# In this instance, proud to be a Texan **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [July 9, 2020, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827 "2020-07-09T14:11:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827/1 "2020-07-09T14:11:56Z")
God knows, most of the time, one has to hang one’s head and apologize for being a Texan. But locally-based H-E-B Grocery company did us proud with its early response to COVID. > **[Inside the Story of How H-E-B Planned for the Pandemic](https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/heb-prepared-coronavirus-pandemic/)** > > The grocer started communicating with its Chinese counterparts in January and was running tabletop simulations a few weeks later. (But nothing prepared it for the rush on toilet paper.) > …San Antonio-based H-E-B has been a steady presence amid the crisis. The company began limiting the amounts of certain products customers were able to purchase in early March; extended its sick leave policy and implemented social distancing measures quickly; limited its hours to keep up with the needs of its stockers; added a coronavirus hotline for employees in need of assistance or information; and gave employees a $2 an hour raise on March 16, as those workers, many of whom are interacting with the public daily during this pandemic, began [agitating for hazard pay.](https://www.coworker.org/petitions/h-e-b-partners-deserve-hazard-pay-2) > > This isn’t the first time H-E-B has done a good job of managing a disaster—it [played an important role](https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/heb-took-care-communities-harvey/) in helping the Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane Harvey in the immediate aftermath of the storm—which led us to ask: How did a regional supermarket chain develop systems that allow it to stay ahead of a crisis as big as this one? We spoke with nearly a dozen employees, executives, and customers to better understand—in their words—how H-E-B has taken on its unique role in shaping its business around the needs of Texans in the midst of trying circumstances. > … LONG article from Texas Monthly, not paywalled. I love my local H-E-B! (Name is from the founder, Howard E. Butt.) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827/2 "2020-07-09T14:13:41Z")
Significant cognitive dissonance alert! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827/3 "2020-07-09T14:31:50Z")
👏 ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827/4 "2020-07-09T14:59:38Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > God knows, most of the time, one has to hang one’s head and apologize for being a Texan. … Gotta admit, hanging one’s head and apologizing is NOT behavior I would generally expect of most Texans. But I understand what you mean. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827/5 "2020-07-09T19:15:36Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Gotta admit, hanging one’s head and apologizing is NOT behavior I would generally expect of most Texans. Perhaps girl Texicans are different. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827/6 "2020-07-09T19:34:57Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Perhaps girl Texicans are different No, it’s the last few years that have been different. Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, Ted Cruz… ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827/7 "2020-07-09T20:06:50Z")
My liberal Yankee son had the - uh - pleasure of working down McAllen way a couple years ago. Didn’t have much in common w/ many folk the met. And last summer when we visited Austin, I was stricken by the number of state flags and references to “Texas Pride” I saw. I think it encouraged me to start a thread asking if any other geographical location so overtly proclaimed their pride of place. Whereas, to an outsider, it was hard to see what there was to be proud of. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827/8 "2020-07-09T20:47:18Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > And last summer when we visited Austin, I was stricken by the number of state flags and references to “Texas Pride” I saw. I think it encouraged me to start a thread asking if any other geographical location so overtly proclaimed their pride of place. Whereas, to an outsider, it was hard to see what there was to be proud of.- Austin is a whole 'nother planet. Not the gummint part-- THAT is like the rest of Texas. But the rock-hipster-alternative-nouveau-riche-Whole-Foods-tree-hugging-chicken-fried-steak-music scene part is a culture unto itself. I love that part. Might miss it in a short visit. ---
**Author:** ![Tfletch1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tfletch1/32/5340_2.png) [@Tfletch1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tfletch1)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827/9 "2020-07-09T23:09:44Z")
Yes. HEB has been excellent during this pandemic. Top notch! ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2020, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827/10 "2020-07-10T14:06:44Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I love my local H-E-B! (Name is from the founder, Howard E. Butt.) So strange. For the longest time I assume HEB was for Hurst-Euless-Bedford. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827/11 "2020-07-10T15:17:44Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > So strange. For the longest time I assume HEB was for Hurst-Euless-Bedford. Only if you live in DFW. 🙂 HEB has only gotten as far north in the Fort Worth area as Burleson, which is about the southernmost suburb of FW. My personal theory is they’ll never move any farther north do to Hurst-Euless-Bedford ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827/12 "2020-07-10T15:28:39Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I love that part. Might miss it in a short visit. Yeah, walked about downtown early Sun a.m. - saw the hipster/music influence, the marvelous river scene (as well as homeless as high as I’ve seen anywhere, and businesses hosing away human excrement as I’ve never personally seen in another large city. But spending most of our time in the ill country, expressions of Texas Pride were pretty darned prevalent. Sure can’t imagine why they would be proud of their roads system… ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827/13 "2020-07-10T17:56:53Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > expressions of Texas Pride were pretty darned prevalent Texas is to the U.S. as the U.S. is to the rest of the world. If you thought it was weird that you saw so many Texas flags around, that’s how foreigners feel when they see so many U.S. flags Also remember that Texas was a country before it was a state (because we remember it!) Hey, at least it reduces the number of confederate flags being waved around ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2020, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827/14 "2020-07-12T03:53:00Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > Also remember that Texas was a country before it was a state (because we remember it!) Also remember that Texas was a Mexican state before it (briefly) became a country and that Texas practically begged to join the union because it was $10,000,000 dollars in debt, the equivalent of $337,460,526 today. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2020, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-this-instance-proud-to-be-a-texan/914827/15 "2020-07-12T19:18:07Z")
See, they never tell you that in school. It was always “And Texas wanted to join America because, 'Murika” They also never told us that Anglo Texans decided to break from Mexico because Mexico wouldn’t let them have slaves.