# What's your favorite Fair food? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 1, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564 "2011-07-01T22:44:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/81 "2011-07-04T06:53:10Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I do wish people would mention where they are when they say things like this. Sorry, you’re right, I should. I tend to forget people don’t already know (I’ve been here so long I fool myself into believing everyone knows me already). Anyway, I live in Australia, but was brought up in New Zealand. I think the “corn dog/hot dog” thing is almost unique to NZ (Australia does it a little, but not as definitively). And we didn’t have the “sausage in a bun” when I was a kid. They didn’t start appearing until the 1990s. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/82 "2011-07-04T10:34:47Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > What Americans call Corn Dogs. When I grew up they were called Hot Dogs, but now the terminology is all screwed up via US influence. [Corn dogs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_dog) are not hot dogs. Hot dogs don’t have a coating, whereas corn dogs have a cornmeal (American corn, maize) coating, and then they’re usually deep fried. Corn dogs also have a wooden stick in them. Corn dogs start out as hot dogs, but it’s the corny coating that makes them corn dogs. Calling a plain hot dog a corn dog is just…wrong. It’s like calling a cooked patty of ground hamburger a cheeseburger. [Hot dogs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_dog) are just the bland sausages themselves, usually served in a bun or at least a piece of bread, with various condiments. I prefer them with pickle relish and mustard. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/83 "2011-07-04T14:46:29Z")
Yes, and as that article states: > [@](#): > > In New Zealand and South Korea, a similar battered sausage on a stick is called a “hot dog”, whereas a “frankfurter” sausage in a long bun is referred to as an “American hot dog” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/84 "2011-07-04T17:27:58Z")
Which is odd, given that there’s no food more distinctively American than cornbread. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/85 "2011-07-04T17:42:28Z")
I love fair food. (Our state fair, aka the Farm Show, is in early January, but we have other festivals that serve more traditional fair fare.) Since I can’t really deal with anything deep fried anymore, I’ve found grilled chicken-on-a-stick is fantastic. You’ve got different Asian-type seasonings to pick from, and it comes with vegetables and rice, if you want a full meal. Even just the chicken is great, and more than enough for one person. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/86 "2011-07-04T22:42:53Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > [Corn dogs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_dog) are not hot dogs. Don’t blame me, it wasn’t my idea. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/87 "2011-07-04T22:49:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Which is odd, given that there’s no food more distinctively American than cornbread. Thing is, I don’t think Kiwi “hot dogs” are corn dogs. From what I can tell online, it doesn’t appear to be a cornmeal (maize) batter, but looks more like your normal wheat flour-based batter. Perhaps our Antipodean friends can chime in. I’ve never had them in New Zealand, but I’ve had English battered sausages before, and they don’t taste like corn dogs. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/88 "2011-07-04T23:12:56Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > From what I can tell online, it doesn’t appear to be a cornmeal (maize) batter, but looks more like your normal wheat flour-based batter. That is true. I didn’t mention it because it seemed like a superficial difference, in this context. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/89 "2011-07-04T23:25:59Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > That is true. I didn’t mention it because it seemed like a superficial difference, in this context. Sure. (Although I’d say the difference isn’t superficial–I mean how can it be a “corn dog” without any corn? In terms of appearance, the two are almost identical, so superficially they are almost the same. Substantively, they’re different enough that I think the clear majority of Americans would think something is wrong if they got a battered sausage expecting a corn dog.) ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/90 "2011-07-05T00:16:05Z")
No, corn bread is decidedly different from white/wheat bread. And corn dogs are decidedly different from hotdogs/sausages that have been coated in a wheat batter and then fried or baked. I wouldn’t say one or the other is better, but they are different. In my extended family, it is unthinkable to serve certain dishes without cornbread or corn chips. For instance, beans without cornbread? Inconceivable! Chili without cornbread or corn tortilla chips or Fritos? This is cause for much grumbling, if not outright mutiny. By the way, heat up some chili. Homemade is best, but canned will do. Put a layer of Fritos in a bowl. Dice up some while or yellow onion and grate some cheddar cheese. Put the chili on top of the Fritos, then add cheese and onion to taste. If you want to dress it up, add some sour cream. This is an excellent camping dish as well as classic fair food. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/91 "2011-07-05T00:26:21Z")
Ok, with all this talk of corn dogs, I think I’m just going to have to fry me up a bunch. Looks like I have cornmeal, as well as all-beef hot dogs, so we’re good to go. Happy Independence Day all! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/92 "2011-07-05T00:58:57Z")
(I thought they were called corn dogs because you eat them like a corn cob. Shows how much I know) ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/93 "2011-07-05T02:26:30Z")
Doughboys, aka funnel cakes, are yummy. I also like to get clam cakes when I go to the East Providence, RI heritage festival. They’re like fried dough with bit of clams in them and I am very sentimental about my son eating them when he was little and discovering he’d been spitting the clams on the ground. Dude, just eat a doughboy! ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/94 "2011-07-05T04:38:12Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > By the way, heat up some chili. Homemade is best, but canned will do. Put a layer of Fritos in a bowl. Dice up some while or yellow onion and grate some cheddar cheese. Put the chili on top of the Fritos, then add cheese and onion to taste. If you want to dress it up, add some sour cream. This is an excellent camping dish as well as classic fair food. This was my sister’s idea for a nice dinner when I visited her family one time. I was appalled. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/95 "2011-07-05T04:45:17Z")
To be classic fair food, the Fritos have to be in the bag. Your basic Frito Pie is as above, served in the bag. Slit along the long side, Spread open and ladle in chili, cheese and onions. Stick a plastic fork in it and give it to the customer. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/96 "2011-07-05T07:45:46Z")
Fair food is generally a single serving. When you are confronted with more than a dozen hungry Camp Fire Girls, you buy the Fritos in the large economy bag. And while it’s a fun dinner, it’s not what I’d consider to be a particularly nice dinner. It’s for camping out, or for eating at a fair, or when it’s just too hot to think about cooking, or when you have some chili that needs to be eaten up. It’s like PB&J sandwiches…many people have fond memories, but only want it once in a great while as an adult. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/97 "2011-07-05T11:23:01Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > To be classic fair food, the Fritos have to be in the bag. Your basic Frito Pie is as above, served in the bag. Slit along the long side, Spread open and ladle in chili, cheese and onions. Stick a plastic fork in it and give it to the customer. Yuck! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/98 "2011-07-05T19:39:15Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > (I thought they were called corn dogs because you eat them like a corn cob. Shows how much I know) I’ve never seen a corn dog that’s served without a stick. I’ve seen corn on the cob served on a stick occasionally, but mostly it’s just served sorta nekkid, with maybe some butter on it, and the diner is expected to either use [these thingies](http://www.amazon.com/Farberware-Interlocking-Corn-Holders-4-Pairs/dp/B0049J7K6A/ref=pd_sbs_k_1) or his/her fingers to hold the cob while nomming the corn. At least one fried chicken place sells a half or a third of a cob with a stick inserted into the cob, for easier eating, but most restaurants just serve the corn on the cob without any utensils, but with plenty of napkins. In the US, it’s somewhat common to [wrap hot dogs](http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/crescent-dogs/b19c6c07-bad8-45b5-8a4e-e604f30baa98/) in refrigerated crescent rolls, with or without cheese. Kids like these, especially. I was always under the impression that hot dogs wrapped in some sort of regular dough (not a cornmeal batter) were called pigs in blankets\* in all English speaking areas of the world. \*Long time readers of the SDMB can no longer say or think of bagel dogs with a straight face. [My patient's bizarre penis - Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=273825) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![drpepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@drpepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drpepper)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/99 "2011-07-06T03:22:46Z")
> [@markdash](#): > > Dear Mr. Uncle Jocko, > > Please allow me to make your formal acquaintance. My name is Sir Mmbombo Arthur Alexander Markdash, and I am a wealthy entrepreneur here in my home country of Nigeria. I am interested in your so-called “Corn Brats” and would like to humbly propose an arrangement of making business together. With your aforementioned approval, I would like you to purchase 500 of these Corn Brats at the fair of your Iowa, and mail them directly to me by means of international courier transport. In order to achieve speedy shipment of these products, I will send you a cashier’s check in the amount necessary to purchase these items plus a “finder’s fee” for spending as you choose. > > I look forward to our business dealings and hope to hear back from you soon. > > Yours forever, > Markdash _[slow clap]_ Nice. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564/100 "2011-07-08T17:58:07Z")
Spudnuts! Same idea as elephant ears, but a potato dough. Also, they’re like a giant doughnut because there’s a hole in the middle, not just one big piece. Perogies and sausage. It sounds mundane, but when you live in perogie country, always delicious! Fresh made potato chips straight out of the deep fryer. Damn you all, the fair isn’t coming here until August! Why do you torment me so? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-fair-food/587564.md?page=6)