We Texans love our food. We love it so much that there are some foods that are essential to our “balanced” Texas diet.

19. Margaritas

Between the heat, the traffic, and the mosquitos the size of your hand, life in Texas is not without it’s hard days. This is why we have developed a liquid diet that helps calm the nerves. It is heavily based on Margaritas. Without them, we’d be a stressed out bunch.

18. Blue Bell Ice Cream

Nothing cools you down as a kid on a hot summer day than Blue Bell Ice Cream. Made in Brenham, TX it’s the best ice cream in the country. Heck, the world for that matter. It’s an integral part of all Texan summers and an integral part of our diet.

17. Chips and Salsa

Folks in New York eat Pizza, folks from Florida eat whatever they can get at a Disney World concession line, and folks in California eat In N Out or whatever. Well here in Texas we eat a lot of things, but most importantly, we eat a lot of chips and salsa.

The first rule you need to know about chips and salsa though, is that it’s literally impossible to stop eating once you start. It’s just a fact of life in Texas.

The second and most important rule with chips and salsa, is avoid restaurants that charge for it. It is illegal in Texas to charge for chips and salsa (or at least it should be).

…which brings me to my next item.

16. Julio’s Chips and Salsa

Yes, I know that Julio’s chips and salsa is “chips and salsa” too. But it’s also not. Julio’s is so good it’s in a category of food all its own. There’s chips and salsa, much like what you’d get at any good God-fearin’ Mexican restaurant, and then there’s Julio’s. Julio’s is like regular chips and salsa, except they require a 12-step program to get un-addicted to them.

If somehow you’ve lived here in Texas and still haven’t had them, do yourself a favor and drive to HEB right now. You can thank me later.

15. Chips and Queso

You’d think I’d be done talking about chips by now, but you’d be wrong. Chips in this state have another companion that must be discussed. That companion is queso. Queso is the heavier, lighter, more filling sibling of salsa. It’s not just melted cheese. It’s melted cheese blended with spices, pico de gallo, and maybe a little guacamole. Heck, if you want a meal, throw in some meat too. Just bring plenty of heavy duty chips. Queso is great for breaking your chips in half.

In any normal setting, grabbing a bowl and scraping out the contents with your hands is normally frowned upon. When it comes to queso though, all Texans do their part to make sure that none gets wasted. We’ll use every last chip crumb to get every last ounce of that golden delicious goodness.