Food

Fair Game

The State Fair. Five Courses. One Hour. Go.

We can all agree: life without fried bubblegum is barely life at all. We can also agree: hassle-heavy zones like, say, a massive state fair are best avoided. So to minimize your time spent in the chaos of Fair Park—and to maximize your efficiency—we’ve laid out this five-course meal of fried deliciousness.

THE STARTER

Deep Fried Texas Salsa

The location: Cotton Bowl Plaza at the Taste of Cuba stand.
Tickets needed: 10
Minutes you’ll spend in line: 7
Bites recommended: 2
Potential distractions: A romantic cruise through a lagoon... on a pink swan boat.
The reward: Salsa rolled in tortilla chips. Tossed in the fryer. And soaked in queso.

THE SNACK

Fried Bubblegum

The location: Granny’s Funnel Cakes stand on Coliseum Drive.
Tickets needed: 9
Minutes you’ll spend in line: 9
Bites recommended: 1
Potential distractions: The Log Ride. Tilt-A-Whirl. And every other thing you shouldn’t do after eating fried food.
The reward: A marshmallow of bubblegum that’s deep-fried—and, why not, sprinkled with powdered sugar and icing.

THE ENTRÉE

Deep-Fried Biscuits and Gravy

The location: Belgian Waffle stand on Grand Avenue.
Tickets needed: 8
Minutes you’ll spend in line: 12
Bites recommended: 3
Potential distractions: The baseball toss game. And your fascination with oversized stuffed pandas.
The reward: Witnessing the delicate art of injecting gravy into a biscuit with a gravy gun.

THE DESSERT

Heavenly Deep-Fried Brownie

The location: Tower Building; at the Ranchero Fajitas stand on Grand Avenue.
Tickets needed: 10
Minutes you’ll spend in line: 6
Bites recommended: As many as it takes.
Potential distractions: Photo ops with Big Tex; Randy Travis.
The reward: A brownie, deep-fried and tossed in chocolate syrup and powdered sugar. Giddyup.

THE CLASSIC

Fletcher’s Corny Dog

The location: Grand Avenue by the beer garden.
Tickets needed: 10
Minutes you’ll spend in line: 12
Bites recommended: 7 to 14
Potential distractions: There are no distractions when corn dogs are at stake.
The reward: The sweet taste of a 1942 state fair creation that’s still standing. Oh, and fried batter.