Chili con carne, a typical Texan dish

Mixed beef and chicken fajita ingredients, served on a hot iron skillet.

"Tex-Mex" (combination of Texan and Mexican) is a term describing a regional American cuisine that blends food products available in the United States and the culinary creations of Mexican-Americans influenced by Mexican cuisine. The cuisine has spread from border states such as Texas and those in the Southwestern United States to the rest of the country. Tex-Mex is most popular in the Southern state of Texas. Tex-Mex is very different from the Southwest cuisine found in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. In these areas, the preferred southwest cuisine is New Mexican cuisine. The southwestern state of Nevada and West Coast state of California tend to lie in the middle as far the preferred style of Mexican-American food. In some places, particularly outside of Texas, "Tex-Mex" is used to describe a localized version of Mexican cuisine. It is common for all of these foods to be referred to as "Mexican food" in Texas, parts of the United States, and some other countries. In other ways, it is Southern cooking using the commodities from Mexican culture. In many parts of the U.S. outside of Texas the term is synonymous with Southwestern cuisine.^[1][2][3]

Some ingredients are common in Mexican cuisine, but other ingredients not typically used in Mexico are often added. Tex-Mex cuisine is characterized by its heavy use of melted cheese, meat (particularly beef and pork), beans, and spices, in addition to Mexican-style tortillas. Texas-style chili con carne, chili con queso, nachos, and fajitas are all Tex-Mex inventions.^{[citation needed]} Moreover, Tex-Mex has imported flavors from other spicy cuisines, such as the use of cumin (common in Indian cuisine, but used in only a few central Mexican recipes).

History[link]

A tortilla seller in San Antonio, Texas

The word "Tex-Mex" first entered the English language as a nickname for the Texas Mexican Railway, chartered in southern Texas in 1875.^[4] In train schedules published in the newspapers of the 1800s the names of railroads were abbreviated. The Missouri Pacific was called the Mo. Pac. and the Texas-Mexican was abbreviated Tex. Mex. In the 1920s, the hyphenated form was used in American newspapers in reference to the railroad and to describe people of Mexican descent who were born in Texas.^[5]

In the mission era, Spanish and Mexican cuisines were combined in Texas as in other parts of the northern frontier of New Spain.^[6] However, the cuisine that would come to be called Tex-Mex actually originated with Tejanos (Texans of Mexican descent) as a mix of native Mexican and Spanish foods when Texas was part of New Spain and later Mexico.

From the South Texas region between San Antonio and El Paso, this cuisine has had little variation, and from earliest times has always been influenced by the cooking in the neighboring northern states of Mexico.^{[citation needed]} The ranching culture of South Texas and northern Mexico straddles both sides of the border. A taste for cabrito (kid goat), barbacoa de cabeza (barbecued beef heads), carne seca (dried beef), and other products of cattle culture is common on both sides of the Rio Grande. In the 20th century, Tex-Mex took on such Americanized elements as yellow cheese, as goods from the United States became cheap and readily available.

In much of Texas, the cooking styles on both sides of the U.S. Mexico border were the same until a period after the U.S. Civil War. With the railroads, American ingredients and cooking appliances became common on the U.S. side.^[7]

A 1968 Los Angeles Times piece claimed "[i]f the dish is a combination of Old World cooking, hush-my-mouth Southern cuisine and Tex-Mex, it's from the Texas Hill Country."^[8]

The Oxford English Dictionary supplies the first-known uses in print of "Tex-Mex" in reference to food, from a 1963 article in the New York Times Magazine, and a 1966 item in the Great Bend (Kansas) Tribune.^[9] Diana Kennedy, an influential food authority, explained the distinctions between Mexican cuisine and Americanized Mexican food in her 1972 book The Cuisines of Mexico. Robb Walsh of the Houston Press said the book "was a breakthrough cookbook, one that could have been written only by a non-Mexican. It unified Mexican cooking by transcending the nation's class divisions and treating the food of the poor with the same respect as the food of the upper classes."^[10] Another early instance in print appeared in the Mexico City News in 1973.^{[citation needed]}

Paris's first Tex-Mex restaurant opened in March 1983. After the 1986 release of the film Betty Blue, Tex-Mex cuisine's popularity in Paris increased.^[11]

Award-winning Texas food writer Robb Walsh (of the Houston Press) updated Kennedy and put her comments regarding Tex-Mex cooking into historical and sociopolitical perspective in The Tex-Mex Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos (New York: Broadway Books, 2004).

See also[link]

	Texas portal
	Food portal

This article is part of the series on
American cuisine
Regional cuisines Northeastern New England New Jersey New York City Philadelphia Midwestern Chicago North Dakota Omaha Southern (list) Cajun Floribbean Kentucky Louisiana Creole Lowcountry Soul food (list) Western California California fusion Pacific Northwest Rocky Mountain Southwestern New Mexican Tex-Mex Other Hawaiian Military rations Puerto Rican Roadkill Tailgate party
History Chuckwagon Culinary Revolution Thirteen Colonies
Ingredients Blueberry Corn Okra Pecan Pumpkin Sunflower seed
Styles Barbecue in the United States (Texas, Kansas City, Memphis, Carolinas) Fast food Fusion New American
Ethnic and cultural American Chinese Italian-American Jewish Native American Pennsylvania Dutch
Holidays and festivals Christmas Thanksgiving
United States portal
v t e

• Chili con queso
• American cuisine
• Mexican cuisine
• Tex-Mex cuisine in Houston

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Tex-Mex cuisine

• "Tex-Mex Foods." Handbook of Texas.
• Robb Walsh's Six-Part History of Tex-Mex in the Houston Press: Pralines and Pushcarts, Combination Plates, Mama's Got a Brand-new Bag, The Authenticity Myth, The French Connection, Brave Nuevo World.
• Pronunciation Guide to Mexican and Tex-Mex Food
• Temples of Tex-Mex: A Diner's Guide to the State's Oldest Mexican Restaurants
• Lieberman, Dave. "Five Ways To Tell You're Eating Americanized Mexican Food." OC Weekly. Monday June 14, 2010.

Flaco Jiménez

Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez (born March 11, 1939) is a Tejano music accordionist from San Antonio, Texas.

Jiménez's father, Santiago Jiménez Sr. was a pioneer of conjunto music. He began performing with his father at age seven and recording at age fifteen, as a member of Los Caporales. He played in the San Antonio area for several years, and then began working with Douglas Sahm in the 1960s. Sahm, better known as the founding member of the Sir Douglas Quintet, played with Jiménez for some time. Flaco then went on to New York City and worked with Dr. John, David Lindley, Peter Rowan, Ry Cooder and Bob Dylan. He appeared on Cooder's world music album Chicken Skin Music and on the Rolling Stones' Voodoo Lounge. This led to greater awareness of his music outside America and, after touring Europe with Ry Cooder, he returned to tour with his own band, and on a joint bill with Peter Rowan. Flaco, Peter Rowan and Wally Drogos were the original members of a band called The Free Mexican Airforce.

Jiménez won a Grammy Award in 1986 for "Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio", a song of his father. He was also a member of the supergroup Texas Tornados, with Augie Meyers, Doug Sahm and Freddy Fender. ' The Texas Tornados earned a Grammy Award in 1990, and Jiménez earned one on his own in 1996, when his Flaco Jiménez won the Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Performance. In 1999, Flaco earned another Grammy Award for Best Tejano Performance (Said and Done, Barb Wire Records), and one for Best Mexican-American Performance as a part of supergroup Los Super Seven. Jiménez has also won a Best Video award at the Tejano Music Awards and earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from Billboard Latin Magazine for "Streets of Bakersfield" with Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens.

Jiménez has appeared in the film Picking up the Pieces, with Woody Allen and Sharon Stone. He also appears on the soundtrack to that movie, and in many others, such as Y Tu Mamá También, The Border, Tin Cup, and Striptease. The Hohner company collaborated with Jiménez to create the Flaco Jimenez Signature Series of accordions.

His brother, Santiago Jiménez, Jr., is also an accomplished accordionist who has recorded extensively.

Jiménez's latest CD is Squeeze Box King (2003, Compadre Records).

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

Guest singles[link]

References[link]

• Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez. National Public Radio.
• Hohner, Inc and Flaco Jiménez
• Hohner,Inc Press Release

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2010)

Tim "Herb" Alexander
Background information
Birth name	Tim Alexander
Also known as	"Herb"
Born	(1965-04-10) April 10, 1965 (age 47) Cherry Point, North Carolina, U.S.
Genres	Rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Drums, vocals, guitar
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Prawn Song, Interscope

Tim "Herb" Alexander (born April 10, 1965 in Cherry Point, North Carolina) is an American musician, best known as the former drummer for the rock band Primus.^[1] Tim played on the Primus recordings Suck on This to Tales from the Punchbowl, before leaving the band in 1996, only to rejoin in 2003 for the EP Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People. He was a member of, and toured with, Primus from early 2003 until approximately 2009 when he was replaced by Jay Lane. Although Alexander has been quoted saying he was originally inspired to become a rock drummer by legendary drummers like John Bonham, Neil Peart and Shaun O'Connor, Primus guitarist Larry LaLonde claims Alexander's drum beats are mostly influenced by African Jùjú music.

Prior to joining Primus, he played and recorded with Major Lingo, which at the time was a ska-based rhythm band that featured a lap steel guitar as the lead instrument, played by Tony Bruno. When Major Lingo toured through the Bay Area Tim met members of Primus and would go on to remain there trying out for the band.

Following Alexander's departure from Primus, he went on to form his own group, Laundry. Alexander released two albums with the band Laundry; Blacktongue and Motivator. Alexander has also collaborated with experimental bass player Michael Manring and guitarist Alex Skolnick to form the group known as Attention Deficit.

Alexander was the first drummer of A Perfect Circle, performing early live shows with the band, and recording drums for the track "The Hollow" on the band's debut album, Mer de Noms. He is listed as a member in the band's DVD/CD release aMOTION.

Alexander joined the theatrical group Blue Man Group, and has occasionally played with the Las Vegas-based improvisational rock band Uberschall.

Despite being primarily known for his drum work Alexander is an accomplished guitarist and singer. He performed live guitar with the group Born Naked and held the lead vocal duties on Laundry's second album and supporting tour.

Alexander was involved throughout 2008-09 in a project known as Into The Presence which features songs by Luis Carlos Maldonado. Their debut album was released on Razor and Tie Records and includes performances from bassist Paz Lenchantin and cellist Ana Lenchantin. Both Into The Presence and the Fata Morgana release were recorded and produced at Alexander's own Ghost Town Studios.^{[citation needed]}

As of 2010 Alexander is actively involved as a member of Maynard James Keenan's Puscifer project. He has toured with them and can be heard on their most recent released recordings.

Personal life[link]

While his nickname, "Herb", could be construed as a cannabis reference, Alexander does not smoke marijuana, unlike his former Primus bandmates Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde.^[2] Rumor has it that he was given this nickname due to his consistent use of herbal nutritional supplements.

Discography[link]

Primus[link]

• Suck on This (1989)
• Frizzle Fry (1990)
• Sailing the Seas of Cheese (1991)
• Miscellaneous Debris (1992)
• Pork Soda (1993)
• Tales from the Punchbowl (1995)
• Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People (2003)

Laundry[link]

• Blacktongue (1994)
• Motivator (1999)

A Perfect Circle[link]

• Mer de Noms (2000) (Appears on "The Hollow")

Attention Deficit[link]

• Attention Deficit (1998)
• The Idiot King (2001)

Fata Morgana[link]

• This Is A Dream (2005)

Puscifer[link]

• "V" Is for Vagina (2007)
• "C" Is for (Please Insert Sophomoric Genitalia Reference HERE) (2009)
• Conditions of My Parole (2011)

Into the Presence[link]

• Into the Presence (2009)

Various[link]

• Drum Nation Vol. 1 (2004)

Equipment[link]

Drums: TAMA,

• 18"x20" Bass Drum
• 16"x18" Bass Drum
• 5.5"x14" Bronze PBZ355 Snare Drum
• 6"x14" Starclassic G Maple Snare Drum
• 8"x8" Tom Tom
• 9"x10" Tom Tom
• 10"x12" Tom Tom
• 14"x14" Floor Tom
• 14"x20" Gong Bass Drum
• 16"x16" Floor Tom
• Octoban Low-Pitch Set

Hardware: TAMA, many various boom and straight cymbal stands

Cymbals: Zildjian,

• 9.5" & 6" Zil-Bells
• 13" Z Custom Dyno Beat Hi-Hats
• 18",17" & 16" A Medium Crashes
• 18" A Rock Crash
• 6" & 8" A splash
• 12" A Special Recording Hi-Hats
• 13" A New-Beat Hi-Hats
• 18" Oriental China Trash
• 22" K Custom Ride.

Sticks: Zildjian, Tim Alexander Artist Series (16" length, 0.53" diameter)

Heads: REMO

References[link]

External links[link]

• TA on MySpace
• TA on Twitter
• TA on Drummerworld
• Primus website
• Fata Morgana website

This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (August 2009)

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008)

Susan Michelle Rollin Torres (November 23, 1978 – August 3, 2005) was an American woman who made headline news all over the world, when she gave birth to a baby girl while brain dead, with Stage IV Malignant Melanoma, and on a life support machine.

Brief biography[link]

Susan Rollin, was born to Sandra, and Paul Rollin, in Wichita, Kansas and raised in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Susan was raised as a Protestant but converted to Catholicism during her college career.

She was an outstanding student in school, and she attended the University of Dallas, a Roman Catholic college, from which she graduated cum laude with a B.S. in Biology/Environmental Science. She met Jason Torres and converted to Roman Catholicism. The couple married and moved to Alexandria, Virginia. She worked as a vaccine researcher at the NIH. In 2003, Jason and Susan Torres had their first child, Peter.

Susan had been diagnosed with melanoma when she was 17 years old, and a senior in High School. The melanoma was removed, and after 8 years she had been declared completely free of the cancer. On May 7, 2005, 17 weeks after she had become pregnant for the second time, she suffered a stroke, as a consequence of her cancer, which had returned.

She was rushed to the Virginia Hospital Center, where it was discovered that her cancer had spread to her brain. Her family was told by the doctors there that she had no chance of survival as she had already reached stage four of her cancer, which is often fatal for cancer patients. Despite the medical prognosis, it was decided to keep her alive, to save her baby by premature delivery before the cancer had spread to her uterus. Doctors set their sights on July 11, by which date the baby would likely have a viable chance of survival.

Her ordeal caused financial and psychological distress to both sets of grandparents, and both the Rollins and Torres families set up a fund in order to raise money to pay for her hospital bills and for the baby's care. As July 11 arrived, doctors decided to wait a little longer to deliver the baby so it would have a better chance of surviving after birth. Meanwhile, about $400,000 (USD) coming from different parts of the country and the world was collected through the Susan Torres Fund.

On August 2, 2005, baby Susan Ann Catherine Torres was born, through a Caesarean section (aka "C-section"). Baby Susan was taken to an intensive care unit, but hospital staff as well as Susan's brother-in-law, Justin Torres, announced that Susan had had a "successful delivery" and that the baby was "doing well".

On August 3, 2005, Susan died after her life support machines were disconnected by Virginia Hospital Center's staff. She was 26 years old. On September 11, 2005, baby Susan Ann Catherine Torres died, following surgery for a perforated intestine.

About twelve women worldwide have given birth while on life support machines since 1979, according to Dr. Winston Campbell. Susan was the first to be not only brain dead, but also suffering from advanced malignant melanoma. Either of the conditions would have been a huge problem, but the combination of the two made the odds of a healthy birth highly unlikely. There was no medical precedent from which to draw experience from for such a case. The attending physicians and nurses are still completely amazed that Susan was able hold on to life long enough to deliver her baby in relatively good health.

References[link]

Anna Carina
Birth name	Anna Carina Copello Hora
Born	(1981-08-14) August 14, 1981 (age 30)
Origin	Lima, Peru
Genres	Pop, Latin, Pop rock, Balada
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar
Labels	Independient
Website	http://www.annacarina.net
Notable instruments
Guitar, Vocals

Anna Carina Copello Hora (Lima, August 14, 1981) is a peruvian dancer, actress, pop singer-songwriter and guitarist, known professionally as Anna Carina. Anna Carina is very popular in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela.^[1]

In 2010, she was nominated for the Premios Orgullosamente Latino: Group of the Year, Song of America, Disco Latino Latino of the Year, and Video of the Year.^[2]

Biography[link]

Since participating in the program Nubeluz, Anna Carina was cementing a career that has gradually made important achievements.

She has also collaborated with her compositions in various charity campaigns carried out in Peru, but without neglecting its main goal: her solo career. In 2002, Anna Carina launched what would become her first solo musical experience. The album was titled something personal, a disc with 14 compositions, all walking along the lines of pop, rock, ballads and dance.

The first single, Crazy Love, was able to quickly penetrate the taste of young audiences, placing it in the preference lists of the major local radio stations. While Anna Carina toured various venues featuring the best of his repertoire. The address of the video was provided by Juan Carlos Oganes.

The record was short-lived and Anna Carina had to leave the stage for a couple of years in this period of personal growth, began to compose songs for children's program called "Maria Pia & Timoteo".

In 2003, Anna Carina began to conceive the concept of the second disc. Armed with courage and new life experiences, issues began to be born. Alongside came the opportunity to VJ on the channel's most popular music of Peru, OK TV, pleasant experience enabling him to keep abreast of new music.

Launched in 2005, the spiral disc contains 10 tracks and it shows the entire growth as an artist, both in the lyrics of songs like the musical arrangements. The disc has two sides, unlike the above, the tracks sound just pop and rock only. Experiences of life and breath to succeed, thoughts, loves and hates, all in a tone very liberating, in particular Anna Carina seal.

On July 14 Anna Carina informed of their new album AnnaCarinaPop well with the name that has dominated the pop title with some mergers of different rhythms inspired by 80. The album was released on June 15, 2010, the first single is the theme which was successful Cielo Sin Luz nationally and internationally, also in March it was announced the second single from the album which is titled Ya Fue Demasiado.

Discography[link]

• Algo personal (2002)
• Espiral (2005)
• AnnaCarinaPop (2010)

TV Shows[link]

• 1. El show de los sueños (Perú): Amigos del alma - Heroin.. Winner / 1st Place
• 2. El show de los sueños: Reyes del show - 2nd Place
• 3. Vidas Extremas (with Jean Paul Strauss)
• 4. Nubeluz (Dicolina/Cindela)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Artist's website
• Entrevista: Anna Carina presenta - Anna Carina Pop