COUNTDOWN TO BIG TEX

By Clare Winfrey, Austin, TX

Ah, October. Filled with ghosts, goblins, changing leaves and most importantly… TEXAS-OKLAHOMA weekend. Of course we all enjoy rooting for our favorite team (cough, cough... HOOK ‘EM!), and I still make a “bus package” full of Longhorn goodies, but I am here to talk everything Fair. After spending a couple years and a couple hundred dollars on tickets, I decided I enjoyed running around the Fair more and sliding the door man $20 to get into the game if I so desired.

First up, fried food. The number one must-have food is the Fletcher’s Corny Dog. If you’ve never had one, you probably haven’t been to the State Fair of Texas and you probably aren’t my friend. They are a-mazing, to say the least. There are also the typical fair foods such as funnel cakes but I would like to let you in on what is new this year. There is a competition held each year prior to the Fair opening and, unfortunately, is not open to the general public.

This year’s Most Creative food is... drum roll please… FRIED BUTTER. Yes, you read that correctly, FRIED BUTTERRRR. This runs along the lines of 2006’s most creative, Fried Coke, and makes me think “WTF!? How is this possible?” But, my friends, everything fried is possible at the Fair.

2009’s Best Taste goes to Fernie’s Deep Fried Peaches & Cream. In the past four year’s only one Best Taste has not been a dessert. That was last year’s Chicken Fried Bacon. You can find all of Big Tex Choice Finalists here http://www.bigtex.com/foodlocator/09ChoiceAwards.asp. I personally think the Sweet Jalapeno Corn Dog Shrimp sounds delish and I will be following it up with the Fried Peanut Butter Cup Macaroon.

New foods also include Stuffed Wings on a Stick, Texas B-B-Q Boomerangs (basically a bbq wonton), Deep Fried Pizza, Chocolate Jalapeno, Chili Cheese Dog Pot Pie, and Texas Pig Candy. These foods and more can be found at http://www.bigtex.com/foodlocator/newfoods.asp. This link also tells you where you can find these deliciously fried creations.

Chili Cheese Dog Pot Pie

Of course, all fried foods need to be accompanied with a cold beverage but if you’ve been to the fair, you know there are beer stands everywhere you turn. Don’t forget your cash for tickets! You will need a ton!