A Good Place to Eat

My wife likes to go to the mall. Both my 3-year old daughter and she love to shop. Not necessarily to buy, but to shop. I guess it's genetic. They can go around for hours looking at clothes, accessories and, of course, toys and they have a great time doing it.

I, on the other hand, being a typical male, prefer going into the store, getting what I want, and walking back out. A perfect shopping trip for me is defined as park, into the store, purchase and back in the car before the summer sun has warmed the interior. Not so with the wife and daughter.

And I am the designated driver for all these trips.

Not all malls have a cigar store where I can sit and enjoy a cigar while they shop. Dulles Town Center is one that does. And it has three very nice, over-stuffed chairs and good conversation included. The Old Virginia Tobacco Company is a most pleasant place to wait while the girls do their thing. I recommend it.

Shopping does, of course, build-up an appetite. On one shopping sojourn to Dulles Town Center the wife found in the food court a place called the "Texas BBQ Factory." When she told me about it and suggested we eat there on the next trip to Dulles I agreed and naturally assumed that it would have its roots in Texas with a primarily Latino staff. Imagine my surprise when we got there and my wife started speaking Tagalog. The staff all turned out to be Filipino immigrants. The Texas BBQ Factory became our main food stop at Dulles Town Center. The portions are good sized and the quality of the food excellent but I always assumed that it was a one-of operation.

Yesterday we journeyed to Potomac Mills for some serious shopping in preparation for a trip to the Far East. We were both surprised to see another Texas BBQ Factory in the food court there and quickly found that it was a sister store of Dulles Town Center operation. It also had an all Filipino staff. Again the quality and quantity of food was excellent.

A little on-line research revealed that there is a third branch in Arlington. I will try it soon but am certain that the food will be just as good there as the other two branches.

While we were eating yesterday my wife looked at me and said, "It's good to see that the owner has achieved the American dream. I mean, what more can a Filipino aspire for than to have made a success of himself after emigrating to America. These people are an immigrant success story!"

And you know, she is right. Having lived in the Philippines for 11 years, I saw firsthand the long lines of people waiting outside the American Consulate for a chance at a visa to "visit" the United States (about half don't return from the "visit"). I know the desire of Filipino's to immigrate is strong. It's not that they don't love their country; but that they've been raised viewing the United States as an icon of freedom and opportunity. It is unusual, therefore, that they allow themselves to fail once they arrive on our shores. They work hard and diligently to become an American and they work to become part the American culture without forgetting their own.

Immigrants have traditionally been the life-blood of America. Those that come here legally are welcomed but those who come here illegally become a burden on society and are not able to fully partake of the freedoms that our country offers. Unable to join the mainstream, they become part of a sub-culture that is easy prey for those who pay sub-standard wages or, within their own group, turn to criminality as a means of livelihood. There are no easy answers until we gain control of our borders and then, and only then, can we adjust our immigration policy to be both fair and equitable to America and the immigrants who long to be here.

It is good to see, then, an immigrant success story and Texas BBQ Factory is one. The food is excellent. I recommend it. But don't tell them that Papa Bill recommended them because they have no idea who I am and it won't do you any good. But they are nice people who work hard and provide good food. Check them out when you get the chance.