When Monroe County Fair assignments were handed out to news staff, I was busy getting fair food. My mouth was watering just thinking about lingering over deep fried desserts.
Since we moved to the area and started attending the fair, it’s been love at first bite and it’s become something of a family tradition.
Our son, Reese, never leaves the fairgrounds without the mega bag of cotton candy. There was a time when it was bigger than he was, and he would marvel at its “gigantic” size. Of course he never ate it, but got it as a trophy. And the next day, the big bag of soft spun confections had turned into a fist-sized lump of sugar.
Kennedy, our daughter, usually chooses an elephant ear or funnel cake. It is sustenance for our family of four on our long drive home to Carleton.
As I transitioned from a fair food fan to a grub reporter, I really began to think about the variety of food at the fair. Options from A to Z – like farm-fresh apples covered in gooey caramel to squash sticks fried to a golden crisp and dipped in a creamy ranch dressing.
As my family made the trip to the famous cluster of concessions, I looked to see what the fairgoers were eating or standing in line for.
I met Dee Spangler from Frenchtown Township who offered to share her apple slices with me.
It was Spangler’s first time trying the sweet fruit, which was lightly fried, drizzled with caramel and served with a cream cheese marshmallow sauce sprinkled with pumpkin spice.
Having not eaten breakfast, I decided to order fried apples myself and opted for a side of vanilla ice cream. Starting this task with fruit and dairy seemed like a pretty good idea, knowing that my family was eager to delve into a variety of deep-fried delicacies.
After our kind of healthy snack, we ventured out and explored the possibilities. Would we like gyros, chicken on a stick, or perhaps pulled pork or smoked turkey leg? Again, the tour taco sounded good with a bucket of fries and crispy corn dogs.
I asked Chad and 10-year-old Kiley Winick of Monroe what they ate. Chad tried cheddar nuggets for the first time, while Kiley settled for a thick slice of cheese pizza.
“She tried the pizza yesterday and said it was amazing, so she wanted it again,” Chad said. “After this I go to my favorite place here for steak and mushrooms. It’s the best and something I always get.”
Morgan Kelley of Ida stood in line for deep-fried cheesecake and taco salad. Monroe resident Mark Adams and his seven-year-old son, Isaac, got hot dogs and nachos.
“Let’s each of us choose something to share,” I told my family. “I’ll have dessert.”
Reese ordered butterfly chips topped with sour cream and melted cheese. Ernie went with a large order of tenderloin tips, potatoes, onions and mushrooms. Kennedy chose Elotes, also known as Mexican street corn, served in a white sauce with Cojita cheese and spices. I sweetened the deal with an order of deep-fried Oreos. There’s just something about the way the cake softens after it’s dipped in hot oil. The cream filling seems to melt, and it becomes almost like pudding. It’s gooey goodness.
With food in hand, we grabbed an empty picnic table and chatted with other fairgoers about the fair’s 75th anniversary. We met Miriam Garcia from Detroit with seven-year-old Mia Grissom and her sister Myra, 5. After seeing princesses and rides, Mia enjoyed a corn dog and cotton candy, and Myra had a hot dog. They brought home an elephant ear to share.
On the way home, we kept true to tradition. Reese grabbed a monster bag of cotton candy, and Kennedy carefully carried two warm, cinnamon sugar coated elephant ears to the truck.
Make no mistake, it will be much healthier for me and my waistline if someone else covers Fair Food next year. I just want to sit back and pray that I get the demolition derby or the monster trucks.
Readers can contact Lisa Vidaurri Bowling at LVidaurriBowling@gannett.com
