LAist: What's Frying at the LA County Fair

September 17, 2008

What's Frying at the LA County Fair

"If it's slower, smaller and stupider than I am..." batter it up and throw it in the fryer!

As we entered the second week of the LA County Fair, LAist decided it was time to answer the eternal question: What are they deep-frying this year? We took one for the team last weekend, downing all manner of deep-fried goodies, including the good, the bad, and the ugly.

A Food Guide, which can be found at one of the many information booths, is really needed to navigate the orgy of food that is the county fair. BBQ is plentiful, and all manner of treats, sweets, and downright abominations are there to tempt the palate.

Even getting a comprehensive overview of the fried food alone proved to be an impossible labor. We immediately marked Twinkies and Snickers bars off the list, as they have been done to death. Frogs legs and fried apples just sounded too unappealing at the time. A few treats that were hard to find, like deep-fried waffles and cupcakes had to be left unsampled. Some of the treats listed in the Food Guide are also unavailable at Charlie's this year, such as olives, pickles, and the big disappointment, deep-fried Coca Cola. It must involve freezing, but it will have to remain a mystery. Sigh. Well, there's always next year.

Check out our recent rad County Fair photo essays here and here.

(Elise Thompson)

(Apologies to Anthony Bourdain for mangling his quote)

By Elise Thompson in Food | Link | Comments (20) | Recommend this! (11) |

Tags: County fair 2008, Crocodile Potatoes, deep-fried food, fried avocado, fried everything, fried food, fried oreo, fried pop tarts, fried white castle burger, Gader Eggs, LA County Fair, Pepto Bismol

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Comments (20) [rss]

[1] | 09/17/08 12:12PM
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Fried Twinkies... done to death? I say tried and true! Those things are insane! "Oreo donuts" though? That just might be the next champ...

[2] | 09/17/08 12:21PM
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Isn't this the same place and the same items as the Orange County Fair, where you did the same article?

[3] | 09/17/08 12:25PM
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Thanks for taking a few for the team, Elise!

My hungry stomach is mocking me for the healthy cereal and carrot and celery sticks I've eaten thus far today....

[4] | 09/17/08 12:33PM
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paul: neither Elise nor LAist have ever covered the OC Fair in the past (you can search the site, you know!) but we did run a reader-submitted photo of a Deep Fried Snickers Bar from the OC Fair this summer in our Eye Nosh series (http://laist.com/2008/07/07/eye_nosh_deep_fried_snickers_bar.php). so the answer to your pointless question is no.

[5] | 09/17/08 12:37PM
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I had the deep fried avocado and mushroom, and though they were delicious, my stomach was not happy later. All the years of healthy eating has lowered my fried food tolerance. I can only imagine how I would feel eating one of the truly unhealthy concoctions like fried Oreos.

[6] | 09/17/08 01:43PM
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Lindsay: Thanks for the clarification. Thought I was imagining things.

[7] | 09/17/08 02:03PM
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As someone who occasionally woks up tempura vegetables, I think mushrooms always come out the tastyest, and next time I'm gonna try avocado.

Sounds de-LISH!!!

[8] | 09/17/08 02:52PM
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i love you, laist, and your gallery of fried goods, but i really wish you guys would have a better photo gallery. reloading the page every time i want to see a new picture takes forever. oh well.

[9] | 09/17/08 03:15PM
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Well, maybe fried Twinkies have not been around too much, but they have been covred by the press to death. (FYI anyone who has missed them, here is my opinion...1st bite, a heavenly souffle of goodness completely unlike a Twinkie. Second bite...hmmm, a little gooey and greasy...third bite...serious regret)

DeCaf bruin: Carrot sticks sound sooo good after this madness. That must by when they pair them with Buffalo wings.

Lindsay: Thanks for having my back!

JRB: Add Oreos to the mix, and I'm on my way over!

[10] | 09/17/08 03:18PM
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Oh, and mpiedlourde, I feel your pain. The new photo galleries take us more time to load our posts as well. But they have become standard in the industry, and we must keep up with the times.

On the plus side they give you a quick glance at the gallery if you want to pick and choose without scrolling, scrolling, scrolling.

[11] | 09/17/08 03:25PM
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No better person to get fried with at the fair, I am certain.

I am not a big fried food fan....but them artichoke hearts, the sweet taters and the chunks of cheesecake....bring it on.

oh and the chocolate bacon.....why can't we just get that at candy stores. Add some decent red wine and I'm in. LOL

[12] | 09/17/08 03:25PM
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"JRB: Add Oreos to the mix, and I'm on my way over!"

LOL Elise! I usually get my tempura recipes out of Macrobiotic cookbooks. Somehow I don't think Oreos would qualify as Macrobiotic cooking.

Buddhists would shit!

[13] | 09/17/08 04:00PM
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My mother-in-law is a Buddhist monk, and they accept all donations with gratitude (the only forbidden foods are meat, garlic, and hot peppers). I always bring them cakes and cookies and they LOVE them! So fry away!

[14] | 09/17/08 04:17PM
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My husband's been trying to get me o go to the fair for forever. The sweet potato fries just might get me there!

[15] | 09/18/08 07:54AM
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(the only forbidden foods are meat, garlic, and hot peppers)

I guess it depends on the Buddhist. Most Buddhists I know avoid white sugar and most processed foods. One I know avoids all that as well as dairy and eggs. Years ago, while hitch hiking cross country, I met a Buddhist who would only eat brown rice. I didn't know about garlic and hot peppers.

[16] | 09/18/08 02:42PM
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the churro platter is absolutely amazing. it's definitely portioned for a small group. perhaps eight people. maybe nine.

mmmm....fair food...

[17] | 09/18/08 03:33PM
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someone told me that they had REAL EGG ROLLS aka: New York Egg Rolls, at the LA COUNTY FAIR and i almost went but i didnt want to drive 70 miles to find out that they (along with every fake chinese restaurant in socal) doesnt actually have these chewy goodies... does anyone recall seeing these stuffed plump flour wheat egg rolls at the fair? or anywhere else in SOCAL?

[18] | 09/21/08 06:09PM
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What?!?! no picture of the chocolate covered bacon?!!?

*pouts*

[19] | 09/22/08 06:01AM
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you can actually get chocolate bacon bars -- but they're kinda spendy -- but does a little slice heaven truly have a price tag? Call around to see if any of your chocolate shops carry the Mo's Bacon bars by Vosges. Whole (Paycheck) Foods usually carries them as well.

You can also order them online from Vosges directly.

FYI... If you really like the combination of sweet + salty... in addition to the bacon bar, their Barcelona bar is also very nummy -- chocolate, smoked almonds, and fleur de sel.

[20] | 09/24/08 12:58PM
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I thought the fried avocado with pesto was the highlight of the fair. Of course, it was after the wine AND beer tasting.

The oreos weren't great, the buffalo blue cheese sticks were ok, but nauseating after a while, the fried artichoke sandwich was tasty, and my boyfriend told me the deep fried White Castle was downright nasty. The regular cupcakes were good, as was the ice cream. Of course, my body hated me for 36 hours or so afterwards.