Acknowledging that even motivated eaters are struggling to complete their fried food checklists during a single visit to the fair, an increasing number of state fairs are now offering free lunch passes to stimulate more sampling.
Arkansas this week joined Missouri and Memphis's Mid-South Fair in pushing a program that re-imagines the midway as a vast office cafeteria, with chocolate-dipped fried bacon and hot beef sundaes standing in for grilled cheese sandwiches and Jello salad. Arkansas State Fair spokesman Ralph Eubanks said "Lunch at the Fair," featuring free parking and admission on weekdays from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m, was created in response to clamorous customer demand.
"We've had several requests and we decided to try it," Eubanks says. "We're making it logistically possible to provide workers with a quick corn dog."
Eubanks concedes most folks who punch out for a quick trip to the fair are unlikely to stick to what he calls "the old standbys": There are 30 new items available at the fair this year, including a taco in a bag and chicken parmesan on a stick. "We just kind of hit the jackpot," Eubanks marvels.
Zucchini, Potato and Scallion Pancakes. Photo: Rec(ession)ipes.
As we transition from summer to fall, it's the perfect time to pair prime vegetables from each season.
And these zucchini, potato and scallion pancakes from Rec(ession)ipes beautifully capture the colors of autumn, while sneaking in the last tastes of summer. Pan-fried and topped with a dollop of chive sour cream, a glimpse at these almost makes up for the fact that we'll be seeing a lot less of the sun for a while. Almost.
We have joked (on more than one occasion) that if a rotted crab washed up on the beach of Brooklyn's notoriously less-than-pristine Coney Island and someone deep-fried it, we'd eat it.
As many psychiatrists will tell you, there is a hint of truth in all humor. There's just something so ... right about eating artery-clogging fried food oceanside. And per the folks at Concierge.com, who have just compiled a list of the world's 13 best beach foods, "to eat greasy French fries (or fried clams, or even fried dough) on the beach is human."
Perhaps it's the fact that sand cannot penetrate an armor of deep-fried batter (ever tried to eat a sandwich on the beach?). Or we could wax poetic and say the color of fried food was inspired by the shore itself. What's more likely, however, is that fried food stands line most boardwalks, at least in the United States, so it's what we eat -- just as we would a hot dog at the ballpark.
But that's just America. Adcock's "best of the world" list includes sausage and eggs in England, paella in Spain and fish tacos in Maui. [Via Concierge.com]
I can't claim credit for it, but by far the best New Year's resolution I've ever heard is "Drink more champagne." It flies in the face of the conventional model of resolutions, which entails discipline at best and deprivation at worst. When food and booze are involved in resolutions, "less" is typically the operative word.
For the second year running, I plan to include the word "more" in my resolutions, or at least the spirit of the word. I hardly have to tell myself to drink more champagne, but I could remind myself to seek out caviar more frequently, for instance, or to order that appetizer of pâté de campagne whenever it's on offer. Or I might resolve to develop my taste for Scotch, invest in crystal stemware, or host a bacchanal every month.
This is all sounding pretty highbrow so far, but it doesn't have to be. "Eat more fried shrimp/potatoes/okra/chicken" would work. So would "Never run out of PBR." Milkshakes, McDonald's fries, cream pies, waffles, mozzarella sticks...Plenty of inexpensive food is plenty decadent.
Are you sold yet? If so, what's your indulgent resolution?
Despite the holiday reference, this is not a Hanukkah oriented book. In fact, it's more about all-American fried foods of the variety that you'll find on hundreds of menus and in bakeries across the country, including things like Mozzarella Sticks, Coconut Shrimp, Chicken Fried Steak and Chocolate Devil's Food Donuts, among its 120 recipes. Each one is simple and all you really need to know how to do is work an oven to turn out impressive (and healthy) results. With only some heat and a little bit of oil, included primarily to prevent sticking and encourage browning, you should be able to obtain crisp exteriors and tender interiors on everything you make - just like deep fried foods, only there won't be as much fat to cover up the base flavors.
It's official. New York City has become the first in the nation to ban the use trans-fats at restaurants. The members of the Board of Health voted unanimously for the ban and heath advocates are already applauding the decision. Restaurants will have until July 2007 to switch to trans-fat free frying oils - meaning that all french fries in the city, as well as other fried foods will have to be trans-fat free by that time - and will have until July 2008 to remove all trans-fats from their food.
Trans-fats, which have been called "chemical abominations" by some health officials, are known to raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, changes which can contribute to an increased risk of heart disease. According to FDA estimates, "the average American eats 4.7 pounds of trans fats each year" in spite of the reductions that food processors have made with their use. They are favored in the restaurant and food processing industries because they are easy to work with, have a long shelf life and can increase the shelf life of foods that use them.
All the campaigns to encourage people to eat healthier are having an impact on mothers, but not necessarily in the way that you might expect. Instead of giving up fried foods or other things deemed to be unhealthy completely, some mums are not changing what they feed their kids - they're just lying about it. A new survey, which was sponsored by the British Potato Council, found that as many as 93% of mothers lie from time to time about what they feed their kids, and they mostly spin the tales to their own mothers and other relatives, since they make up the group that is most likely to criticize parenting choices.
The most commonly made claim is that the kids are not allowed to eat fried foods, followed by telling people that their children "eat mostly fresh food at home." Other untruths include assertions that the kids are only allowed candy at weekends, are never fed frozen food and get all the required servings of fruits and veggies every day.
Some are confused as to what foods are healthy, or simply give up due to lack of time or energy, opting for a TV dinner instead of frozen fish sticks with some fresh veggies. Fortunately, the kids aren't as confused as the parents, so it is possible that the "little white lies" won't be necessary any more. The study also showed that 58% of kids would question their parents about whether given foods were healthy or not, demonstrating that they are becoming more aware of healthy eating issues at a young age and will hopefully want to make better food choices as a result.
Family-oriented attractions, including theme parks and fairs, are "failing to provide healthy food" says a report that sent a "secret mum" to visit 14 tourist attractions around the UK. She found their food lacking, offering primarily burgers and fried foods. To the average fair or park-goer this is no surprise, but some are expressing concern over the fact that they are unable to find healthy options for their children at such venues. How, they wonder, can they provide healthy foods to their children in such an environment?
The theme parks are the ones who respond with a voice of reason, saying that visits are generally special occasions, not once-a-week events. A burger and fries is not going to irreversibly set your child down the path to obesity, but if your concern is too great, there is always the option to pack a few healthy nutrition-type bars and eat a full meal after you leave.
It seems like onion rings sell based on smell alone in steakhouses and other restaurants. Too often, they are served in unattractive bricks of onion shreds or have at least three times as much batter than onion per ring. A good onion ring has to - first and foremost - be a ring, and it should be one with a good ratio of onion to batter. Anne, of Anne's Food, has captured what appear to be perfect onion rings. She notes that she would have liked a thicker coating of batter, but the batch in this particular photo looks just right. Another tip for making good onion rings is to use sweet onions, which add a milder flavor and are especially good if you like to add spices to your batter.
Sarah had a point when she said that conference food is pretty much always fattening. I am currently at the BlogHer conference, along with a fewotherpeople from Weblogs, Inc., and even though the company is wonderful, I can say less for the food. When a hotel prepares fried food for a large group, it is inevitably greasy and heavy, so it was unfortunate that the meals centered on that. Lunch on the first day included fried chicken and dinner was a buffet of fried foods, like egg rolls and dumplings, as well as kebabs slathered in various sauces. There was no salad option at dinner, although there was a cheese plate. Any dinner dissatisfaction was quelled by the open bar, though I did hear some slightly dissatisfied murmuring about the fact that Pepsi, and not Coke, was the hotel's soda of choice. Many women opted for calcium-fortified water instead.
After making a batch of doughnuts this morning, it struck me that I was getting quite hot as I worked over the stove. Of course, the high humidity played a part, but there was no doubt that much of the heat was radiating out of the 370°F vat of oil. The reason that I took particular notice is that, over the weekend, I had a discussion with a friend who attempted to convince me that frying was a better way [than baking] to cook in the summer, since it didn't heat the house up.
I beg to differ.
The oven has to preheat and bake whatever it is you want to eat, but the oven door is open for very little time during the baking process and releases only a small amount of heat into the room. The oil, on the other hand, is a constant and long-lasting source of heat, not to mention the fact that the cook (me) has to stand over the hot oil and supervise whatever is being cooked.
If you've heard that frying is cooler, do you fry in the summer? Frankly, if I'm worried about heating up the house, I'm more likely to make a salad or a batch of ice cream - neither of which heats up the kitchen in the slightest.
Most people are already aware that you should not give your dog chocolates - but what about your elephant? Elephants are largely vegetarian and apparently like chocolate quite a lot. That doesn't mean you should let them indulge, though. Raja, who at 45 is the most famous elephant in Sri Lanka, has become very ill after eating too much chocolate and other fattening foods. The chocolates, deep-fried cookies, sweet rice and fermented pineapple slices were fed to him by fans while celebrating the Buddhist New Year.
The monks who care for the elephant found him in great distress, writhing on the ground, the day after the celebration. A vet said that his digestive system could not cope with the fattened and processed foods or "the cookies... literally are soaked in oil." There is now a sign outside his enclosure which reads "Do not feed the elephant."
In honor of my 
It's official. New York City has become the first in the nation to 
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Family-oriented attractions, including theme parks and 
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