Smorgasbord Orgasbord

A fair is a veritable smorgasbord: Waco's Heart O' Texas Fair & Rodeo

HOT FAIR

              So after 2 years of only going to the Waco HOT Fair for just the concerts, I finally went this year just for the Food. There was plenty of that, actually a lot more than I expected.  And maybe I’m crazy, but I’m sure we used to be able to buy the food with actual money and not tokens….. hmmm. But that’s beside the point.


                Today I got up early enough to get in to the fair grounds for free, always nice to save 10$ even if I means getting there before most of the attractions are even open and its 55F degrees outside. While there I wandered around the place, reading all the menus and looking at all the rides and other attractions.

                I didn’t want to spend a lot of money, so I chose wisely what exactly I wanted to try. There was deep fried gator, chicken on a stick, pie, roasted corn, burgers, nachos and much more…. But I went with some of the classics; The Funnel Cake (but with a twist), The Foot Long Corn Dog, The Deep Fried Twinkie, The Turkey Leg and a big ole bag of Cotton Candy.

The first thing I HAD to snag was a Foot Long Corn Dog. I love corn dogs; homemade ones are fantastic, but something about grabbing a fresh one out on a cool day at the fair or after a few drinks at Margi Gras….. Those you can’t be beat. The corn dog at this stand was pretty awesome. The batter was sweet, buttery on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Still hot all the way through from a perfect oil bath, it didn’t take me long to finish it off, even the crust at the end that is on the stick. This is always a solid choice, cost 4 tokens.

 

                Finishing that off I walked around a bit more looking at the tractors and imagining what I would do if a super villain attacked. After that I decided to snag a Funnel Cake. While in line, I noticed that the 3 women in front of me all ordered “Red Velvet”… I was curious as to why they were ordering cake of all things. Then I saw this magnificent red colored funnel cake pop out of the window. My mind was blown; I knew I had to try one. I handed over the 7 tokens and gladly received my Red Velvet Funnel Cake topped with powdered sugar and some frosting. They’re cooked to order, steaming hot, soft and with a light crunch. It was almost too much, extremely dense and filling, the sugar and flavor added a nice amount of sweetness. It tasted exactly like a cross between homemade Red Velvet cake and the classic funnel cake, due to its fast cooking. Definitely worth a try if you like Velvet Cake.

                That Funnel cake put me in a slight food coma, so I had to grab a bottle of water and work it off.  During that time I had to make a tough decision on what to get next; Fried Twinkie, Fried Snicker, Fried Oreos, or something more down to earth like an Angus burger, Nachos or Fried Gator. After much self-debate, I decided on the Deep Fried Twinkie! I like Twinkies, I was afraid when I heard their parent company filed for bankruptcy, but luckily they survived. This was the first time I ever ate one deep fried, and covered in powdered sugar and caramel syrup. It was pretty freaking fantastic. The whole thing was on a stick, making it truly American. The Twinkie was fried to order, creating a soft, slightly crunchy and moist batter. The inside was still around room temperature, which lent itself to the over-all experience of enjoying this sucker. The powdered sugar and caramel syrup added a nice touch. Cost of 4 tokens.

Last but not least I snagged a Freshly smoked Tureky leg and a jumbo bag of cotton candy; the Cotton candy if for a friend so she can make some Cotton Candy Martinis… but that stop me from scarfing nearly a third of the bag down. The turkey leg was alright, it lacked pop and flavor though. You get the turkey and some light smokiness, but It could’ve used a little seasoning (if only salt and pepper). It had good texture, slightly crispy skin and still fairly moist inside.  Worth the 8 tokens? Not really in my opinion…. Then again I’ve eaten some fabulous smoked turkey legs in my life time.

There are still plenty of things I wanted to try, like the Fried Gator (10 tokens), or the Angus Burger (8 tokens), some curly fries, freshly roasted corn, fried Oreos, Jolly Rancher Icee, I could go on. But I kept myself to a budget this time around.

If you make it out to the fair this year, save some space in yo belly and plan on trying at least a couple of the varying menu items offered up. They might be a tad on the pricy side, but you know that going in, it’s part of the Fair Food Experience and it only comes around once a year… so splurge a little.

               


One of my favorite Food Scenes