I try not to miss the LA County Fair. There is much to see, experience, and buy, but this note is about the food. I go with a plan – eat great stuff, preferably healthy. It’s not that I have anything against deep-fried whatever, but it has to be done well. Almost 30 years ago, I had a funnel cake at a corn fair in Ohio. It was late in the day, and the last one. Four of us shared it. Crisp, hot, topped with powdered sugar, it was dough, fried to perfection. I’m still trying to find one that good! I swore off of them for a few decades. Last week, I tried again. Maybe I just have to go back to Ohio.
What did work was the spiraled potato on a stick. Fun to eat, it stayed hot and crispy because 4 of us devoured it quickly.
The rest of our day was filled with healthful choices: soft tacos, red beans and rice, chicken tamales, baked potatoes filled with broccoli and topped with sour cream and chives. Sharing is key. Just before leaving, we polished off a bag of kettle corn. By then, there were only 3 of us and it did us in! Our only consolation was that we didn’t go for the blue cotton candy.
I’m already thinking that next year, I’ll skip the kettle corn and go for a chocolate-covered frozen banana or a fresh tart apple with carmel sauce. About the funnel cake, maybe I’ll ask them to fry it longer.
And, of course, I’ll again go with food-compatible friends!
