Henry Raymond
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Henry on September 04, 2009, 09:38:12 AM
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The following was in the Burlington Free Press and I do believe that most normal people will visualize and taste these foods as they read about them:
September 4, 2009
Fair food: A nostalgic tour of indulgence
Hannah Crowley, Free Press Staff Writer
ESSEX JUNCTION — Taking a spin through the selection of fare at the Champlain Valley Fair is no piece of cake.
A dizzying array of options greets visitors — in a land where caloric restrain is a foreign concept, where indulgence and nostalgia reign. That, in a sense is the beauty of the fair: a place that brings you back in time, before words like “low-carb” and “trans fat” existed, where you can win a stuffed animal for your sweetheart and indulge to your heart’s content. After all, deep-fried Oreos only come around once a year.
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990826023">Champlain Valley Fair Schedule (http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990826023">Champlain Valley Fair Schedule)
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090904/LIVING06/90903008">Vendor snapshots, selling food at the fair (http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090904/LIVING06/90903008">Vendor snapshots, selling food at the fair)
The classics
Al’s French Frys, a perennial favorite, provides patrons with gallons of ketchup and spray bottles filled with vinegar to delicately mist their perfectly crisp fries, which can also come topped with cheese or gravy.
Thirty-four vendors hail from Vermont this year, offering a wide range of foods. A Colchester couple, Pat and Mary Brennan, sells a personal favorite, the blooming onion, at $7 a pop. A sweet onion is cut like a blossom, deep-fried and served with a house-made creamy horseradish dip — heavenly.
An order of deep-fried raviolis ($5) from Rocky’s New York Pizza was passed across the counter by a bulky, stern-looking man who broke into a beaming smile when a boy of about 3 emerged from the crowds, running toward him.
The raviolis, served with a side of marinara sauce for dipping were crispy, stuffed with piping-hot ricotta and flecked with herbs.
A carnivore’s delight
Carnivores at the fair can rejoice in more options than even a bear would know what to do with. Seven varieties of wings — hot, mild, teriyaki, honey barbecue, Asian zing, garlic parmesan, sweet and sour are listed at one concession.
Even jerky goes way beyond Slim Jim’s, with a choice of dried venison, elk, beef and buffalo.
You can’t throw a hot dog without hitting a sausage stand. Mr. Sausage of Vermont, who has been in business for 60 years — offers a choice of Italian sausage, German bratwurst and Polish kielbasa.
The regulars like hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, corn dogs, chicken sandwiches, Philly cheesesteaks all dot menus at concessions throughout the fairgrounds.
International options
A quick glance at the fair’s concessions reveals a decidedly international flavor.
Middle Eastern concoctions such as falafel, pitas and kebabs share a row with Mexican fare. Crepes led a French flare, stuffed with everything from cheese and strawberries to cucumbers. Chinese Gourmet offers dishes from the Far East, like stir-fry, lo mein and cashew chicken. Italian favorites like lasagna, ravioli and pizza tempt passers-by.
A Sweet Tooth
For those with a sweet tooth, the fair is a veritable cornucopia of indulgence.
Fried dough dripping with butter, sugar and cinnamon — enough cookies, doughnuts, muffins, cotton candy, cake, ice cream and sugary delights to make a dentist faint.
In true Vermont style, an entire barn is dedicated to maple sugar and its various incarnations. You can get maple bread, maple nuts, maple creamee, maple candy, maple sugar on snow, maple doughnuts, maple cookies, maple shakes, maple sundaes, maple coffee — pretty much everything maple you’d ever desire.
Fresh squeezed lemonade, the perfect accompaniment for a stroll through the fair on a sunny day, is available at stands dotted throughout the grounds. A friendly attendant squeezed lemons and combined them with water and sugar, a deliciously tart concoction, at $3.50 for a small, not quite a bargain, but worth it anyway.
I couldn’t pass by the deep fried Oreos without trying them; it just didn’t seem right. At Tootsies Fried Dough stand, regular old Oreos are wrapped in the funnel cake batter and deep-fried. A $5 order netted me seven of the artery clogging confections — and they were good. Not crunchy like a cookie, the Oreos become like a soft, chocolate-filled doughnut. They came dusted with sugar, quickly rendering their paper bag transparent.
I finished off my tour de force with a simple corn on the cob, at $2.50 each. The Rotary Club sells the bright yellow beauties, donated from Mazza’s farm in Colchester.
The three affable volunteers chatted while one ladled melted butter over the cob from a nearby Crock-Pot.
Dusted with salt from miniature cow-shaped shakers, the kernels were juicy and plump, a late summer treat — the perfect final fair indulgence.
Contact Hannah Crowley at 651-4835 or hcrowley@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com.