mental_floss magazine
SUBSCRIBE >
GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS >
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS >
subscriber services >
by - October 19, 2007 - 3:08 PM
Before this week, I would have told you that the Iowa State Fair is arguably the best State Fair in the U.S. After visiting the State Fair of Texas this week, I will tell you that the Iowa State Fair is definitely the best in the U.S. Because I grew up going to the fair, I am more than familiar with delicacies such as the Hot Beef Sundae, Meatballs on a Stick, and, my personal favorite, the Pickle Dawg. However loyal I am to the Iowa State Fair, though, I have to admit that the Texas fair has us beat in one area: variety of fried foods. Purely for research purposes, I made it my mission to sample as many strange foods as I could possibly get my hands on. Check out my in depth and very scientific analysis below.
1. Fried Coke
As in Coca-Cola. I had heard of this before but couldn’t quite wrap my head around the concept. Turns out, it’s basically just discs of fried dough with Coke syrup and whipped cream on top. I was not impressed at all. My rating: 3/10.
2. Fried Cookie Dough
In a NASCAR box. This was delicious, but rather overwhelming. The inside of the fried cookie dough is exactly like biting into a really underbaked cookie – gooey, warm, heavenly. The problem is that they were the size of a small egg and it was just a bit much. Make them bite-sized and we’ll call it perfection. My rating: 7/10.
3. Porkchop on a Stick
Oh, the travesty!! This is one of everyone’s favorites at the Iowa State Fair, for good reason: they’re thick, juicy, delicious and surrounded by a perfect ring of fat (and I don’t really even like meat that much). They are to die for. Imagine our surprise, then, when we bought one at the Texas State Fair that was approximately the size of an amoeba. OK, maybe a little bigger, but I thought everything was supposed to be bigger in Texas. This was pathetic. Despite the disappointing porkchop, my friend Mason still managed to eat two of them. Mason’s rating: 6/10 (I didn’t try this one).
4. Fried Peanut Butter, Jelly and Banana Sandwich
Elvis would be proud. Iowa State Fair, take note!! Sure, this sandwich is probably equal to your fat and calorie for an entire month, but it’s really damn good. Also, lest you are thinking “fried” as in fried chicken, I should tell you that it’s more like corn dog breading – sweet, fluffy, delicious. The fried PBJB was AMAZING. My rating: 9/10.
5. Corn on the Cob
Why did I even bother? Iowa is known for its corn – the peaches and cream variety is so yummy it doesn’t even need butter or salt. This corn was so lackluster that even being drenched in butter couldn’t save it. My rating: 1/10.
6. Fried Latte
Yep. Apparently this is good enough to win the award for best new Texas State Fair food. See, it won this prestigious award (====>)
It’s basically just chewy bits of fried dough with chocolate ice cream, coffee granules and whipped cream. It was pretty good, but I’ll definitely take the PBJB instead. My rating: 6/10.
7. Miller Lite
Neither fried nor on a stick. I am here to tell you that the Miller Lite in Texas is just as good as it is in Iowa. My rating: 9/10.
8. Fletcher’s Corn Dog
I am told that the State Fair of Texas is the birthplace of the corn dog, so of course I had to see what all the fuss was about. I thought, you know, a corn dog is a corn dog. I was wrong. I suspect it comes down to personal taste, but I really prefer my corn dog batter to be a bit sweeter. Eh. My rating: 5/10.
Overall, I’m glad we had the change to go, but give me my Iowa State Fair any day. Even the butter sculpture at the Texas State Fair fell short. Seriously, this:
Compared to this?
I think the butter speaks for itself.
Now it’s your turn. What’s the best part of your state’s state fair? How about the most wonderful/artery-clogging indigenous fried food?
Previous Armchair Field Trips:
• The Corn Palace
• Portugal
• The International Spy Museum
• Utah
• The Grassy Knoll
• Intercourse, Pennsylvania
• Ogunquit, Maine
• Aquinnah, Massachusetts
Comments (25)
Comment
The best part about the Oregon State fair is the chair lift ride. It’s like a ski lift, and takes you from one end of the fair to the other. You go over the midway, the food area (so you can scope out stuff to eat), ag buildings, the works. It’s a sweet, hokey way to see the fair.
The best food at the fair is at the “Dairy Women’s Building.” It’s basically just soft serve ice cream, but it was out of this world fantastic. Imagine the richness of a Ben&Jerry’s ice cream, but soft serve. They have sundaes, milkshakes and the works, but just a plain cone full of chocolate/vanilla swirl was perfect. Greatly exceeded expectations.
posted by jenn on 10-19-2007 at 3:42 pm
The Central Wisconsin State Fair has great brats and, of course, world class batter fried cheese curds. The rest of the fried foods are pretty “eh.”
The best part this year was a free (with admission) Alice Cooper concert (he hung at the end, which was a slight disappointment, as I wanted to see the guillotine). We usually only get rather stale country acts.
The horse pulls are always great, and they do an exotic animal petting zoo (camel, zebra, wallaby, tortoise) that’s a lot of fun.
posted by frumpiefox on 10-19-2007 at 4:28 pm
How about fried twinkies or fried ice cream.
posted by Henry on 10-19-2007 at 5:04 pm
At the Arizona State Fair last year, in addition to fried Twinkies, fried Coke, and fried cookie dough, there were also fried Oreos and fried Milky Way bars. There was also lots of delicious Mexican food. Collectively, there was enough cholesterol at the AZ Fair to clog the arteries of several million carnies.
posted by gibson8tor on 10-19-2007 at 5:29 pm
I grew up about a mile away from the Indiana State fairgrounds, and I couldn’t wait for the fair to roll around every summer. The reason: giant breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches. The pork paillard is more than twice the size of the bun, and it’s summer heaven with mayo and pickles. Our corn’s not too bad, either.
I live in Portland, OR now, and interestingly enough, there is a Czech food stand downtown that serves a very similar sandwich called the schnitzelwich. Porktacular.
posted by Mudi-B on 10-19-2007 at 5:47 pm
You made it all the way to the State Fair of Texas and you drank Miller Lite? Why not try a Shiner Bock instead next time?
posted by Misty on 10-19-2007 at 6:20 pm
I second the nomination for fried Oreos (at the Indiana State Fair). The fried Snickers bars were pretty good, too, but seriously messy. All that stickiness will attract the bees, too.
posted by Amy on 10-19-2007 at 7:06 pm
of course the butter sculptures wouldn’t be as good in texas. it was 90+ degrees!
and as always, you have to know where to get the best food. if you don’t know, don’t bother.
posted by Bah! on 10-19-2007 at 8:12 pm
I live in Texas and have never been to the State Fair…I give you props because its not in a great part of Dallas and you could be killed…well, at least beat up rather nicely…good job getting away with your life, wallet and scalp!
posted by donner on 10-19-2007 at 9:38 pm
Mmmmmm, I remember the years when I used to eat my way up the midway at the Michigan State Fair. (Then you get older and have to get things like regular cholesterol checks, darnit.) Some of my favorites were the Italian sausage on a bun with fried green peppers and onions, fried ham and swiss cheese on a stick, elephant ears and coney dogs with a nice side of French fries right out of the fry vat still dripping with oil. The butter cow was always a must, as were the Kowalski racing pigs.
posted by Jill on 10-19-2007 at 11:12 pm
In Alaska, the State Fair is a BIG DEAL. A lot of people will tell you that the Turkey legs are the best food there, but my husband and I prefer to go to the Alaska Grown booth to get cups of freshly shelled peas and carrots still slightly dirty from the ground. We will indulge in a wonderful giant cream puff though.
The neatest thing about the Alaska fair is that our long sunny (though coolish) summers grow great cabbages. The cabbage weigh ins the last Friday of the fair are not to be missed! Every couple of years our local farmers set a new world record. This year it was with a giant kale (105.9 lbs)!
posted by Andrea on 10-19-2007 at 11:55 pm
woot woot iowa
posted by kat on 10-20-2007 at 12:19 am
oh, how i wish iowa or texas were just a lil’ bit closer. i’ll take either. (slobber slobber)
posted by connie on 10-20-2007 at 1:20 am
My favorite part is the butter sculpture. It is large and stored in a refrigerated display case. I don’t know who makes it, but it is different each year. I don’t know what they do with it.
The most popular seems to be the baked potato for $1.00. People line up for a long time to get one. Not bad for New York.
posted by gus on 10-20-2007 at 5:08 am
If you’re that close, why not try the Minnesota state fair? We’ve got the pork chops (a good sized portion) and then there’s deep fried macaroni and cheese on a stick…and that’s just for starters.
posted by Ginger on 10-20-2007 at 6:11 am
Ah, Iowa. I grew up there and now live in Texas. I miss the thick Iowa chops and melt-in-your-mouth sweet corn, but of course if you wander away from the TX fair you’ll definitley encounter plenty of Texas’ great, unique cousine. I’m moving to Washington and will miss them both, but onward and upward!
posted by dave on 10-20-2007 at 7:36 am
The California State Fair had fried avocado, fried Oreos and fried frog legs this year. The fried avocado was disappointing, but the fried Oreos were intriguingly good. I didn’t try the frog legs, but intend to next year.
As for other interesting food, the California State Fair also has a wine tasting section, including wine slushies. (The fair is usually at the end of summer and temperatures are typically in the 90s.)
posted by cjbickford on 10-20-2007 at 9:22 am
If it’s deep fried, it’s gotta be good! I too grew up in Indiana and love and now miss the giant breaded pork tenderloins. Wish I could find them in Florida. Another yummy I remember from the Indiana state fair was a heavenly grilled cheese sandwich. Not deep fried but slathered with butter and grilled it probably did as much internal damage.
posted by Pam on 10-20-2007 at 9:53 am
As far as culinary touchstones go, the Minnesota State Fair is arguably the most significant. Ostrich on a stick, fried twinkie on a stick, Fried Mac & Cheese on a stick (good call Ginger)- if there is a foodstuff that can be fried and easily impaled - rest assured we have it. Given the close proximity to major food movers and shakers (Target, SuperValu, General Mills\Pillsbury, Northwest Airlines) - if a food item is a hit here, chances are you’ll see it on store shelves or foisted onto you in coach class.
posted by Firebrand on 10-20-2007 at 12:58 pm
Has anyone here ever tried a fried candy bar? It’s basically just a candy bar (Snickers and Twix are my favorites) wrapped in dough and fried. It is AMAZING!!
posted by Bethany on 10-20-2007 at 7:09 pm
The fried pbj+b sandwiches were awful. I liked the friend oreos last year much better.
Also, Big Tex was looking a little thin in the leg area. Maybe he should eat some fried food.
posted by natalie on 10-21-2007 at 8:55 pm
Let’s be honest: the motto of most state fairs is, “If it ain’t fried, it ain’t food.”
I live in Dallas and have attended the State Fair numerous times. Although I lived in 6 other states growing up, my parents hated crowds and we rarely went to anything like fairs, state or otherwise, so I have nothing to compare it to.
I think the fried coke sounds gross, and I wouldn’t touch a fried Twinkie, either. You missed the fried cheesecake, which is also a heart attck waiting to happen, but gets rave reviews from some people. However, those gigantic fried onions (not onion rings) are really darned good, and the fried catfish, Cajun style, is superb. I couldn’t find the taro chips this year at the fair. Taro is a relative of the sweet potato, and it makes great chips.
I think the Minnesota state fair is supposed to be the king of food on a stick, but they don’t have the strangest food I’ve seen: the fried squid on a stick I had in Japan during the August moon festival back in the late 1980s. It looked like an extraterrestrial’s lollipop, but it tasted pretty good.
posted by ansav on 10-22-2007 at 2:39 pm
I”m a native Texan and live in the Dallas area. True, the Texas State Fair can be tacky… but isn’t that part of the fun? My fave food is the Chili Pie; this year I tried the jalenpo and cheese Fletcher’s Corn Dog - very good! The best part of the Texas State Fair, that most attendees overlook? The art deco architecture.
posted by Karl on 10-24-2007 at 10:34 am
What you called a porkchop on a stick looked more like a turkey leg to me. Glad you had a good time though!
posted by Bill on 10-24-2007 at 1:02 pm
Stay in Iowa.I have been to both and personally I think all thast fried food has gone to your brain.Texas rocks and Iowa socks.
By the way I am from New York
posted by Thomas Bragg on 10-26-2007 at 10:46 am