Favorite Foods at the Local Fair

Most people will gravitate towards one food item in particular when they walk through the gates of the local fair. By choice, their nostrils automatically pick up the fragrance of goodies wafting through the air, even when they are in the parking lot. They step out of the car and immediately, their taste buds are craving that one item. For days they anticipate, think about and quite possibly even dream about this one fair food item.

So what is your fair food item? What do you dream about when you walk through the gates? What can you not leave without?

Most people will state that they must have a corndog, but as the food selection at fairs continues to grow and diversify, cravings are getting more and more unusual. There are still the mainstays, such as the delicious and light cotton candy. No matter what, cotton candy still holds a special place in many fair goers' hearts, remembering the sugary goodness from their childhood. The coloring staining their fingers and tongue mattered not; it was the sweet cotton that mattered. Flavors are getting more unusual, with addition of blue raspberry to the standard strawberry, but additional flavors rarely affect people's buying. It's the nostalgia for cotton candy that helps promote the candy to iconic standards.

Homemade root beer is fast becoming a regular on the festival circuit. Home brewed root beer, served in traditional recycled glass bottles, gives guests the feeling slipping back in time, to the old South, drinking out of glass bottles with corks. The freshly brewed root beer is stout and strong with a great bitterness that root beer aficionados will enjoy. The root beer is fizzy goodness, available in glass bottles or cold mugs, whichever you prefer.

Fried food items are always a great addition to the fair. French fries are always a good snack, but why not fried dill pickles? Fast becoming a fair staple, fried dill pickles are an unusual taste that guests gravitate to. While it may not sound appetizing at first, after one bite, many are hooked. There's the crisp, breaded exterior met with the sour juicy pickle that makes this treat unavoidable. But if fried dill pickles aren't your thing, why not try the gooey goodness of fried Oreo cookies? Along the tradition of fried snickers, which you can find at many fairs as well, Oreo cookies are a warm, sweet treat with a crisp bite. The sweet, white inside of the Oreo is melted and warm, creating a soft center. Served with a big glass of milk, and you are all set!

A trip to the fair is not complete with the great tradition of funnel cakes. This doughy concoction is a doughnut extraordinaire. Lightly dusted with powdered sugar, the fried dough is twirled around in the hot grease to create a whirlwind of twists and knots that in a few seconds is ready to be devoured. Generally, funnel cakes are surrounded by multiple people fighting over knots of doughs and then debating who was going after the next one. If you have never had a funnel cake, you are certainly missing out.

No matter your palette, there is something unique and satisfying at the fair. Whether you go for nostalgia or the latest food fad, the fair will answer your cravings, and then some.