My favorite things: the State Fair Edition

You know that song from "The Sound of Music"? Well here are a few of my favorite things at the State Fair:

• The Food:

• I am a self-proclaimed foodie and love all things gourmet and tasty, but I have always had a soft spot for absolutely ridiculous food. For example, a deep fried candy bar doesn't make a whole bunch of sense when you think about it. A candy bar is already several hundred calories and is basically empty calories, but dipping it in some batter and flinging it into a vat of hot oil seems to create a magical combination that not even Anton Ego could pass up. Other popular fair fare includes polish sausages, ice cream (from the NCSU Dairy Bar), roasted corn (from the place by the big strawberry), salt water taffy, kettle corn, cotton candy, candy apples, turkey legs, the free hush puppies at the grist mill... the List goes on. All of those delicious options, waiting to be explored... It makes me salivate just thinking about it

• The Rides
• Half of the reason the rides are so exciting is the fact that they are transportable and therefore not as safe or secure as rides at a theme park. Who else loves the fact that the ring of fire is the most rickety wobbly ride there?! Any body? Any body? The other half is that I, for some reason, can't seem to actually make it to a theme park with any kind of regularity despite my strong and vocal protests to that effect. I, my whole life, have lived within a 100 mile radius of at least one theme park. Yet, I have only been to them a handful of times. *sigh* So in lieu of actually going on a roller coaster, I ride the rides. (And enjoy the added bonus of the carnies)

• The Giant Vegetables
• I am a sucker for giant anythings (and really, really tiny anythings for that matter). I find it amazing that we can manipulate vegetables to be 300 times their normal size and that farmers can actually get said vegetation to full term (without it rotting or getting eaten). I especially love the pumpkins. I think it's because when I see a one ton pumpkin, it reminds me of Peter, the most famous of pumpkin eaters, and I wonder if I would be happy living in a pumpkin of that size or whether I'd divorce his butt the moment he presented it to me as a living option.

• The People
• So many people in one place is bound to present you with a plethora of interesting folk. I love making up stories about people I don't know and wondering what their life is really like. I also love that fashion disasters come out in full force for the fair. It amazes me what people will wear to the fair, particularly women. I have seen women on dates to the fair, wearing stiletto heels, a strapless cocktail dress and have their hair and makeup done. I can imagine that perhaps they didn't know where they were going on that date or maybe they dropped by after some fancy occasion, but if it were me, I would demand that I be able to go home and change. Heels and gravel do not mix.

*Le sigh* I can't wait until October. I love the fair so much that I will probably be going several times this year (if not once every day to scoop ice cream so I can go to Disneyland next year!!). If you want to come with me, let me know!