I’m back in Texas for a week and a half. It’s been quite an experience – half a homecoming, but it’s not really *home* this time. It used to be home.
But even if the surroundings felt half-familiar and half-strange, reconnecting with old friends has been sheer joy. And the connections often happen over food. We drove from DFW straight to El Campesino on Wednesday, Friday I ate with Ernie here at R&K, and then this morning a group of us guys spent two hours chatting here over breakfast. We still weren’t done, so we walked across the block to my dad and brother’s office and kept talking for another two hours. 
R&K is a remodeled and revitalized down-home cafe. As you can tell, it’s a full place at lunchtime. Generous portions of food, friendly waitresses, and cheap prices bring all sorts of people here: oilfield workers, farmers, downtown workers, families, old-timers – they’re all here. If you want to see my hometown in a nutshell, come here for lunch.