A taste of the fair

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A taste of the fair

From mac ’n’ cheese to elephant ears, annual event offers cornucopia of fried foods and more

Fair food is not Whole Foods, let's face it.

A steady diet of this stuff will make a belly as big as a Ferris wheel. But heck, once a year, be bad and be proud. Grin and eat it.

We spent a couple of hours of dining at the Coastal Carolina Fair last week, trying out the new foods, revisiting some classics, and generally eating anything that piqued our interest. Because no matter how many times you travel the midway, there's always something you haven't ingested before.

While we were disappointed not to find foods that made news at fairs elsewhere, such as fried butter, chocolate-covered bacon on a stick and "corn-nanas," a banana version of a corn dog, we had plenty of material to work with. But bring your wallet; fair food ain't cheap, often in the $5-$10 range.

1. Deep-fried mac 'n' cheese nachos: They're crunchy triangles oozing with Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, served atop shredded iceberg lettuce with salsa and sour cream. Zack Hobson of Mel's Fiesta Grill noticed that these were a hit with college students in Massachusetts. A no-brainer down South.

2. Deep-fried carrot cake: Inky-Dinky Donuts tries to roll out something novel in the deep-fried category every year, such as Cap'n Crunch, cookie dough, etc. This time it's Sara Lee Carrot Cake robed in fried funnel and doughnut batter, squirted with cream cheese icing. Nobody doesn't like deep-fried.

3. Giant pork tenderloin sandwich: Wow, sounds promising. Indeed, it is a behemoth, measuring a whopping 7 inches across. But it's fried, and the meat within conjures up memories of our elementary school lunchroom, like unsolved mysteries.

4. Elephant ears: A fair favorite, this saucer of fried dough is hot and fresh and gooey-sweet if you go for a topping. And it lands with a thud in the midsection.

5. Footlong corn dog: Theoretically, a corn dog is a wiener on a stick, dipped in cornmeal batter and fried. Cornmeal, schmorn-meal. It smacks of frankfurter in funnel cake batter, but nobody's complaining.

6. Fried green tomatoes: They're new on the circuit at Griff's this year, following in the footsteps of last year's winner, fried dill pickles. Accompanied by ranch, sour cream, honey mustard, horseradish or cheese sauces. Whistlestop Cafe worthy, if you avert your eyes from the wading pool of grease below.

7. Fettucine Alfredo with shrimp: Our quest to find haute cuisine at the fair leads us to DeLuca's and the one-and-only nonfried food of the day. DeLuca's boasts homemade pasta, and it's cooked just right, al dente. The sauce is decent, too, but the shrimp? Let's just say we've got it real good in the Lowcountry.

On the Web

Think you know a lot about fair food? Take a quiz at

food.aol.com/play-with-your-food/state-fair-trivia.

Coastal Carolina Fair Calendar

The Coastal Carolina Fair runs through Saturday at the Exchange Park on U.S. Highway 78 in Ladson. Parking is free. Admission at the gate is $5 for children 6 to 12 and $8 for adults and includes entertainment. Ride tickets and hand stamps are extra. Here is a schedule of events for today. For the complete schedule, visit postandcourier.com/fairschedule.

Gate Hours: 3-9 p.m.

(Only ages 60+ admitted 11 a.m.-3 p.m.)

11 a.m. & 12:30, 1, 2:30 P.M.: Bingo Games, Food Court

11 a.m.: Berkeley Squares and Friends, Parkway

11:30 A.M.: Come Dance With Me, Parkway

12:15 P.M.: Best Legs Contest, Parkway

12:30 P.M.: Senior Fashion Show, Parkway

1 p.m.: Pet Therapy Show, Parkway

1:30 P.M.: Prize Announcements, Parkway

1:45 P.M.: Gene Brownlee Karaoke, Parkway

2:30 P.M.: Come Dance With Me, Parkway

3 p.m.: Midway opens

4 & 6:30 P.M.: Big Cat Encounter, Gazebo Lawn

5 & 7:30 P.M.: Terrance B's Hypnotist Show, Gazebo

5:30 P.M.: Sarabeth Cunningham, Parkway

6 p.m.: Sigma Gamma Rho Step Team, Parkway

6:30 P.M.: Carolina Dancers, Parkway

7 & 9 p.m.: Middleton Stables Jumping Clinic, Arena

7:30 P.M.: Wranglers Rock'n Country, Parkway

7:30 P.M.: The Lettermen, Lakefront

8 p.m.: Talent Search, Parkway

8:45 P.M.: Fireworks