Modified Fri, Oct 16, 2009 07:46 PM
Fair food: Not for the faint of heart
tool name
close xJoey Harris and his wife, Katrina, made a beeline for the deep-fried Ho Hos when the N.C. State Fair opened its gates Thursday afternoon.
"Wow. It's good," declared Joey, 31, after taking a bite of the treat, breaded, fried and dusted with powdered sugar. "It melts the chocolate inside and the cake."
Katrina, 29, was less enthusiastic. She prefers a deep-fried Twinkie.
So what was next for this Fayetteville couple? "He wants a turkey leg," she said.
Turkey legs, grilled ears of buttery corn and cotton candy were once enough to satisfy a fairgoer's palate.
But now state fairs across the country are embroiled in a battle of deep-fried one upsmanship. Deep-fried candy bars begot deep-fried Twinkies, then deep-fried Coca-Cola and, now, this year's jaw-dropping creation that debuted at the Texas State Fair: deep-fried butter.
Besides deep-fried Ho Hos, the attention-grabbing new item at this year's N.C. State Fair is chocolate-covered bacon.
"You look around and ask, 'What else can we fry?' We're doing a Twinkie, why can't we do a Ho Ho?" said Paul Amburn, manager of the Murphy House, the concession stand that always seems to come out with something new. It's where the Harrises went to taste-test deep-fried Ho Hos.
The fair food connoisseurs did not let Thursday's cool, dank weather deter them. There were deep-fried delights to consume, everything from macaroni and cheese and pecan pies to cheeseburgers and Snickers bars.
Lori Lancaster, 37, and Jennifer Arthurs, 17, both of Dunn, savored the deep-fried macaroni and cheese -- deep-fried breaded triangles of the Kraft variety. With their manicured fingernails sporting rebel flag detailing, they daintily dipped their treats in ranch dressing. "It is sooooo good. I had to get them three times last year," Lancaster said.
This was Arthurs' first taste, but it was no surprise she found the deep-fried macaroni was to her liking, too. "I live on Kraft," she said.
Even experienced fair food eaters like Luann Wilson of Winston-Salem occasionally have their heads turned. She couldn't believe it when she saw the THK Food Shop Inc.'s stand selling chitlins, collard greens, even streak of lean. "I cracked up," she said.
Her sister-in-law, Charlotte Wilson, ordered a serving of streak of lean, a piece of pork fat with a little bit of meat in it. It's deep-fried until crisp.
This is the first year Tim Keith of Johnston County has had a stand at the fair, and his sister, Rose Crowder, said they have had a lot of questions.
"The biggest question is: 'What is a chitlin?'" she said. (It is fried pig intestines.)
Charlotte Wilson, who enjoyed Keith's streak of lean, said: "When they say you can get everything at the fair, this year they mean it."
tool name
close xLatest Comment View all comments
Local/State Top Stories
-
Hearing gives man chance at exoneration
A Wake County jury convicted Greg Taylor in 1993 of killing Jacquetta Thomas, and he has exhausted the usual routes of appeal. This week, Taylor has the chance to undo the jury's decision, as his case is heard before a panel of three judges. -
Sentencing ready for 2 in permit scheme
A federal judge is prepared to sentence two former company investors for conspiring to give $196,000 in cash and consulting fees to a then-state employee to expedite an air quality permit for an ethanol plant. -
Hearing scheduled on trial for Ruffin Poole
Federal prosecutors and the lawyer for an ex-aide to former Gov. Mike Easley will argue at a hearing today over when the trial will start. -
Wind gusts may top 40 mph today
The Triangle is under a high wind watch today, according to the National Weather Service in Raleigh. -
School on Forest Ridge looks unlikely
Despite warnings that making the change could cost taxpayers an additional $15.5 million, Wake County's school board majority moved a step closer Tuesday toward fulfilling its campaign promise of abandoning a proposed high school in northeast Raleigh. -
Who used private flights?
When former Democratic Gov. Mike Easley was being grilled about his unreported use of private airplanes last year, his campaign attorney posed this question: Why not look into the records of Easley's former Republican opponents? -
See a pothole? Record its spot
Have you hit a bad pothole in the past week? Here's what you can do about it. -
Uncovered cover girl is primed for a career kick
Brooklyn Decker spent the best day of her career not in a bikini, but in tears. -
Grant to help black youths excel
Moses S. Richards embodies what Durham school officials hope $1.25million will do for other black male students. -
Private preschool tries Cary
A new private preschool will offer yoga in the morning, organic Whole Foods-catered meals for lunch, and learning with child-size Smart Boards in the classroom.
Get local news updates
Keep up with the latest stories with our local news e-mail newsletters, delivered straight to your inbox!
Subscribe to Local & State News
Where to find the food
Deep-fried Ho Hos are being sold for $4 each at a stand run by the Murphy House in front of the Sam G. Rand Grandstand, to the left of the grandstand's ticket booths. This booth has a total of 15 deep-fried offerings from pecan pie, candy bars to a cheeseburger.
Chocolate-covered bacon is being sold four slices for $5 at the Fairgrounds Deli concession stand inside the Education Building, across from House Autry Mills' stand.
Chitlins, collard greens and streak of lean are being sold as sandwiches or separately in a stand on the left if walking past the Kerr Scott Building and the Got to Be NC tent away from Gate 11.
Buffalo chicken rangoons are being sold for $4 at the stand operated by the owners of Woody's City Market in Raleigh and Woody's Sports Tavern and Grill in Cary. Their stand is located to the right just past the row of permanent food stands if walking toward the grandstand. The stand is topped with a large inflated Gatorade bottle.
Country-fried bacon strips, which are battered deep-fried bacon strips, and a deep-fried banana sundae, which is deep-fried bananas with ice cream, whipped cream and a cherry, are at the Chef's D'lites stand across from the women's bathroom outside the Sam G. Rand Grandstand.
Related Content
Most Popular
Print Ads
 |
@Nyx.CommentBody@