Deep Fried Tater Tot Hot Dish On a Stick
Sep. 2nd, 2006 12:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
naomikritzerThe State Fair is this week, and as soon as Molly got wind of it, she asked if I could take her. I didn't make any promises -- it was a very busy week, and I really don't like taking the girls to crowded destinations on my own. We went to the fair last year with Molly's friend Marin and her mom Beth, but Beth had a new baby this week and trekking all over the fair was not high on her post-partum to-do list. And weekends are way too crowded for it to be any fun. But, my parents came up yesterday, and my sister took the day off, and we took the girls to the fair today.
The Minnesota State Fair is a much bigger deal than the Wisconsin State Fair seemed to be, back when I was a kid. I assume Wisconsin has a state fair, but I don't know where it's held. (Okay, Google has an answer for me: it's held near Milwaukee. It was held in early August, and 861,408 people attended. Last year, the Minnesota State Fair was attended by 1,632,876. So, yeah. Bigger deal.
It's very much a state institution. Every radio station in town broadcasts from the fair for the duration, including MPR. I don't listen to Prairie Home Companion (I know, it's practically heresy to admit that when you live here) but if you listen tomorrow, you'll hear a show that was recorded tonight at the fair. My parents and sister were in the audience. The local papers have big booths at the fair with free copies. The Star Tribune used to give out a Map on a Stick, which doubled as a fan.
All fairs serve foods on a stick (corndogs, for instance) but in Minnesota, putting things on a stick has become a huge statewide long-running in-joke. You can buy macaroni & cheese on a stick at the fair. A Belgian waffle on a stick. Pancakes and sausage on a stick. Deep-fried alligator and teriyaki ostrich and walleye, all on sticks. New this year was (I swear I am not making this up) deep fried tater tot hot dish on a stick, which adds an extra layer of Minnesotan in-joke, since tater tot hot dish is supposed to be the most quintessentially Minnesotan dish, the thing that everyone eats at Lutheran church potlucks while saying "yah, you betcha" and telling Ole and Lena jokes.
Anyway. We ate fair food, but no hot dish on a stick. Molly ate a foot-long corn dog (an hour after eating a regular sized corn dog) and I sampled various things, including fried catfish nuggets, cheese curds, and half of Kiera's corn dog. I didn't see the Belgian waffles on a stick, which made me sad; those were good.
We took the girls on the sky-ride (a gondola ride over the fair); Kiera spotted the giant slide from there. We wandered through the crop art. We went to the Kidway, where the girls went on some rides. We let them go on the giant slide on the way to the Miracle of Birth Barn (where, if you're lucky, you can see animals born -- and you can see baby animals regardless). The girls played on a fancy swing set at the booth owned by Rainbow Play Systems and I visited the DFL booth and met the Democratic candidate for Secretary of State, as well as the volunteers from a bunch of different campaigns.
It was a good time. Tiring, but a lot of fun.
Things we didn't see: we didn't wander through any of the big animal barns. We didn't see the butter heads. (There's a beauty queen chosen each year at the fair called Princess Kay of the Milky Way -- she has to be the daughter of a dairy farmer, I think -- and each of the six contenders has a bust sculpted in butter by a professional sculptor.) I saw the bungee rocket ride from the sky-ride but not up close. I was looking for the Jack FM booth: Jack is the radio station in town with no DJs. They claim to be broadcasting from the fair this week, and I was curious if they'd have any human beings at their booth at all. Anyway, I didn't spot it, so I still don't know. I didn't check out any of the displays of farm equipment; I like the way the fair brings urban and rural Minnesota together (as my sister puts it) but I'm just not that interested in farm equipment. We didn't go to the main midway, just the kidway. We didn't see any music performances except in passing. And, alas, we didn't get to walk through any of the big buildings of businesses with tables and freebies and pick up the scads of free pencils, tote bags (the University of St. Thomas is handing out tote bags), etc. Molly was intrigued by the possibility of free pencils, but not enough to remind us to try to hunt for some.
(Dear self: next year, DO NOT park at the Gloria Dei park & ride. The buses from there take forever and don't run often enough. Ask around to find a good one -- maybe the one at the U? But not Gloria Dei. The fact that it's close to home does not make it worth it.)
The Minnesota State Fair is a much bigger deal than the Wisconsin State Fair seemed to be, back when I was a kid. I assume Wisconsin has a state fair, but I don't know where it's held. (Okay, Google has an answer for me: it's held near Milwaukee. It was held in early August, and 861,408 people attended. Last year, the Minnesota State Fair was attended by 1,632,876. So, yeah. Bigger deal.
It's very much a state institution. Every radio station in town broadcasts from the fair for the duration, including MPR. I don't listen to Prairie Home Companion (I know, it's practically heresy to admit that when you live here) but if you listen tomorrow, you'll hear a show that was recorded tonight at the fair. My parents and sister were in the audience. The local papers have big booths at the fair with free copies. The Star Tribune used to give out a Map on a Stick, which doubled as a fan.
All fairs serve foods on a stick (corndogs, for instance) but in Minnesota, putting things on a stick has become a huge statewide long-running in-joke. You can buy macaroni & cheese on a stick at the fair. A Belgian waffle on a stick. Pancakes and sausage on a stick. Deep-fried alligator and teriyaki ostrich and walleye, all on sticks. New this year was (I swear I am not making this up) deep fried tater tot hot dish on a stick, which adds an extra layer of Minnesotan in-joke, since tater tot hot dish is supposed to be the most quintessentially Minnesotan dish, the thing that everyone eats at Lutheran church potlucks while saying "yah, you betcha" and telling Ole and Lena jokes.
Anyway. We ate fair food, but no hot dish on a stick. Molly ate a foot-long corn dog (an hour after eating a regular sized corn dog) and I sampled various things, including fried catfish nuggets, cheese curds, and half of Kiera's corn dog. I didn't see the Belgian waffles on a stick, which made me sad; those were good.
We took the girls on the sky-ride (a gondola ride over the fair); Kiera spotted the giant slide from there. We wandered through the crop art. We went to the Kidway, where the girls went on some rides. We let them go on the giant slide on the way to the Miracle of Birth Barn (where, if you're lucky, you can see animals born -- and you can see baby animals regardless). The girls played on a fancy swing set at the booth owned by Rainbow Play Systems and I visited the DFL booth and met the Democratic candidate for Secretary of State, as well as the volunteers from a bunch of different campaigns.
It was a good time. Tiring, but a lot of fun.
Things we didn't see: we didn't wander through any of the big animal barns. We didn't see the butter heads. (There's a beauty queen chosen each year at the fair called Princess Kay of the Milky Way -- she has to be the daughter of a dairy farmer, I think -- and each of the six contenders has a bust sculpted in butter by a professional sculptor.) I saw the bungee rocket ride from the sky-ride but not up close. I was looking for the Jack FM booth: Jack is the radio station in town with no DJs. They claim to be broadcasting from the fair this week, and I was curious if they'd have any human beings at their booth at all. Anyway, I didn't spot it, so I still don't know. I didn't check out any of the displays of farm equipment; I like the way the fair brings urban and rural Minnesota together (as my sister puts it) but I'm just not that interested in farm equipment. We didn't go to the main midway, just the kidway. We didn't see any music performances except in passing. And, alas, we didn't get to walk through any of the big buildings of businesses with tables and freebies and pick up the scads of free pencils, tote bags (the University of St. Thomas is handing out tote bags), etc. Molly was intrigued by the possibility of free pencils, but not enough to remind us to try to hunt for some.
(Dear self: next year, DO NOT park at the Gloria Dei park & ride. The buses from there take forever and don't run often enough. Ask around to find a good one -- maybe the one at the U? But not Gloria Dei. The fact that it's close to home does not make it worth it.)
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no subject
Date: 2006-09-02 05:10 am (UTC)I think political candidate on a stick might be worthwhile, though, depending on the candidate. ;)
no subject
Date: 2006-09-02 04:03 pm (UTC)I suggested Governor on a Stick as a good thing to hand out years ago (when Jesse was governor) to the guys staffing the bipartisan Minnesota State Legislature booth. This started a lively conversation about where we'd like to put said stick...
no subject
Date: 2006-09-02 02:22 pm (UTC)Maybe next year.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-02 02:45 pm (UTC)Best food on a stick are the Mud Puppies, which are rather new-fangled (maybe ten years now.) Waffle on a stick, dipped in melted chocolate. Put in a paper tray and sprayed with whipped cream. I stop them before the sprinkles are included.
The fair is so different now. Although as much as I miss the dirty old carnie atmosphere of my childhood, I understand that it had to change. It's all new and shiny now, although the large animal buildings are good for reliving my childhood. The smells alone take me back. I can't wait until tomorrow now!
no subject
Date: 2006-09-02 02:46 pm (UTC)The university is a great place to park and ride. But can get filled up so you should go early.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-02 04:04 pm (UTC)Park and ride
Date: 2006-09-02 03:18 pm (UTC)The easiest place to park is the U of M lots. Buses run constantly to that lot.
Glad you had a good time! I wonder if any other state makes its State Fair such an event? I grew up in Washington State and we sure didn't.
Re: Park and ride
Date: 2006-09-02 04:10 pm (UTC)One of the interesting things about our state fair is the way it's a unifying ritual for the whole state. As my sister noted, it brings rural, urban, and suburban communities onto common ground to hang out and bond over weird in-jokes and our collective fascination with crop art and honeycrisp apples.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-02 04:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-02 05:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-02 08:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-02 05:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-02 05:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-02 08:09 pm (UTC)The Kiddie Farm, if you didn't make it btw, is a lot of fun - the kids get to put on aprons, peddle tractors, "feed" animals (not real ones), harvest fake produce, and then turn it all in at the market for a fake dollar. They can then use to dollar to "buy" one of those tiny boxes of General Mills cereal. Fun, mildly educational in terms of production and economics, and plenty of photo ops.
I saw the hot dish on a stick and gave it a pass. I'm not a hot dish fan, let alone deep fried hot dish. Ugh. Did try a "Gizmo", which is ground beef and Italian sausage, with marinara sauce & melted mozzarella on a roll (sorry, no sticks). It was okay, but needed some fresh peppers or something to give it a bit of texture.
I *did* pass by the Jack FM booth, but didn't bother looking to see if there was a person inside - we were too busy looking for the corn-fed/bio-fuel furnaces to see if they are a viable option for when our furnace dies. (They could be, but I would want to shop around more - the ones there went through one to two bushels a day, and need weekly cleaning. I know there are better systems out there.)
I know there are several free lots on Hamline just off 36 - a couple church ones, and at least one office lot. The buses seem to run regularly from there. I can't say for sure, though, since we always walk (living 5 blocks from the Fair can be handy :). If you want to go next year, let me know and we will park one of our cars on the street the night before and save you a parking place.
MN State Fair
Date: 2006-09-05 04:25 pm (UTC)I would have been a bigger fan if anyone had made the connection to labor costs and developing-world wages. As it was: ew.
I won an iron-working prize at the Fair once, and I lust after some good 4-H wood working skills. Can you imagine the contradictions, though? Your son learns to build his own cabinets, your daughter learns how to comparison shop? EW. (There were some girls doing woodwork, thank God.)
The places we wanted everyone to see: the animal barns (horse shows are especially fun unless you have allergies -- I do), the sand castles, the DFL booth (partly because almost everyone was from out-of-state and didn't even know about the whole DFL thing), the giant burlap-sack yellow slide next to the church-run buffet dinner, and tractor hill. Oh, also the milk booth right by the side entrance (near the walkway and, um, the sheep barns? and the turkey on a stick booth?). And turkey on a stick, even if it is a little puny these days. And the butter heads -- you really do have to make time for the butter heads someday. People from our wedding are still talking about that. (It helped that there was a princess inside the freezer in her parka, posing, while we went inside. Also, they sell really, really, very good milkshakes there.)
And cheese curds -- don't forget the deep-fried cheese curds!
We also encouraged everyone to ride the skyride.
Some of these things are really much better for big kids, of course.
It's a huge problem for me that we can either go to the lake in early July or go to the MN state fair in late August, but we can't do both.
And finally, because I'm pesky this way: sure the TX state fair has higher attendance. Look at its state population. Per capita, MN is doing gosh darn well.
Jody
http://raisingweg.typepad.com/
P.S. Check out the NYTimes state-fair food comparison at http://tinyurl.com/nejy2 -- they recommend getting Walleye on a Stick in MN. That one must be new.