What’s in the name?

THE CZECH IS IN THE MAIL

Let’s address the elephant in the room.

How did I come up with the name, “The Czech is in the mail?” There are a few reasons.

My Uncle John — the humorous one in the family — would tell people, “The check is in the mail,” when he would depart from gatherings. Being of Czech heritage himself, I asked him one time if he was “The Czech in the mail.”

During my first tenure with Granite Media Partners, I worked at the Madisonville Meteor and whenever I would send pages to the printing press, I would call and tell the person who picked up, “The check is in the mail.” That was my way of saying the pages were sent.

To this day, I still say “the check is in the mail,” when I send pages to press. Every now and then, I’ll get a reply such as, “Now I can go shopping,” or something of the sort.

When I came to the Elgin Courier, I saw the plethora of Czech names and figured this would be the perfect name for my column. I’ve said for many years Texas 95 is part of the “Texas Czech Triangle,” as I like to call it.

The corridor of Texas 95 between Temple and Yoakum, Texas 36 between Temple and Rosenberg, and U.S. 90-Alternate between Shiner and Rosenberg have many Czech descendants along that triangle. Many towns within that triangle have Czech last names as well, which makes it fitting for it to be called, “The Texas Czech Triangle.”

I’ll very seldom turn down a kolache, kielbasa or beer — all staples in Czech culture. But, as I get older and heavier, I probably should cut back on those delicacies.

Prior to my tenure in Elgin, the name of my column was “Crunch Time.” I was a sports writer then and did not work in Czech-heavy communities.

I hope my column brings awareness or humor to my readers. Just don’t expect a check — or Czech — in the mail anytime soon.

It’s all in the name.

Chlapek is the Area Editor of the Elgin Courier and Taylor Press. He can be reached at jason.chlapek@ granitemediapartners. com.