Road Trip

Sharkey and I will be heading midwest in two days. We are off to Minnesota for a little R&R. We'll visit family, I'll play some golf, and we'll walk around the Minnesota State Fair!!! Now you may say, what's so freakin' great about a fair JP? Seen one fair, you've seen them all!! Well let me tell you something brother, you ain't never seen anything like this!

The state fair is the fair to end all fairs. Yes you do have the typical fair food, where everything is on a stick and mostly deep fried. It's the midwest after all, you know they like their meat and potatoes! There are a few things that you can really only get there too:

1. Batter fried cheese curds

2. Sweet Martha's Chocolate Chip Cookies

3. Deep fried candy bars

4. Tejas Chorizo Sausage breakfast burritos

5. Famous Dave's Ribs (well you can get them in Phily now too, but it's just not the same as MN)

The above 5 items describe the majority of my day. We wander around, we eat. We walk through the exhibit halls, we eat. We go in and out of the vendor buildings, we eat some more. We listen to the live radio show, and we eat some more. Additionally, the above 5 items force me to load up on the Lescol ahead of time and Sharkey will be carrying our portable defibrillator with us, ....er um...., just in case... As you know or do not know, I love food. I mean I really, really love food. It's amazing that I do not weigh 500lbs. with the amount of food I can consume. And the fair is the prime spot to get whatever food you want. Here's a list of everything they have:


Alligator
Almonds
Amaretto
Andouille Sausage
Antelope (Meat Snack Sticks)
Apples
Arabica Coffee
Artichoke
Asparagus
Bacon
Bagels
Baklava
Banana Split
Bananas
Beans
Beef
Beer
Beer Batter Brat
Belgium Waffles
Berries
Berry
Biscuits
Bison Meat
Black Berries
Blackened Steak
Blizzards
Blooming Onion
Blueberries
Boar
Bohemian Chicken
Bomb Pops
Bratwurst
Bread
Brisket Hash
Broccoli
Brownies
Bubble Gum
Buffalo
Bug Juice
Burritos
Cabbage Roll
Caesar Salad
Cajun Chicken
Cake
California Hamburger
Calzone
Candies
Candy
Candy Apples
Candy Bar (Popcorn)
Cantaloupe
Cappuccino
Caramel Apples
Caramel Corn
Caribbean Chicken
Caribou
Carob
Carolina Smoked Pork
Carrots
Cashews
Catfish
Cauliflower
Celery
Cereal
Chai Tea
Chaurice Sausage
Cheddar Cheese
Cheese
Cheese Cake (Chocolate Covered)
Cheeseburger
Cheesecake
Cherry Coke
Chestnut
Chicago Dog
Chicken
Chicken Popcorn Bowls
Chickitos
Chicory Coffee
Chili
Chilitos
Chipolte (seasoning)
Chips
Chives
Chocolate
Chocolate Potato Chips
Chocolate Sandwiches (grilled)
Chorizo
Chow Mein
Churros
Cider
Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnie Smiths
Clams
Coca Cola
Coconut
Coffee
Coleslaw
Cones
Cookies
Coolers
Corn
Cornbread
Corndogs
Corned Beef
Cornita
Cotton Candy
Crabmeat
Crackers
Cranberries
Crawfish
Cream (Puffs)
Creole (Sausage)
Crepes
Criss Cross (Fries)
Croissants
Crystal Light Beverage
Cucumbers
Curds
Curly Fries
Currants
Custard
Cyclones
Czech (Sausage)
Danish
Decaffeinated Coffee
Dessert
Diet (Soft drinks)
Dippin Dots
Dole (Whip)
Donuts
Double (burgers)
Dough (Fried)
Dove Bars
Dr. Pepper
Draft Root Beer
Dried Fruits
Drinks
Drummies
Drumsticks
Duck
Dumplings
Ears (Elephant)
Eggs
Elk Burgers
Enchiladas
Energy Drinks
English Muffins
Espresso
Fajitas
Falafel
Feta (cheese)
Filbert
Fish
Floats
Flour Tortillas
Flowering Onions
Foccacia
Footlong Hot Dogs
Fortune Cookies
Frappe
Freezes
French bread
French Fries
French Toast
Fritters
Frosting
Fruit
Fudge
Fudge Puppies
Funnel Cake
Garden Salad
Garlic Bread
Garlic Chicken Pizza
Gatorade
Gelato (Italian)
German Sausage
Ghirardelli Chocolate
Ginger Beer
Gizmo Sandwich
Gorilla (Bread)
Goulash
Graham Cracker
Grapefruit
Grapes
Gravy
Green Pepper
Grilled Cheese
Guacamole
Gum
Gumbo
Gyros
Ham
Ham Loaf
Hamburgers
Hand-Dipped Chocolates
Hard Lemonade
Hash
Hashbrowns
Hawaiian (shaved ice)
Hawaiian Punch
Hazelnut (Coffees)
Herb Seasoned
HI-C Drinks
Hickory Smoked Flavor
Hoagies
Honey
Honey (Candy)
Honey (Ice Cream)
Honeydew
Hot Dogs
Hot-Dish on-a-stick
Humus
Hush Puppies
Ice Coffee
Ice Cream
Ice Tea
Irish Cream
Italian Foods
Jackelope Meat Snacks
Jalapeno Poppers
Jamaican Foods
Jambalaya
Jams
Jasmine
Jellies
Jerk (Chicken)
Jerky
Juice
Kabobs
Kahlua
Kangaroo
Kettle (Corn)
Key Lime Pie Bar
Kiwi
Knockwurst
Koney
Kool-Aid
Kraut
Krispies (Bars)
Kristian (Root Beer)
Krumcake
Lamb
Lasagna
Latte
Lefse
Lemonade
Lettuce
Licorice
Limeade
Lingonberries
Links (Sausage)
Lobster
London Broil
Lubia Rice
M&M's Candy Topping
Macadamia Nuts
Macaroni
Malts
Mango
Maple
Marinara
Marinated (Chicken)
Marshmallow
Meatball
Meatloaf
Mediterranean Foods
Mello-Yellow
Mexican
Milk (Got!)
Mineral (Water)
Miniature (Donuts)
Minnekabobs
Mixed Nuts
Mocha
Mostaccioli
Mozzarella
Muffins
Mushrooms
Nachos
Neapolitan Ice Cream
Nestea
Noodles
Nuggets (Chicken)
Nuggets (Jalapeno)
Nuggets (Turkey)
Nut rolls
Nut Rolls (Chocolate Covered)
Nutella
Nuts
Oatmeal
Olives
Omelets
Onions
Orange
Orange Juice
Orangeade
Orangina
Oreo Cookies
Oriental
Ostrich
Oysters
Palletized (Ice cream)
Pancakes
Panzerotti
Pappa Pup
Parmesan Cheese
Passion Fruit Coolers
Pasta
Pastrami
Pastries
Peaches
Peanuts
Pecans
Pepitas
Pepperocini Peppers
Pepperoni
Peppers
Pepsi
Peruvian Coffee
Pheasant
Philly Cheese Steak
Pickles
Pie
Pina Colada
Pineapple
Pink Lemonade
Pistolette
Pitas
Pixxa Burger
Pizza
Polish Sausage
Political Pops
Poncho Dog
Poor Boy (Sandwiches)
Pop
Popcorn
Poppers
Poppyseed (Bagels, Muffins)
Pops
Pork
Pork chops
Porketta
Portabella
Pot Stickers
Potato
Pretzels
Prime Rib
Pronto Pups
Pulled (BBQ Pork)
Pumpernickel (Bagels)
Punch
Quesadillas
Rachel
Rainbow Ice Cream Cone
Raisins
Ranch (Dressing)
Raspberry
Ravioli
Refried Beans
Regale
Reuben
Ribbon Fries
Riblet
Ribs
Rice
Rice Krispie Bars
Rigatoni
Rings (Onions and Pepper)
Roast Beef Sandwiches
Rolls
Root Beer
Ropes (Licorice)
Rotisserie Chicken
Royal Crown Cola
Salad
Salami
Salmon
Salsa
Salted Nut Rolls
Sandwich
Sasparilla
Sauces
Sauerkraut
Sausage
Scallops
Scones
Scotch Eggs
Scrambled (Eggs)
Seville Sandwiches
Shakes
Shaved Ice
Shells (Pasta)
Sherbert
Shishkabob
Shortcake
Shrimp
Sirloin
Sloppy Joes
Slush Drinks
Smoothies
S'mores
Snickers
Snow Cones
Soft Drinks
Sorbet
Soup
Sour Candy
Sour Cream
Soynuts
Spaghetti
Spaghetti and Meatballs on-a-stick
Spanakopita
Spanish Rice
Spinach (Pizza)
Spiral Chips
Sprite
Sprouts
Spudsters
Spumoni
Steak
Strawberries
Stromboli
Stuffed Peppers
Submarine Sandwiches
Suckers
Sundaes
Sunflower Seeds (chocolate covered)
Sunkist Orange Soda
Super Dogs (triple corndog)
Supercalifragilistic Sundae
Surge
Swedish Meatballs
Swedish Sausage
Szechwan
Tabouli Salad
Taco
Taffy
Taffy Pop
Tamales
T-Bone Steak
Tea
Tenderloin
Tenders (Chicken)
Teriyaki Chicken
Toast
Toffee
Tomato
Tortillas
Tostadas
Tropical Fruit Shaved Ice
Turkey
Turtles
Tuscan Sausage
Twinkies
Twist Ice Cream Cones
Vanilla Ice Cream
Vegetable Kabobs
Vegetables
Veggie Pie
Venison
Vietnamese Egg Rolls
Waffles
Walleye
Walnuts
Water
Watermelon
Weisswurst Sausage
Whipped Cream
Whipped Honey
Wilbur Beans
Wild Game Sticks
Wild Rice Corn Dog
Wild Rice Soup
Wine
Wings
Wonton
Worms (Gummi)
Wraps
Yak (Wild Game sticks)
Yogurt
Zeppoles (Italian pastry)
Zucchini

But the fair isn't just food and it's not a small, quaint fair that you may picture when you think of fairs. It's pretty cool! They have everything Minnesota there. The Twins have a booth, the different local TV, radio and newspapers setup there. The setup is pretty interesting. There's major corporate sponsorship like 3M, Coca Cola, and Toyota. And you cannot believe how many people go. I never really "got it" until I went to my first one, then after that when August approaches every year I ask Sharkey, "So when are we going to the MN State Fair?"