FoodBanter.com - View Single Post - " dreadful cheese dip" (Only in Richmond, VA?)

Sonoran Dude

wrote:
> I'm from the area around Eagle Pass, Texas and have lived in San
> Antonio & Austin. I now live in Richmond, VA and am wondering about a
> rather insipid pre-dinner "cheese dip" that accompanies the bowl of
> salsa at the table in local Mexican restaurants.
>
> I've never seen this before I came to Virginia. It's more like a
> bland, creamy white salad dressing and is a number of points down the
> scale from the velveeta/Rotel glop that passes for chile con queso in
> many places. Where did this come from? It sure ain't like any thing
> I've run across in my eating of Mexican food in places as diverse as
> Centralia, WA, Salem, OR, Arizona, New Mexico, many place in Texas,
> Idaho, Colorado, Illinois, Kennett Sq, PA, and Westchester County, NY
> (there's an area there with suprisingly good comida there; a lot of
> Long Island landscaping crews live in the area). I won't even consider
> this to be interior of Mexico food. At least I hope it isn't.
>
> Any ideas about how this dismal dish got started? Several of the
> original Mexican restaurants in town are actually run by Lebanese from
> Zacatecas & Durango. I've never seen anything like this in Lebanese
> food either. It sure ain't made with yoghurt or labneh.
>
> Ted
>

Sounds like you may be thinking of Queso Fundido (Cheese Dip).
Usually made with white cheeses and chilies. I've never had it taste
like creamy white salad dressing but it is usually spicy and watered
down with something so you can dip with it. Many recipes on the Internet
if you want to search for one.