So, if you're reading this, you probably saw that our cover story this week is a list we put together of what we think are Tucson's 100 essential dishes. The idea was to create a guide to dishes worth trying, the sort of information you generally need to get by talking to someone in the know. This is sort of an extention of what we do with the annual Best of Tucson® issue, gathering data that hopefully opens your eyes to something you've been missing, whether you've lived here for six months or 60 years.
I mention this in the feature's intro, but I fully expect that people will be upset by some item's inclusion, while equally livid over a different dish's exclusion. That sort of reaction is natural with any sort of list or guide, so I'm more or less prepared for the blowback, but I'd like to ask you to keep one thing in mind while you're composing your angry email: This is supposed to be fun.
Yes, I realize we're making a definitive statement by saying these are "Tucson's 100 Essential Dishes," but in the end, we're not pretending to be omniscient. The staff of the Tucson Weekly has eaten a lot of food in this town and we tried to get as much information together to make the list in the first place, but if we missed something (and I honestly lost sleep over that very idea), it wasn't intentional. We'll probably re-do this list next year and it'll probably look somewhat different. Just try to be kind, OK?
In other news, join us on Wednesday, April 3 from 6 to 8 in the evening at Borderlands Brewing Company on Toole for an event we're hosting with UApresents celebrating the music of Fela Kuti. A musical about his life is being staged at Centennial Hall April 12 and 13, so we're using that opportunity to play some of the legendary Nigerian funk musician/political revolutionary's music (I'll be DJing that night, or more appropriately, pushing buttons on my laptop), give away prizes and such, drink some delicious local beer and generally have a great time. I campaigned on The Range for this show to come to Tucson, so I feel a little responsible for whether people buy tickets, so please come and give Fela a shot. At very least, grab a taco from MaFooCo, a cold beer and say hello.
Thanks for reading.
