Another Fair Weekend - fair food, so I don't get too healthy

There was a time, after I discovered the fair, that I went every year.  I didn't go to the fair I belonged to, the Clark County Nevada Fair, I went to the one my in-laws belonged to - the Cassia County Fair and Rodeo.  Of course, the Cassia County Fair and Rodeo is the right fair for me.  I grew up in small towns, mostly in Wyoming, so a small town fair feels right.

But why eat there?  It is pricey.  I don't usually pay $6 for a corn dog, or $12 for a BBQ sandwich with no sides.  Part of the allure this weekend, is the fact that I am overweight and I need to improve my diet.  So, when I didn't get a few days off in July that I planned on, I immediately thought I should go on a fried food pilgrimage to Idaho.

I've written  and talked about the fair before.  The maple bars (a family recipe), the smoked turkey leg (a Viking tradition?), and the corn on the cob ("save me a piece of that corn").  For this installment, I try some new things.  

First, I give you, the Mac Attack:

 

That is smoked pulled pork, barbecue sauce, sautéed onions, Mac and cheese on a big hamburger bun.  This is one of those "duh" recipes.  Someone said, let's take a bunch of tasty stuff and put it together.  Thankfully, they did and we loved it.  Different flavors, textures and bouquets, that all came together in a hearty and delicious bite.  I felt sorry for the vendor of this delicacy, because his booth was put off of the main food area among the tractor dealers and truck accessory vendors.  To find him, you had to pay attention to the handwritten signs placed around the fair notifying you of the unusual goodness available near the mechanical bull ride.  Of course, I pay attention to signs like this, and found it no problem. 

One of the fair faves for me and mine, is the freshly fried corn dog.  However, while the freshly fried corn dog is probably the pinnacle of the standard corn dog, one enterprising booth had access to jalapeño cheese dog corn dogs. 

 

In this masterful photo, you can see the jalapeño and the cheese.  This was a delightful, and slightly spicy, twist on the corn dog and was oh-so appropriate for fair food.  In fact, I can't think of anywhere else where it would be appropriate.  

Finally, you've gotta have a side.  What side should you have in Idaho?  How about a potato.  How about a potato that is made using power tools.  How about a potato made using power tools, fried in boiling oil and seasoned with seasoned salt and Tapatio.  Ok, how about it:

 

This was three potatoes.  They essentially hook a spiralizer to a power drill and shave three potatoes into a vat of oil.  I then got to pick my seasonings and eat it.  It was great.  You do have to season multiple times, due to the depth of the potatoes.  I started with taco seasoning and Tapatio and followed with bbq seasoning and more Tapatio.  This little treat also provided me with the quintessential American county fair moment.  I was eating a some potatoes, and felt something dribbling down my chin.  I liked it up and realized that was oil.  The oil the potatoes were cooked in.  At that moment, an eagle screeched, an F-16 buzzed the fair, an apple pie was placed on a window sill to cool and a Kardashian tweeted a bosomous selfie.  It was a truly Amurican moment.  

And that was the fair.  I did the rodeo, too.  I loved it.  I was reminded that my kids (and my wife) have a different relationship with animals than I.  They felt like we were watching animals be mistreated.  I saw work animals having an easy night of work before taking the week off.  Today, city dwellers see animals as friends, not food.  I see them as work equipment and food.  It is a disheartening development (born of an short-sighted view of animals), one that has significant implications for our society's future.  But, for now, it just meant I had more fun at the rodeo than my family.  

My final note - go to the fair.  Go for the food, but as a side benefit, you will have the opportunity to see people you didn't know you lived with.  People seem to come from the hills (and from under various rocks) to come to the fair.  The fair is a place where we get to have fried food, but are forced to acknowledge the existence of classes of people you may not have experienced before.  It is uncomfortable.  It moves you from your comfort zone and forces you to acknowledge that not everyone is like you.  Things like this should bleed into our politics, our church activities, our socializing.  Events that truly bring people together (not just like-minded people), events the don't just present a homogenous view of our slice of the country, are difficult, uncomfortable and vital to the unity of our various cultures.  Embrace it and wash it down with a Mac Attack and a fresh horchata from the fair, it's good for you.