by Sarah Jagger, EIC
When one thinks about the California Mid State Fair, specific things come to mind: concerts, rides, swing dancing, that horrible mid-summer Paso heat, and overpriced, fried fair delicacies. While local businesses can and do set up booths around the fair, selling food or drinks available throughout the year at their permanent establishments, there is also an abundance of “fair-specific” food only available for these two weeks. This includes funnel cakes, hot dog on a stick, and of course, a variety of fried treats.
This round of taste-testing, we focused on the classic fair foods seen only at the Mid State Fair; we tested fried oreos, fried twinkies, funnel cake, fried cheese on a stick, dip n dots, and a frito chili bowl. Because of the unique way these foods are sold in comparison to usual businesses whose food we review, we edited our basis of rating a bit. Rather than judge service - which is, for the most part, identical between most fair businesses - we rated food as compared to the hype around it. Additionally, we rated food according to its affordability, aesthetic appeal, and taste.
Dippin' Dots
A seemingly classic cold treat, dippin’ dots aren’t widely available in Paso outside of the fair. We began our taste test with two small cups of dippin’ dots; at five dollars for a small size of ice cream, the price is a bit excessive, but as the largest size is ten dollars but about three times the size of the small size, the affordability is semi-reasonable. Our two flavors, rainbow ice and cookies and cream mixed with strawberry both had attractive appearances, their bright colors somewhat artificial but nonetheless fun too look at. The taste matched the look of the ice cream. You can’t go wrong with ice cream, and these treats proved that right. Did it live up to its hype? In our opinion, dippin dots surpasses the hype given to them. While people tend to look forward to the fair for hot, fried food, this sweet treat is not only a refreshing break from the rich food offered at the Mid State Fair, but also a remedy to the sweltering summer heat
Fried Cheese
Upon hearing the words “fried cheese on a stick”, one may think: “ew they make that?”. Yes, they do. And yes, it is gross. To start with the positive points, however, this fair snack had one thing going for it: its appearance, which was semi-attractive, resembling a corn dog rather than fried cheddar cheese. With the price set at five dollars, this abomination costs far more than it is worth. Maybe, after a full day at the fair and significantly lower standards, this snack may be worth the price. Because the most important factor is taste, this may be one of the worst foods we rated. To put it simply: fried cheese does not taste good. Rightly so, this food is not given much hype, and I predict it will remain that way.
Fried Twinkie
Another classic fried fair treat, fried twinkies have long been a mystery to me. While I don’t even necessarily enjoy twinkies as they come, fried twinkies have long been a staple treat served at the Mid State Fair, and I was curious. When we ordered the twinkie for six dollars, which is only a two dollar markup from an average twinkie you’d find checking out of a grocery store, it was served similarly to the fried oreos: dusted in powdered sugar and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Like with the oreos, the chocolate sauce was disgusting, but the taste of the actual twinkie wasn’t too off from the original. Given that we were able to take a few more bites of the twinkies than we did of the oreos, this could be named a decently priced, acceptably tasting fair treat. If you like twinkies, you’ll like the fried version.
Fried Oreos
The mentality of fair food booths seems to be “fry anything and everything”, but fried oreos really go to show that not everything tastes good smothered in batter and fried. To begin, one of the most appealing aspects of oreos are that the crunchy cookies serve as a contrast to the smooth, creamy filling inside. When fried, the entire cookie adopts a soggy texture, similar to if one submerged an oreo in water for a minute. The dish was served somewhat attractively, with a powdered sugar dusting and a chocolate syrup drizzle. After only one bite, though, we were able to make our conclusion that oreos are not a snack that should be fried. The signature taste of the cookies was masked by the fried batter and the chocolate sauce tasted cheap and, frankly, gross. There isn’t must hype around these, but what is said about them around the fair has, for the most part, been negative, so technically, these live up to their reputation. Additionally, at five dollars for four oreos, each costs $1.25, which, in my opinion, is too much for a hot, soggy oreo.
Frito Boat
After tasting sweet ice cream, oreos, and twinkies, we were in the mood for something a bit more savory, so we headed over to The Tater Patch for a frito boat: a bag of fritos with chili, cheese, and sour cream on top. Albeit a little hard to eat, this was one of the better meals at the fair. The boat didn’t taste too cheap or blatantly unhealthy, and at only five dollars and still serving as an actual meal, this may be one of the better deals in a sea of overpriced, unhealthy food. The appearance was likely one of the most underwhelming of the foods we tried, as the meal was served in a bag of fritos held in a cup. This wasn’t a bad presentation, but it wasn’t as exciting as the others. Unlike the three previous snacks we had, this seemed to be one of the lesser known, which means that frito boats exceed their hype. If you’re looking for a cheap, filling meal next year at the fair, head no further than The Tater Patch.
Soft Serve
A dipped vanilla cone is most likely one of the most basic desserts, a treat that can be perfected by virtually anyone. Although served at the fair, this product lacks no significant quality. As I said, it’s hard to mess up ice cream. The overall look of this ice cream is pretty appealing, aside from the factor of heat causing the ice cream and chocolate shell to melt. Combine that with the delicious taste of a good vanilla and chocolate combo, and you’ve almost got a perfect fair treat. However, this cone cost a total of six dollars, which, in my opinion, is far too high for vanilla ice cream covered in chocolate. It’s a fine dessert, and if one wasn’t tight on cash, this would be a good choice, but considering the fact that customers don’t necessarily get their money’s worth (it’s just an ice cream cone!), we had to knock the rating down by a bit. Disregarding the cost, this treat does live up to its hype and is worth trying.
Lemonade
Lemonade isn’t necessarily a food, but it is a staple item at the Hot Dog on a Stick booth. As the midday sun beats down on the California Mid State Fair, a refreshing lemonade sounds like the best thing in the world. While this drink definitely isn’t the best thing in the world, it is a very good drink available for purchase at only $3.67. Not watered down at all, this sweet drink has strong notes of sweetness and bitterness from the combination of lemon and sugar, and though we drank this after the sun had gone down and the weather cooled off, it was still a good refresher from the richer food we had. The appearance was pretty good; the drink came in a fair-festive cup colored red, blue, yellow, and white. Compared to other drinks stands at the fair, Hot Dog on a Stick’s drink held up pretty well, proving to be better than its hype. If you find yourself parched and with a limited amount of money, this drink is worth every penny.