Tio's dog food

After reading Dan's comment, I have to tell this story. To preface the story, TMO was a pretty sensitive dude. When eating at El Tio Lupe, T had this habit of combining all of the food on his plate into a very neat pile. He would take handfuls of chips, crush them in his hands, and mix the remainder into what looked to some like dog food, and to others a work of culinary mystery. One time eating with some friends (names withheld) he worked his magic prompiting one of the parties to ask, "Tmo, why do you have to make your food look like dog food?" I guess it grossed them out. When Tmo relayed this story to me he was bummed. He said, "I wasn't even hungry after he said that." Imagine, Tmo stopping mid-bite. He was really bummed when he told that story. I and others continued to reassure him that his method, though very different, was innovative, and regardless of what anyone said, he should enjoy his food any way he liked. The one thing I never understood though was the sausage/ fried catfish sandwich from the oyster bar. When we both lived in East Dallas, he would come by or I would call immediately after he ate one, and I would have a hard time imagining the pairing. Angela told me about his all Asian diet. You will have to ask her about that. Additionally, T always said that before I met him I thought El Fenix was the only game in town. He was right on that front, he showed me what have become my fave places on the planet...Thanks Tmo for taking me to AL's!