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Revisiting America at the Minnesota State Fair

By Reid Trautz, Esq.

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Yesterday my youngest son Kendall and I visited the Minnesota State Fair, a 149 year tradition that has been at the same fairgrounds in a suburb of St. Paul (about 4 miles from where I grew up) for over 100 years. It was our first visit in 5 years.

The Minnesota State Fair is 320 acres of food, fun, exhibits and people watching. The fair attracts over 1.8 million visitors in the 12 days leading up to Labor Day. There is plenty to do and see--from the huge farm tractors showcased on Machinery Hill to the games and rides on the Midway; from jam, honey, quilt and Christmas tree decorating competitions to the booths hawking ?Miracle Mops?; from the pig and cow barns full of prize-winning livestock to the nightly grandstand performances featuring (over the years) everyone from Christina Aguilera to ZZTop; from The Carpenters to KISS; from Tex Ritter to Carrie Underwood and hundreds more.

But we go for the food. Fabulous food. Not gourmet food, but state fair food. Comfort food?most of it cooked in deep dark boiling vats of vegetable oil. Food you shouldn?t eat the other 353 days of the year. Glorious food.

Foot-long hot dogs with grilled onions. Cheese curds, candy bars and Twinkies?all batter-dipped deep-fried. Fire roasted corn, caramel apple sundaes, bratwurst, wild game burgers, French fries, and Walleye cakes. Newcomers this year like chicken-fried bacon, fried pigs ears with lime chipotle glaze, deep-fried cheeseburger sliders, peach-glazed pork cheeks, Koren BBQ chicken tacos, and Corndog pizza.

And then there is all the foods served on sticks. Pickle on a stick, pork chop on a stick, alligator on a stick, and the ever-popular spaghetti & meatballs on a stick. There is teriyaki ostrich, cheesecake, fresh fruit, chicken-chipotle pizza, and yes, camel meat--ALL on a stick!

Oh, and then there?s the all-you-can-drink milk concession sponsored by the American Diary Association where over 20,000 gallons of milk are consumed each year by fair-goers.

We are headed back to the fair again tonight with family and friends for one more gastronomic adventure and a chance to show our kids how to win games on the Midway! Or at least we'll try! :-) I think I'll try the chicken-fried bacon on a stick, mong others. And, yes, I already worked out for 90 minutes today in anticipation of the calorie fest!

Full post as published by Reid My Blog! on August 31, 2010 (boomark / email).