Synopsis: Bourdain explores the diverse communities in Houston, which—contrary to stereotypes about Texas—has become a welcoming home for many immigrants and refugees. Making stops at a quinceañera, a high school ESL class, an urban farm for refugees, and a local cricket match, Bourdain discovers a side of the city that most outsiders wouldn’t guess existed. The stories of his guests, many of whom immigrated to the United States, reveal Houston to be one place where strangers are still welcome.
On how Houston became a city where minorities are the majority:
“Texas—Houston in particular—is a very different place from what you might imagine from the stereotypes and the sound bites of its national political figures. Immigrants, refugees, and nonwhite Americans have in fact been transforming the city, the food, and culture of Houston for years. Welcome to America, people.”
“Some people say ‘Make America Great Again.’ I say America was great all along—some of us just forgot why. It’s great because your grandfather and my grandfather and just about everybody’s damn grandfather or great-grandfather crammed themselves, snuck, bought their way, or was dragged onto a boat and one way or another allowed themselves eventually to dream. You still can. There’s still room. And in some places in America, apparently, you are still welcome. Welcome, stranger. This land is your land.”
On Houston’s multimillion-dollar quinceañera industry:
Bourdain: “I was really happy about having a girl, but it’s expensive. What do boys get?”
Elizabeth Ortuño (co-owner of Acapulco Ballroom): “A soccer ball.”
On the converted cars of Houston’s slab culture:
“I’m thinking about my Lincoln now. I’m thinking, like, crocodile skin on the outside. Would that be alright?”
On one particularly loaded baked potato:
“My mother always said, ‘Never eat anything bigger than your head.’ And that’s about the size of a human head.”
Guests weigh in:
Jonathan Nguyen Trinh (principal at Lee High School, which has since changed its name to Margaret Long Wisdom High School): “I believe that no matter how poor you are, how uneducated you are when you first come to the United States, if you have the will to educate yourself, work hard at it, you can achieve.”
Yen Tran (co-owner of The Point, in Palacios): “I always say that the United States opened a house for the immigrant and the refugee. I feel this is my home.”
Kuldeep Patel (league president of Houston Indian Cricket Club): “When we watch baseball, it’s kind of slow to us.”
Bourdain: “Well, even to us it is.”