I ask my husband this exact question about twice a year. Usually when a cat is staring just past my head. He gets the reference.

My colleagues from Europe are always fascinated by Wal-Mart. They walk the aisles and usually buy an insane printed t-shirt or blanket as a souvenir. They also like to stock up on "American snacks," so that accomplishes a few things with one trip. Pop tarts, corn chips, maple syrup - just things with a different flavor profile or philosophy of what counts as "food." And Pork Rinds (aka chicharrones) are fried pig skins. Somehow I can never quite persuade them to get those.

Tex-Mex and BBQ are the two biggest food recommendations for Texas. BBQ may include beef brisket or chicken. If you're keeping a halal diet, just be aware that these restaurants may incorporate pork into seemingly vegetarian choices, like collard greens or beans.

One tip: you can usually ask a restaurant to make a substitution to a meal and they will be happy to oblige unless it's integral to the cooking process. For example, you can ask for a bacon cheeseburger with no bacon, but you can't ask for beans without pork because it's more like a soup. (Sorry if this seems obvious, but my coworkers from EU are super reluctant or shy to ask for modifications. In the US it's considered perfectly normal to make this type of request.)

Since Houston is reasonably close to Louisiana, you may be able to find a decent Cajun style restaurant. Very regional and very delicious.

I've heard that you can find shark teeth on some of the local beaches, but they also just sell them at Murdoch's, which is a gift shop in/near Galveston.

Ohio. They're invasive and only arrived in large quantities here about 6-8 years back. They're in the Chicago area as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_marmorated_stink_bug

Is that the penis worm that I learned about today?

she had been flagged after she indicated that she was not a U.S. citizen in response to a jury summons

She claimed non-citizenship as a way to get out of jury duty???? Bwahahahaahaha! This just keeps getting better.

Urgh - It's like when you have 40 legitimate reasons for disliking your own mother and your friend criticizes her for her cooking. "Actually, she has been nothing but kind to YOU, and one of the only good traits is her cooking. STFU bitch"

It's a weird feeling.

Even just through personal experience - I drove more than 1200 miles through the US midwest this summer. Corn country.

30 years ago I would have needed to squeegee my windshield at every gas station. This year I think I hit one bug large enough to even notice it.

My yard is mostly clover and similar ground cover, but I think my patch of lawn may be having less of an impact than industrial agriculture.

Wasn't Mitt the dude with the lady binders?

If you watch enough old scifi and adventure movies, you'll learn to welcome the "so that's where Lucas took that idea from" feeling as an old friend. He lifted a lot.

Oh, my parents take the prize.

To pick just one thing, I remember a disagreement about how to re-arrange the furniture my bedroom. I remember saying (and with regret as the words were leaving my mouth), "well, it is my room." Instant shitshow. She announced that since she wasn't needed she would be Running Away From Home.

Even at 5 or 6, I knew that this was the stupidest thing ever, but that she also wouldn't back down unless I cried and chased her and begged her to stay. She got out the front door and slowly walked towards the street, stopping every few feet to look back. She had nowhere to go, obviously. If this were going to be a battle of wills, I held all the cards. I was also six. If I had been 16, I might have thought to lock the front door behind her. In any case, even at that age I knew that if I somehow won this, things could only get worse.

Yeah, I whipped up some tears and ran after her. But she never tried that one again and I like to think that it was because she got all the way to the street before she got her intended outcome.

7:07am. Milan.

I'm woken by two texts from my coworker. "Thought we were meeting in the lobby at 7:00. Heading to the train station."

The train leaves at 7:20. "Well I can't...." or can I?

Clothes on. Glasses on. All toiletries swept into purse. I run like hell.

There's a pedestrian underpass, but I Frogger across the road and through the square. I'm in the station with a minute to spare and I'm still somehow running. My shoes are shabby Converse and the floor is polished marble. And I'm 45.

Things are going as ok as any of that can be until I have that out of body moment when I know my foot to forward motion ratio is incompatible with staying upright.

I lunged into the fall, made an extremely satisfying "splat" sound, and skidded several horizontal meters on the marble floor. Two or more nicely dressed Italians look at me in horror, but I'm not physically hurt. Big smile. I thought about Mary Catherine Gallagher-ing it with a victory pose, but just got up and kept running.

Made the train as it was pulling out, brushed hair/teeth once i caught my breath. Moved to the correct train car at the next stop, and met up with my colleague.

We had a nice day trip and the waiter was horrified at how much wine we drank at lunch.