State Fair Food

[Ovenfrenzy]

I went to the Indiana State Fair this weekend and saw plenty of scary food (deep fried HoHo's, Dippin Dots, corn dogs ). But I was able to feast on some really wonderful stuff. The Wisconson Cheese stand offers massive servings of fried cheddar cheese with spicy German mustard. Indiana honey producers had honey ice cream. The best part of my sampling was the discovery of the Sati Babi stand. The sati babi is marinated, grilled pork cubes on a stick. I have been eating these at fairs in my home town of Terre Haute since I was ten. As I have not lived there in over twenty years this was a real homecoming, and I almost fainted when I noticed that they were actually selling bottles of the marinade! Of course I bought a bottle- and read the ingredients carefully. Still can't figure out what makes it so distictive but at least I can make it at home.

[racheld]

We, too, did the ISF this week.

We went for a couple of hours on Wednesday night, nice cool evening which turned out to be above post #54 redux. Nice juicy cheeseburger for me, ribeye sandwich for Chris; we shared the same good beans, a plain old baked potato and a huge slice (seemed like a quarter or AT LEAST a fifth of a pie) of homemade coconut pie, not meringue, but a creamy cold topping. It was just sweet enough, with LOTS of coconut in the deep-yellow custard and a melty-tender crust with uneven, crumbly edges attesting to its being rolled-out homemade, not an assembly-line, molded-in-the-pan crust. Even had that good lardy tongue-slick feeling of a REAL handmade piecrust.

And after all our walking and looking, we passed the Sati Babi stand as we strolled back toward the parking field. We asked each other if we knew what that was, and sort of murmured, "Looks good, but I'm too full." Sorry we missed it.

Lovely evening. Another Summer drawing to a close.

[racheld]

And we went again today---we were so late arriving on Wed., I barely had time to see anything in the "Home Arts" building---what we call the "quilts and pickles" exhibits. So today, he went up to the photos, and I did the downstairs for about three hours. Case after display case of rank-on-rank of styrofoam saucers (each with the de rigueur paper doily), holding slices of pie, hunks of cake, great chunks of pumpkin loaf and banana bread and coffeecake; some with daintily-placed hand-dipped candies, pinwheels of chocolate or strawberry or green (I suppose that was mint) swirled through crisp cookie circles; neat squares of homemade fudge and nougat and brownies, made by hands ranging from kitchen pros, great-grandmothers, longtime bakers and cooks, to the newest in the line: 4-H and Girl Scout and Brownie members, setting their rice crispie squares and haystacks and roll-and-slice cookies right out there in contention for ribbons and awards.

There were wedding cakes, towering masterpieces of architecture decorated in every rainbow hue, plus some jewel tones and gold-brushed highlights and pearled drops. A castle towered three tiers, with precise sugar-cube crenellations ranged just SO; gingerbread houses with their Christmas canes and pretzel woodpiles and icecream-cone shrubbery (two of the houses sadly sagged, and one completely collapsed---a discreet sign announcing that the houses were in perfect condition when they were judged) sat incongruously by market baskets filled with marzipan vegetables and fruit, pigs and chickens and ribbons of all colors, honoring the sesquicentennial anniversary of the fair.

The same apologetic little signs cropped up inside several of the glass cases, since this was the final day of a ten-day run of the show. The moisture evaporating from all the cake and pie and cookies, leaving them shriveled, cracking vestiges of their former selves, their colors faded and their crusts crumbling, must have had an unhappy effect on all the toffees, the lollipops, the divinity. Little saucers held pools of caramelly brown, with errant nut bits floating lazily in the mire; puddles of red or green held little white sticks forlornly askew, and others of the dainty doilies clung wearily to clusters of slumpy meringue, testament that the divinity held up as long as it could.

And jar after jar of jewelly jams and shining jellies and catsups and chowchows, carrots and pickles and green beans and the even, soldier-alert asparagus, its tips steamed into grayish clumps by the waterbath's long bubbling.

There were beautiful things, and delicious-looking things and outright genius in some of those creations; there were blue-ribbon winners that shone out, true and clean, and others that I guess you just had to be there--to taste and to see on the day they were delivered. And a few that made you wonder what those judges were thinking (or drinking) at the time of the award.

I look every year into those cases, and I swear that NEXT year, for sure, I'm gonna enter a loaf of my Mom's banana bread, DD's cloverleaf rolls, my green and wonderful lime pickles, their perfectly-matched slices gleaming in the gently-spiced liquid, and my picked-at-their-perfect-moment canned green beans.

And every year, I leave it til too late, and then go and admire the handiwork of others. I read the names from the tags, recognize a few from days gone by or a few cases over, and admire these committed homemakers, these canners and bakers and workers of magic with the bounty of our fields.

That's MY part of the Fair, more beautiful than all the shining lights.

Edited August 21, 2006 by racheld (log)

[judiu]

...

I've also been thinking about Wisconsin fair food recently. The summer I worked up there, part of the job was visiting fairs...I know - tough job description!    I became thuroughly addicted to cheese curds. Fried, they're gooey, salty, hot and good; raw, they're squeaky and yummy. Also, in towns around Indian Reservations, we'd get "Indian Tacos" which were the average taco fillings (seasoned beef or chicken, rice, beans, tomatoes, cheese, etc.) wrapped in an Indian flatbread. One drunken night at one of many beerfests, my co-worker and I decided that the most genius idea would be to run our own Indian Taco cart and go from fair to fair and state to state "spreading the good news."

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A friend just returned from a trip to Wisconsin and told me about their visit to the WI State Fair and the giant cream puffs.

Look here for a photo: http://weblog.textdrive.com/images/39.jpg

I want to try cheese curds, regular or fried.

"Fried, they're gooey, salty, hot and good; raw, they're squeaky and yummy."

Has anyone been to the State Fair in New Mexico (Albuquerque)?

←

OMG! I spent 10 years on the road doing state, county and backwoods fairs; I WANT THAT CREAMPUFF NOW! I worked the Milwaukee Summerfest several times, but NEVER found food like that! Best Fair Food I have had was the strawberry shortcke at the Plant City (FL) Strawberry Festival, and the homemade bread and home churned butter at the same venue. DROOL!

[snowangel]

Oh, you are all getting me so excited! We go on Thursday (admission is cheaper, rides are half priced, the grease is fresh and the restrooms clean). I can't wait. We'll see all of what Rachel mentioned, plus Judy scultping the heads of the Princesses in butter, and every single animal and farm implement. Then there are the corn dogs, fried cheese curds, french fries, cookies, all-you-can-drink milk, people watching, and trying to keep track of the three kids.

[lemniscate]

We start our 9 day Alaska vacation in a little more than a week. The Alaska State Fair is on the must-do list. According to the website the food vendors include lots of local seafood (Oysters! Clams! Halibut!), reindeer sausages, caribou steaks, buffalo brats, and Alaskan Amber beer!

Ah yeah baby!

and did I mention the giant vegetables.........................?

and lumberjacks.................

[ludja]

We start our 9 day Alaska vacation in a little more than a week.  The Alaska State Fair is on the must-do list.  According to the website the food vendors include lots of local seafood (Oysters! Clams! Halibut!), reindeer sausages, caribou steaks, buffalo brats, and Alaskan Amber beer! 

Ah yeah baby!

and did I mention the giant vegetables.........................?

and lumberjacks.................

←

Hope you take photos; that sounds like a unique State Fair! Have a great time on your trip.

[Shannon_Elise]

I had to go to the Ohio State Fair a few weeks ago to interview a local woman who enters over 40 things in the food contest; so I got to taste a little bit of fair food. Although I wasn't that hungry after looking at all the rotting, molded cookies and breads in the display cases.

At the Ohio State Fair, if you can fry something, they will fry it. Fried oreos, baby ruths, mac and cheese, carnies . I saw a few people taking a picture of the booth that was frying everything and I immediately wondered if they were egulleters! I did not partake in the fried fest, I had my annual cheese sandwich with butter on whole wheat bread in the Butter Cow building. Usually they have German mustard to put on it, but this year there was only yellow. For lunch we went to the Ohio foods pavillion and had shredded lamb sandwiches - pretty good. Sadly the lamb booth was the least busy out of all the sections (dairy, poultry, pork). It was either that or a heinously pale chicken breast sandwich on really bad bread.

[emilyr]

...

I've also been thinking about Wisconsin fair food recently. The summer I worked up there, part of the job was visiting fairs...I know - tough job description!    I became thuroughly addicted to cheese curds. Fried, they're gooey, salty, hot and good; raw, they're squeaky and yummy. Also, in towns around Indian Reservations, we'd get "Indian Tacos" which were the average taco fillings (seasoned beef or chicken, rice, beans, tomatoes, cheese, etc.) wrapped in an Indian flatbread. One drunken night at one of many beerfests, my co-worker and I decided that the most genius idea would be to run our own Indian Taco cart and go from fair to fair and state to state "spreading the good news."

←

A friend just returned from a trip to Wisconsin and told me about their visit to the WI State Fair and the giant cream puffs.

Look here for a photo: http://weblog.textdrive.com/images/39.jpg

I want to try cheese curds, regular or fried.

"Fried, they're gooey, salty, hot and good; raw, they're squeaky and yummy."

Has anyone been to the State Fair in New Mexico (Albuquerque)?

←

OMG! I spent 10 years on the road doing state, county and backwoods fairs; I WANT THAT CREAMPUFF NOW! I worked the Milwaukee Summerfest several times, but NEVER found food like that! Best Fair Food I have had was the strawberry shortcke at the Plant City (FL) Strawberry Festival, and the homemade bread and home churned butter at the same venue. DROOL!

←

I LOVE those cream puffs. I think maybe St. Peter gives you a plateful at the pearly gates! Plus, there's no such thing as a fair in Wisconsin without cheese curds.

[snowangel]

We did not make it to the State Fair yesterday, thanks to a massive and torrential rain storm, but we will go on Monday, armed with Rick Nelson's commentary in the Star Tribune. I think the most amusing this is this one:

Finally, someone -- Ole and Lena's -- has brought the state's unofficial dish to the fair. Yes, Hot Dish on a Stick ($4), battered and fried Tater-Tots and pork-beef meatballs finished with a sauce inspired by cream of mushroom soup. It's a hoot, but ultimately more amusing than delicious.

Yep, Hot Dish (casserole to some) on a stick.

[lucylou95816]

HI Everyone, fairly, (no pun intended) new to the board. I was excited to say that I can report about the Krispy Creme Sandwich, but someone beat me to it. Here's an article about its debut.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homep...cle_1216627.php

Personal opinion, when I go to the Calif. State Fair next week, I'll have a corn dog, call me a purist.

[snowangel]

HI Everyone, fairly, (no pun intended) new to the board.  I was excited to say that I can report about the Krispy Creme Sandwich, but someone beat me to it.  Here's an article about its debut.

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homep...cle_1216627.php

Personal opinion, when I go to the Calif. State Fair next week, I'll have a corn dog, call me a purist.

←

Now, here in MN, they'd have stuck it on a stick and deep fried the whole works. No comment.

At the CA State Fair, do you have the choice of Pronto Pups as well as corn dogs?

[snowangel]

Although it wasn't a picture perfect August day -- it was in fact overcast and threatened rain -- we headed to the Great Minnesota Get-together. We weren't the only ones who went!

First order of business was food! Normally, I head right for a corn dog, but the cheese curds were on the way. The kids also had milk shakes.

The quantity and quality of the cheese curds in the Food Building seem higher than most of the other places.

Next stop, corn dogs! Peter likes his naked, I like mine with mustard. Mine was a bit mutant looking.

In and amongs this batch of food, we made it to the ag building, were we saw the biggest pumpkin (smaller than some of the big ones we've seen in the past).

And more prize-winning Thai hot peppers. There must have been 20 trays of these, and more trays of other kinds of peppers than I've seen in one place!

And crop art. This was the winning entry, and note the slip of paper in the lower left corner listing each kind of seed used.

Then off to Empire Commons to look at award-winning cured and processed meat.

And to watch Linda Christenson sculpt a head of one of the fair Princesses. There are 10 princesses and she scults one each day. The floor of the cooler revolved, so everyone can get a good view. Note that they are wearing parkas and snowpants.

A completed head. Most princesses take them and put them in a local meat market's freezer and pull them out the next summer for a town corn feed.

Somewhere in here, we another corn dog and some mini-donuts.

Then off to see prize-winning quilts, sweaters, jams, pickles, cakes, pies, cookies, stained glass, wood carvings. And watched a whole mess of people hawking a whole mess of strange kitchen implements and crappy cookware.

The kids climbed on farm machinery and we looked at all sorts of vehicles. The kids went on some rides, and for the first time in three years, Peter didn't hurl after the rides. He's learned to pace his food intake.

We also saw all kinds of animals, including the largest boar (named Corndog, weighing in at 1040 pounds). I'd love to get my hands on that belly!

Diana had to try the hot dish on a stick which was basically tater tots and meatballs threaded alternatingly on a skewer, dipped in batter and deep fried. Served with a cup of thick, salty icky Cream of Somthing soup. This was about the least favorite thing I've ever eaten at the fair, but we did give it a go in the name of research.

The kids wanted deep fried dessert. Diana opted for the oreos and Peter the 3 Musketeers.

Somewhere along the way, Paul had fried oysters and fries. The fries were mediocre, but the oysters were great -- fresh, briny and very hot.

We also had fries, lemonade, pop and beer. I'm sure I've forgotten something and I didn't keep count of the number of corn dogs consumed.

We waddled out almost 8 hours later, as the first of the drizzle was about to happen. This is the 30th year in a row Paul and I have been together. We remarked as we watched young couples that over the course of time, that young love and blossomed into old love. Ah, the fair!

[mizducky]

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Wow. That's quite a combination. And I could imagine it being very very good.

But I confess my brain is really stuck on one particular food item mentioned in Rick Nelson's article you linked to earlier: namely, the Red Bull push-ups. The whole concept gives me The Fear.

[thursdaynext]

Thanks for the report, Susan! Your pictures are making us feel better... we missed the Iowa State Fair this year. (I don't think I could take hotdish on a stick, but I wouldn't mind taking home some of that raspberry chipotle bacon- yum!)

[all-u-care-2]

Reading this thread made me want to mention that the 154th Great Allentown (Lehigh County, PA) Fair starts this afternoon and runs until Labour Day Monday. Go to their site for info.

Most of the foods are either things you recognize from any fair, or (particularly if you're from here) things you recognize from local businesses -- although due to a badly weather-damaged tent roof, Yocco's, that Allentown tradition won't be serving their usual lineup of chili dogs, steaks et al. The local paper reported on this.

[phaelon56]

I'll make a concerted effort to get to the NY State fair again this year and report back. The word is that we have a few additions:

1) an upscale vendor selling lobster rolls (at a decent price of $10 each unless they are stingy on lobster - have not seen them yet to know), "calamari steak" rolls, crab cakes and crab stuffed artichoke hearts....

2) deep fried spaghetti and meatballs on a stick. yes - you read correctly. These are imported from Minnesota so they MUST be good !

3) fried kangaroo (don't know if it's on a stick or on a roll - but who cares?

[snowangel]

I'll make a concerted effort to get to the NY State fair again this year and report back. The word is that we have a few additions:

1) an upscale vendor selling lobster rolls (at a decent price of $10 each unless they are stingy on lobster - have not seen them yet to know), "calamari steak" rolls, crab cakes and crab stuffed artichoke hearts....

2) deep fried spaghetti and meatballs on a stick. yes - you read correctly.  These are imported from Minnesota so they MUST be good ! 

3) fried kangaroo (don't know if it's  on a stick or on a roll - but who cares?

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We did try the spaghetti on a stick one year, and it was OK.

But, do you have hot dish on a stick or crop art?

[Davydd]

Hot Dish on a stick is even new in Minnesota this year from Ole & Lena's.

[Petrissage]

Has anyone been to the State Fair in New Mexico (Albuquerque)?

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Yes, I have gone to the NM State Fair many times over the past 20 years. It is great fun, both in terms of people watching and in terms of activities. I absolutely have to go to the Bolack Building every year, which is the vegetable exhibition area. The Bolack Farms have a huge exhibit every year, behind a big plate glass window, of the most astonishingly beautiful produce I have ever seen. Children like the Future Farmers barn where they have quite cute baby farm animals and children can vote on their favorites.

There is some good music at the fair. too, spanning a wide range of music types. I once heard a Navajo flute concert there that held a large crowd spellbound and silent for many minutes.

The food is not terrific to my palate, but my family love the roast corn and the turkey legs.

Here is a some information about the demographics of the fair:

Fair Facts

Demographics

Gender

Male: 48%

Female: 52%

Age

18-24: 13%

25-49:48%

50-64: 21%

65 plus: 16%

Fairgoers attended the 17-day event an average of two times.

59% of Albuquerque metro residents attend the State Fair. 22% of visitors live outside the Albuquerque metro area.

2005 Attendance: 680,628

http://www.exponm.com/cms/index.php?sfsponsors

It starts in 7 days! Are you coming?

[misstenacity]

A friend just returned from a trip to Wisconsin and told me about their visit to the WI State Fair and the giant cream puffs.

Look here for a photo: http://weblog.textdrive.com/images/39.jpg

I want to try cheese curds, regular or fried.

"Fried, they're gooey, salty, hot and good; raw, they're squeaky and yummy."

Has anyone been to the State Fair in New Mexico (Albuquerque)?

←

ludja,

I went last year (and will probably go again this year - we have a very late fair, in the last week(s) of September...), and tried the infamous fried Oreos. Disgusting! I had optimistic visions of a light batter barely covering a hot and melty Oreo filling, but rather it was a tennis-ball sized lump of tasteless dough fried around the poor affected cookie. Hmph.

However, we do have PIES TO DIE FOR, made by real church ladies! Make way for me, sour cream & raisin....

Pies with the light ON are still available....

Cherry-peach pie.

Plus, this year there is a grilled cheese eating contest.... hmm.

Andrea

http://foodpart.com

[racheld]

I forgot one constant at every Fair I've been to here---Incapirka. They set up a tent outside the quilts and pickles building, and there's lots of picnic seating and benches and low concrete walls and garnishes to the building.

We come outside into the Summer evening, sit in the ten-o'clock moonlight and the waft of fried everything, and enjoy the pan flute mastery of the nice man with the long braids and beautiful smile. Guitars, small hide-covered drums, rainsticks and gourds---wonderful rhythms and haunting melodies fade away behind us as we make our way out to the trolley which wends around the fairgrounds once, through the crowds and the every-color neon. Then we're into the windows-down car, and home.

Another end-of-Summer ritual completed, as surely as the tilling-in of the emptied garden, the putting away of the dining tent, the storing of the lawn chairs, the bringing-in of the potted ferns.

[Davydd]

We went to the Minnesota State Fair and sampled many foods including the cheese curds, the giant breaded pork tenderloin sandwich, cream puffs, kettle popcorn and the Ole & Lena's new Hotdish on a stick. That all was more than enough. No corn dogs or Pronto pups.

Here is the hotdish on a stick...

at...

[Davydd]

My main pursuit was to find a deep fried breaded pork tenderloin sandwich and I found one at the Jurassic stand across from the Pet Center at the Minnesota State Fair. They billed theirs as the Giant Tenderloin. Two other places listed pork tenderloins but one turned out to be a pork pattie and the other was a shaved pork tenderloin sandwich. This one was satisfying.

[srhcb]

We went to the Minnesota State Fair and sampled many foods including the cheese curds, the giant breaded pork tenderloin sandwich, cream puffs, kettle popcorn and the Ole & Lena's new Hotdish on a stick. That all was more than enough. No corn dogs or Pronto pups. 

I wonder if maybe "Ole" is the same person as from Sven & Ole's Pizza from Two Harbors?

SB (it boggles the mind)