Like the teetotaler who gets drunk at her cousin’s wedding, I, a fairly healthy eater who really dislikes the taste of processed foods, went overboard at the North Carolina State Fair. I usually don’t. But this time I did.
I’d been working so hard for weeks and needed a big release. What could be bigger than our state’s huge annual fair, attended by some 878,000 people over 10 days.
Mostly we go for the agricultural exhibits (like you read Playboy for the fiction). But really, I love the giant pumpkins and watermelons and the well-kept cows and goats and chickens, and I so want one of those adorable miniature donkeys.
As we hit the first midway, I mentioned to Wessel how much I enjoyed our deep-fried pickles the last time.
“I don’t remember that,” he said. “I don’t think I had any.“
“Of course you did; how could you forget?” I said. “Look, there they are.” I pointed to a stand.
He had to “try” some. He couldn’t eat all six on his own, so I was enlisted to help.
And we were off.
Next on the list: the fair’s latest offering. No, not the deep-fried butter. The chocolate-covered bacon. (It’s actually a gourmet treat, though typically made with much finer meat and cocoa. My favorite truffle maker, Deans Sweets in Portland, Maine, keeps threatening to add them to his repertoire. Do it, Dean!)
I was starting to get panicked because I couldn’t find a chocolate bacon stand. Just as Wessel was trying to talk me down, there it was! And for only $3.50. The salty and sweet combined for a lip-smacking taste treat — on a stick, of course. Bacon and chocolate, meet pickle and grease.
Then came a shared cup of chilled apple cider as we watched a bluegrass band, which happened to be set up dangerously close to the kettle corn stand. At least I ordered a small.
When Wessel asked if I wanted my usual ham biscuit at one of the church fund-raising restaurants, I had enough sense to say no.
We took an eating interlude, midway- hopping until we reached “our” Ferris wheel, one of the three at the fair. It looks down on the always hoppin’ Himalaya, with fierce tunes blaring, and the crazy Pharaoh’s Fury, a Cleopatra-style open seated gondola sort of thing that swings back and forth at increasingly angular pitches. I would definitely not be able to hold down aforementioned delicacies. The Ferris wheel, on the other hand, is totally tame, some would say lame. I love it.
On the way out, Wessel finally ordered his long-awaited Italian sausage sandwich, with fries. At a certain point, he needed my assistance. Being the ever-supportive spouse, I obliged. Italian sausage and fries, meet kettle corn and chocolate bacon and ….
Need I mention that we skipped dinner?
Tags: deep-fried pickles, Ferris wheel, kettle corn, NC State Fair
October 27, 2009 at 11:13 am |
Wow. That was an incredibly interesting and stomach-turning tale. I’m going to have some oatmeal now. Thanks for the good read.
October 27, 2009 at 11:17 am |
Very wise and healthy selection, Lauren!
October 27, 2009 at 9:36 pm |
Yeah, um, I’m with Lauren on this one.
I’ve never heard, nor could I have fathomed such “delicacies,” and yet…I DO like the salty and sweet of chocolate covered pretzels so maybe the chocolate bacon would be a similar taste treat.
And yet…
October 27, 2009 at 10:16 pm |
Absolutely with you. Especially since you were kind enough to mention the Dean’sSweets bacon truffle, which is very near to going live. But now we’re thinking maybe we should be adding a chocolate dipped deep fried pickle? Just to make sure we include enough food groups.
October 28, 2009 at 8:48 am |
Or, deep-fried truffle! (No, never!)
October 28, 2009 at 6:04 pm |
Here’s an interesting tidbit:
Vosges Haut-Chocolat, a chocolate store in Chicago has a line of chocolate-bacon products:
http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/category/bacon_and_chocolate
October 28, 2009 at 9:31 pm |
so you got to the mention of this before I did, but I actually own one of the Mo’s Dark Chocolate Bacon bars having just been in Chicago for a weekend and visited the shop. guess I maybe shoulda picked up more of a selection (but I like mine better…)