Deep Fried

There is nothing, I mean nothing quite like the Great Minnesota Get Together. For 12 glorious days Minnesotans flock to find the latest in deep fried goodness, that for whatever reason is also served on a stick.

There are a few things I feel one must do to maximize the experience. It is important to gather a minimum of 5 adults. This way you can try many things without getting too full before you get to the finale. No proper experience, in my opinion, can occur without a little research (The 6 P's - Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance). Having found out that the fair is 320 Acres it is important to have an idea of what kind sticked food you are hunting down.

People. Check. Plan. Check. Spontaneity is overrated and for those who miss out of some of the best things the fair has to offer.

Thus I will start with my hands down, most favorite new dish at the fair. Deep Fried Cookie Dough. What isn't to like, chocolate chip cookie dough, battered, deep fried and of course its on a stick.

Seriously gooey, oozy, rich, dedicate, deliciousness. So fantastic that for 8 of us we bought 4 sticks each with 3 large deep fried cookie balls and it was totally worth it.

While one might regularly feel ashamed of this sort of excessive behavior, but at the State Fair there is little shame to be had. It is an accepting sort of place where one can finally channel their inner fat kid which they have been suppressing since age 14.

They referred to these as the "Gourmet Deep Fried Pickle" up until this point I was unaware that cream cheese was considered gourmet. Surrounding the delicate cream cheese was two pickles- battered and fried. Adding to the gourmet dish was the rare and lustrous ranch dressing, difficult to find however our fair experience with it did not end at this stand.

However un-gourmet it really was, it was good, not good enough to take some precious stomach space for my old favorites, but good.

In the past I have not considered vegetables or fruit to be apart of my fair experience. On a suggestion from a co-worker we tried the Deep Fried Vegetables. A blend of broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, onion and potato (the last two are cheating since its really a french frie and onion ring). The batter on these were excellent which is really what made it so good. Thats another thing about the fair, you really learn your batter types. As you can see, the ranch dressing made its return here, in case the vegetables were too healthy.

Then there are the fair favorites, these are what one must have at the fair every year, its like the foundation or in some cases the life raft. Even if you try something new and it doesn't live up the the hype, the favorites are there to save you. My standbys include a Pronto Pup (the far, far superior cousin to the corn dog) a bucket of french fries and gelato which pretty much tops out my fair experience. We also stopped by the Leinie Lodge for a few beers, picked up 2 helpings of cheese curds and a chocolate malt to close the night.

As usual I left the fair feeling quite satisfied. Excellent food, wonderful company, full stomach, no guilt, after all I did have to walk to get all this food.