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Mayor of New York admits defeat to Texas in battle of the BBQs

'You can mess with Texas about many things, but the barbecue isn’t one of them'

Sarah Young
Tuesday 13 March 2018 14:11 GMT
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The Mayor of New York has conceded defeat to Texas, admitting the Southern US state produces a better barbecue.

During a discussion at the South by Southwest Festival in the Lone Star state, Austin mayor Steve Adler goaded Bill de Blasio on the topic by asking, “Oh, New York has a barbecue?”

To which the Mayor of New York responded, “We do not have as good as barbecue as you.

“I’m not competing with Austin on barbecue,” the New York Post reported him saying.

A rivalry that ensued as a result of an article posted by foodie website Munchies, the two states have gone head-to-head over the quality of their grills.

Headlined, “Why is Brooklyn barbecue taking over the world?” the story discussed how the influence of barbecue joints in the borough was being felt in every corner of the globe, from Colombia and Spain, to Sweden, England and Japan.

“Brooklyn BBQ is more stylish, more loose,” Mario Castrellón, owner of restaurant Maito told Munchies.

“It lets you break from traditional Texas or Kansas City BBQ. It's more of a blend of every style, which lets you play around with every recipe rather than following a straight-up traditional recipe."

Unsurprisingly, the piece left many Texans fuming including Adler who tweeted, “We shall fight at the pits, lunch tables, at the tea cooler, in streets and at the front counters. We shall never surrender.”

Backing up his colleague, the US Senator for Texas, John Cornyn quipped at the image used in the article adding: “Ha. Looks pretty unsatisfying.”

Since de Blasio’s comments, spokesman Eric Phillips explained that he was simply telling it like it is.

“The mayor knows we have great barbecue and that our scene has come a long way and will only get better,” Phillips said.

“But while you can mess with Texas about a great many things, the mayor doesn’t believe barbecue is one of them.”

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