State Fair of Texas – The Fried Food Mecca

“You know I like my chicken fried, a cold beer on a Friday night, a pair of jeans that fits just right, and the radio uuuuupp!”

I swear this song should play at the State Fair entrance, because it definitely played in my head. LOL. The fair was country from the “Howdy Folks” entrance to the Big Tex statue on the other end. We didn’t do any rides, but the food, oh the food. I wanted to try a little bit of everything, but for the sake of my tummy, I elected to sample a few  random fried items, and save the rest for another day.

Chicken Fried Bacon. First of all, you had me at bacon. Can you really go wrong with bacon? As my mouth watered profusely at the thought, I imagined what this would taste like. My eyes widened as they presented me with a huge basket full of battered bacon. As I bit in, I quickly found that it tastes just like it sounds. Like chicken fried bacon. Is this bad or good? Well, that totally depends whether you like your bacon breaded and fried. I’m not sure that I do. I added a little ranch to it, and that made it a lot better. Without the ranch, I give it a 3.5 out of 5. With the ranch, I’ll give it a 4. I would have upped it to a 4.5 had they had blue cheese instead of ranch. Tasty, but would I order it again? Probably (hey, I like my bacon).

There were all kinds of delicious-sounding fruity drinks. The smoked bacon margarita peaked my interest, as did the pina colada served in a fresh pineapple core. However, being that I don’t drink alcohol, I opted for the Hawaiian Paradise drink. It was basically fruit juice poured over fresh pineapple chunks. Quite refreshing.

By this time, I realizing that I should have paced myself, because I’ve already filled up on the bacon, but I did not let that stop me. I forged on and sampled some fried mashed potatoes. Ehh… Imagine a tator tot that is soggy on the inside. 2 out of 5. Would not order again.

My friend ordered some fried tamales that were filled with jalapeno and cheese. I think this was the best thing tasted at the fair. The texture was perfect (I’m really big on textures), and they had a nice kick to them. 5 out of 5. Would order again without hesitation.

Other than the food, nothing at the fair made me want to return. Typical fair games, a couple of rides, a less-than-stellar car show featuring some American-made cars, and a mediocre dance performance. But the weather was FABULOUS, and I had a great time with friends. I would love to return to try out the fried cheesecake!

Side note: DO NOT bring your selfie-stick to the fair. You will have to throw it out.