

    Enjoy all the Tex-Mex you can eat!

29. Just don’t wear skinny jeans. Don’t worry, they issue you a .45 at the border.

30. You WILL stick out. That’s not a bad thing. We are curious people and we love when we have visitors. People will probably ask where you are from, what you’re visiting for, and what you think so far.

    Hope you have fun. Eat some BBQ. Brisket is the way to go.