Texas: The land of ever expanding number of restuarants

I work for a sign company in Dallas and I always am curious on what are next project will be. It's no surprise that it's another restaurant or burger joint or pizza place. In fact, I would say that is about 70% of our clients are in the food industry.

On the weekends when I'm driving around I notice so many new restaurants that open up (and close) all the time. Here in the south it's really a repeat of 4 types of food that open up constantly: Tex-Mex, Pizza/Italian, Burger joints, and if you have more money sushi restuarants (quality and you need fancy interior, plus you're catering to white people). And it starts to all sound alike too: tico's tacos, pancho's enchiladas, joe's pizza, vino's italian cafe, sarku japan house, sharku sushi, etc.

Why are there so many restaurants and eateries being opened? Do we REALLY need another pizza joint? Is there a difference in one Tex-Mex restaurant to another? (don't most salsas taste alike?) Who invented the "dragon roll"?

The answer is it's because Americans want it, look for it, and really there's not much "to do" except to go out with significant others, families, and friends and eat and laugh over a delicious pizza pie.

Long ago (and when I mean this I mean about 30 plus years ago) there were not many restaurants or even fast food joints around. We didn't have many different fare like Indian or Thai or Greek. Going out to eat was for celebratory reasons and special occasions. Plus there were just a handful of choices (can imagine a time where it was ONLY McDonalds as your fast food choice?)

Now it's everything from elegant, fine dining to pizzas to Korean bbq to Puerto Rican cuisine and Indian buffets, Asian fusion and so on and so forth. Everyone is a "foodie" these days, we all "love" to eat, everyone is taking out their smart phones and taking pictures of this duck and that french onion fennel soup and this homemade pie, etc. We all love a good food porn.

I also like to see the trend in food change and follow where it's going. First it was cupcakes and now yogurt. First it was sushi/Thai food, now it's Korean, Indian, and Eastern European cuisine. Many people are not looking for "fancy" but more rustic and "country style". Plus there's a lot of up-and-coming chefs right out of culinary schools or t.v. shows that are pushing the boundaries and opening (and closing) restaurants too.

And of course going out to eat usually means spending more money than you should and of course gaining weight. But it's become such a natural way for people to get together that not many of us think about limiting the number of times we should go out.

I am at the point where I have reached several "key points" in my life since I've started dieting.

1. **this one is because I'm lucky I have to admit** Because my huband cooks, I just tell him to cook some good stuff over the weekend or try a new recipe. Isn't the food made from your own kitchen the best?
2. we try not to go out much to eat at restaurants b/c after two entrees, a drink, and maybe a dessert, tip and tax it's 60 bucks! I've gotten where I've become stingie spending that much! (unless it's birthday and anniversary)
3. if i can try to arrange this more often i would, and it 's called potluck dinner. you spend less, try other people's food, and it's a good way to socialize.

Being an ex-Yelper (I'll be back '12) I want to try more ethnic cuisines and eagerly wait for the next greatest: pizza/burger/dessert/cool/need-to-try-this-now dish.

What is your idea of good food porn and why?

Geoff's Home made meatballs and suace on angel hair and Tortilla Soup