Sometimes the trials we face are less than earth-shattering. For lunch I had to decide between a sandwich based on some left over Swedish Meatballs or one based on left over pot roast. Pot roast, either hot or cold, is a special gift of God, so I actually chose the meatballs so I could spend a few more hours anticipating the pot roast. I am tempted to have a pot roast sandwich for dinner, but even in my aimless life I have rules. Rule: Sandwiches for only one meal per day. Unless I can't resist.

There seems to be something sort of sinful about a sandwich heavily laced with cold sour-cream gravy. I tuned into one of the TV stations in the Twin Cities before going to the State Fair and the off-the-shelf 'news' story was about how to eat healthy at the fair! WHY EVEN GO! Across from what used to be called the Mexican Village (I don't know what they call it now) was a stand selling fruit. There were cobwebs on it and the people working there had a vacant stare. They were either dead or in a coma from boredom. "Mom! Mom! When we get to the Fair can I have a banana? Please! Please! I'll be good." "A banana? Have you checked the carbs on a banana? Have some celery. Isn't it fun how it crunches?"

There is other fair food that has struck my fancy. At the Western Washington Fair in ...well, Western Washington, they had two signature foods. There were no sticks involved. First were the scones. Seriously, the demented souls of Western Washington would stand in huge lines to get their scone. In my opinion they were just so-so. I would greedily eat them...if someone else did the line standing....warm, smothered in butter and jam...ok. They weren't bad. It was just the line thing that bothered me. The other Western Washington item was called...an Onion Burger. This was a rather puny hamburger piled to obscene demensions with greasy fried onions. It was WONDERFUL! It was difficult to tell if there was any meat on that burger at all....thus, the aptly named ONION burger.

Leave it to California to entice me with something that could be served in a fern bar. At the Asparagus Festival they would take a crusty sour-dough roll, fill it with sliced tri-tip (A Beef cut difficult to find outside of California...think maybe London Broil)...plus a few spears of asparagus and a ranch sauce and you hear the angels sing. Over the years out west I had some pretty tasty Mexican Fair food. At the Loon Festival in Northern Minnesota (Missed it this year!!Damn!) they have a great Indian Taco. Features Native American fried bread (a staple at any respectable PowWow) but folded and filled like a taco. Depending on the filling, it is tasty, greasy, and HUGE.

So that finishes my Fair Fetish for 2008. Just consider it my yearly Schtik on a Stick. What's next on the agenda. I'm thinking of San Francisco for Halloween. If any place knows how to celebrate Halloween it is SF.

Back soon....

Rob