According to a recent study, Texas has the second-best food in the country.

Thrillest.com has everything you need to know about anything, from a list of every bar open in New York City on Christmas Day to the million dollar gift guide (yes, a list of gifts over $1 million).

They recently ranked the fifty states from the best to worst food and drink. The researchers had four areas of study: what does the state produce locally, what iconic items are they known for, what kind of beer/wine/spirits do they produce, and what is the food/drink scene like there.

At a sad number 50, South Dakota comes in with the description, "When you Google 'South Dakota and food,' an image of a hungry child crying comes up, and then the computer goes black."

Our neighbor to the west, New Mexico, ranks at number 33. Apparently the researchers weren't blown away by the green chile, to which I have to say, you are completely wrong.

Oklahoma came in at number 29. This doesn't make sense either, because the only restaurant I've been to in Oklahoma is Toby Kieth's I Love This Bar and Grill. Enough said.

Then we have Texas. The state that is always number one, at least in every Texan's heart.

So what state beat out Texas for first place?

You better hold on to something.

California was ranked number one out of all fifty states. First of all, the researchers pointed out that California produces a huge percentage of the nation's fruit, vegetables, and nuts. About half, actually. They also have a huge wine market (who hasn't heard of Napa Valley?). And let's face it, California has some amazing food. Authentic Mexican and Asian, fresh seafood, In-N-Out Burger, flatbread pizza, those delicious bread bowls at Disneyland...

Although the researchers point out that they wished it wasn't California, it's glaringly obvious.

Here is the review they wrote for Texas:

Everything is bigger in Texas. I know that because of T-shirts, but also because it’s true. Whereas most states have one style of BBQ -- maybe two -- Texas has four: East, Central, South, and West (Sorry, North). And these styles, particularly Central Texas, happen to be amongst our favorite barbecue in the whole world. There’s a reason that line is so long at Franklin, y’all. Texans invented their own style of cuisine (Tex-Mex), their own style of chili (no beans!), and the ballpark nachos (in 1973 at Arlington Stadium). There are famous cattle ranches like King in South Texas, which is bigger than all of Rhode Island. There are the big beer producers -- the Lone Stars and the Shiners -- but there are also the small ones, like Jester King and 512. There is Whataburger.

Aside from all that, you could make a damn compelling case that four cities (Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and, okay, maybe (!), Dallas/Fort Worth) are all destination-worthy when it comes to eating, with Houston and San Antonio only recently being given the props they deserve. Say what you want about the prolific talents of NYC, but once you get outside the boroughs, no one is exactly lining up to heap praise on the food/drink in Albany and beyond.

Keep up with the delicious food, Texas. We don't need someone else to tell us that we're the best. We already know.

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