The County Fair

The fair, you know it has arrived the instant you catch a whiff of the fry oil and wood smoke. For most people this odor evokes memories of childhood and a sense of anticipation for all the rides, events, concerts and yes, food that is soon to be enjoyed. However, for me, this odor connects to nothing but a job. That’s right, I work at the fair and no I’m not a carnie, I just work the fine arts exhibit for a month and I do not travel around the state. Nevertheless I come home each day with a trail of wood smoke and grease following and clinging to my hair and clothes. It is not exactly a job perk.
It is the second year for me to be working at the fair and despite the sugary and fried temptations surrounding me, I have tried very few items. The thought of the fry grease is a huge deterrent for me and the clingy wood smoke is so chokingly overwhelming that it’s hard to get close enough to the food vendors to buy anything. Not to mention the fact that everything is vastly overpriced and less than vegetarian friendly. Yet the fair does offer some interesting items which seem to draw the crowds and the curious. There are always the old favorites; the grilled corn, the funnel cakes, giant turkey legs, fries, hot dogs, cotton candy and ice creams can be found everywhere. Yet the food does not stop there. Last year the big deal was the macaroni and cheese on a stick (fried of course) and the fried Twinkies and Oreos at Chicken Charlie’s are always a hit. To be honest I’ve only tried the fried Oreos and was less than impressed. The cookie basically turns to mush inside the fried batter and, of course, I managed to accidentally inhale the powdered sugar they put on top.
The new items for this year are the “Zucchini Weeni” and the “Kookie Cookie.” The first is a zucchini that has been hollowed out with a hot dog put inside then deep fried. The latter is a mind boggling creating which frankly turns my stomach. It involves taking a fried chicken patty and making a sandwich (seems safe enough, right?), but the “bun” is made of two oatmeal raisin cookies and it is spread with cream cheese and strawberry jam. Just pause and think about that for a second… am I alone in being totally baffled by this combination? Other delights of the fair include chocolate covered bacon (it must be a salty-sweet sort of thing), Bar-B-Que Spaghetti, a sandwich with pasta inside (the Marinara Pasta Pocket or Mac and Cheese Pasta Pocket) and fried S’mores. The fair seems out to make even seemingly healthy items unhealthy by frying any vegetable that crosses its path, including fried zucchini and fried green beans. There are also the items that seem unlikely to hold up under the pressures of frying without falling apart, like fried bread pudding and fried Mexican ice cream, yet they manage to make it work.
That is one thing that I have to say about the people who own these food booths. Not only are they cranking out tons of food in kitchens that are not permanent and can usually be pulled by trailers, but they make time to be creative with food. The fair creates a unique venue where people are willing to try something new and experiment with their food. There is a mentality of “it’s only once a year we might as well go all out.” So this once a year splurge means that people are willing to dive into the fried goods and the bizarre concoctions. Maybe this is not haut cuisine with trained chefs bending the rules of gastronomy but it is innovative and people seem to love it. It’s the one time where it is okay to have fun and play with your food.
Personally I’m a bit too uptight to enjoy the fair fodder. I do mean to give the artichoke sandwich from Roxy’s a try this year, its one of the few healthy and vegetarian items to be found and it is supposed to be quite good. Plus the fresh squeezed lemonade always looks tasty and so do the ice cream cones (and who doesn’t love ice cream?). I absolutely love Orange Julius though my wallet squeaks in protest any time I get near a booth so I haven’t really indulged. In a hopeful note, the fair is offering a sort of farmer’s market where you can get fresh produce which is a nice alternative (it helps that the fair is sponsored by Albertson’s this year). Basically, I was going to rant about the disgusting things offered at the fair and vent a little about how much I hate fried food and the smell of the fair and I did that. Yet, I have to admit that it is not all bad. It is a fun place for food which all bets are off and most people’s taste buds are ready and willing to experiment. So yeah, maybe I should ease up on it a bit, but I draw the line at fried things that should not be fried.