Let's All Go to the County Fair!

Swing ya partner round and round, and eat some fried foods to the groundd!

Ohhh the county fairs. American tradition at its finest. Fried foods at every turn, and fat people at every corner. Made from everything one can dream of. You ever thought eating fried butter was a good idea? What about fried spaghetti and meatballs on a stick?

Fried pickles? How about some fried beer? Alll of this I consumed and more.....except not but I wish that were true.

This past weekend, I decided to go where I'm sure every food blogger has gone before: into the depths of what really gets Americans going. Where the NRA is present and cows are being sold in competitions. Where I went head to head with a billy-goat and saw pigs get auctioned off. Where dogs went jumping into a pool of water and a baboon tried to escape the confines of his cage. I am, of course, talking about the Dutchess County Fair, located in none other than Rhinebeck in upstate NY (Chelsea Clinton was married here, for all you city folk who don't know anything else in NY). Or to me it's upstate, to the rest of NY it may not be. Regardless, this traditional fair has taken place here since 1842, and somehow withstands the changing tides and culture to still be one of the most popular in the country. Of course, this ain't got nothing on the Iowa or Minnesota State Fairs, but for what I could see, I was pretty darn impressed.

Basically, I'm going to give you a rundown of what I ate, tasted, enjoyed, saw, what have you. I ate a lot people, as in Thanksgiving portions of food. Probably the most I've ever eaten in my life, but that's what the fair is all about. Being a glutton and gaining a good 10 lbs (I miraculously gained nothing. I just weighed myself to see like a loser. This is why I eat eat eat), and eating everything in sight without having a care in the world is what going to the fair is all about. I want to go back....

I began my journey through foodie wonderland with a fresh-out-of-the-cow famous 4-H (which is some organization of young farmers....country learning) chocolate milkshake. Basically, I have no idea how I consumed anything else after this. It wasn't too thick, but also not too chocolaty. Pretty much the perfect balance for a shake, since it didn't prevent me from stuffing my face on every other  food item. I then took my shake while scouring the grounds for the most satisfyingly unhealthy yet unique food I could find. Behold: the bacon corn dog.

Should've also had the maple bacon donut dog....
 

The man who worked here had a mustache so large I almost cried and laughed at the same time. Amazingly, I didn't even notice at first that they also had a maple bacon donut dog....I am a failure to foodie culture. So basically, this was a typical corn dog but the hot dog on the inside of the cornmeal was wrapped in bacon. It wasn't the best thing I ate, but also wasn't the worst. Typical carnival food with a twist I say. Whilst consuming this monstrosity, I simultaneously ate a piece of my dad's turkey leg, some fried tempura broccoli, a Bloomin Onion (just like Outback Steakhouse), and Idaho Ribbon Fries, which I had never seen nor tasted before.

Half eaten fried goodness

I figured why not give them a shot, since I can get regular fries anywhere at anytime. They were only different because they were in spirals, and I topped them off with cheese and bacon bits. Healthiest meal in the world. No organics here folks. And that made me happier than one can imagine.

Once I finished about a pound of this food, I gave my stomach a break and walked around a bit. My dad went too hard, and bought some lime fizz (which basically tasted like lime soda....eh) and apple cider donuts, which are definitely going to be my new favorite fall treat (next to a traditional caramel apples and Pumpkin brewskis). They are seriously so delicious I ate about 3 that night and 2 more the following day. I might as well be in the pen with the pigs.

My other favorite part of this fair was the marketplace they had set up, which had so many samples to try, and was obviously necessary after my pound of food. I realized I probably should've started here and ended with everything else, but eh who's keeping track really. They had the usual jams, jellies, zips, lots of garlic based sauces (because apparently these fairgrounds also host a garlic festival...I may be back), beef jerky, and something I never had before: venison. Yes, deer meat.

Try not to think of Bambi. Please.

I had it in the form of a sausage, which apparently had no preservatives or gamey flavor, which I've heard about venison before. It was actually quite good, which scared me a bit. I expected it to be really chewy and hard to handle, but it wasn't at all. These farmers know what they're doing. Looking at Bambi reminds me of why people are vegetarians. Seriously.

As the day rolled on by, my friends and I rode the ferris wheel like true carnies and went for round 2. Because apparently, round 1 wasn't enough food. I started off with a tiny piece of the blackout cake, which is very much like a gooey, chocolaty brownie. I took another small break, and went for the Chocolate Frozen Banana with Sprinkles. I honestly don't know how I ate any of it.

Focus on the largeeee banana. Not me.

My friend then got an order or fries with cheese, and my sister and I split an order of the Polish delicacy Pierogis. Cheese and potato with onions and sour cream to be exact. We washed this all down with some more apple cider donuts and called it a night. I didn't vomit or have a stomachache, so that's good to know.

All in all, this fair was everything and more than I ever imagined it to be. If you ever find yourself stumbling upon the quaint town of Rhinebeck in late August, please attend. It is truly the unhealthy food mecca of the Hudson Valley Region. I may just become a farm girl now....no lies. NYC food trucks are good and all, but nothing compares to the home cooked delicacies of fried carnival foods. Nothing. Now who wants to come to Iowa with me next year?!