Oh, no they did-int. You know, we have had to put up with Texas football over the years (and A&M this year), and fans from LSU and Tennessee on occasion. And we've agreed to disagree with Texas on which makes the better barbecue, pork or that other, lesser meat, beef. We've had to admit that a good crawfish etouffee goes down pretty darn good on a cold February night. And the sauce on the ribs at Memphis' Rendezvous is worth the trip. But it's high time that Arkansas got some respect around here, that is, in the South, when it comes to our claim to fame. And somebody's gonna get a scolding, or worse, if they keep telling tales about us.
Arkansas is the cheese dip capital. Of the world.
Yes, cheese dip. None other than the Wall Street Journal had a front-page article on the matter last week. Most of the story was told with respect, but a few folks from the other, grayer side of Texarkana were quoted, too. Which might warrant a correction in the paper's next edition, please.
We didn't know it, but there appears to be some controversy about whether Arkansas' claim to (semi) fame is legit. Which made us laugh. Of course the center of the cheese-dip world is in the Natural State.
After all, where is the World Cheese Dip Championship held each year? Hint: It's not in Dallas and it's in Little Rock. Where is the best cheese dip made? Depends on which Arkansas restaurant you like best. Heck fire, they don't even call it "cheese dip" in Texas. They call it Something Con Queso, with emphasis on the con.
"Obviously, Little Rock didn't invent melted cheese," Arkansas restaurateur Scott McGehee told the Journal. "But our iteration of it as a smoother dip rather than something you put in a tortilla, that's where a big distinction is made." And he should know. His Five Families Cheese Dip was one of this year's winners at the world championship.
Some confused Texans, for their pitiful and pitiable part, claim that they invented cheese dip. Which is (1) sad, and (2) fighting words.
But don't turn to the PR types at Big Velveeta to set the Texans right. (After all, Texans buy Ro-Tel, too.) When asked about the libelous statements that Texas had a claim to cheese dip's founding, a spokesman for ConAgra Foods gave this squishy reply: "We're well aware of the fondness for [cheese dip] in Arkansas. We like to think queso brings people together. Queso doesn't tear people apart."
Uh-huh. So why are some Texans putting out this false narrative? Just to get under our skin? First Ted Cruz, now this.
Some restaurateurs in this state keep their cheese dip recipes in safes. (True story.) Recipes are handed down from generation to generation. There is a documentary proving once and for all that cheese dip was first served in North Little Rock. (Another true story.)
Texas can have its Tex-Mex fajitas and its beef brisket and, please, y'all, keep the Aggies.
But here's a little advice for the state to our southwest:
Don't mess with Arkansas.
Now pass the chips, please.
Editorial on 11/07/2016