Layers of onions and red peppers are ready on the grill, simmering with the sausage, bratwurst, and burgers. A cornucopia of scents lures fairgoers to my cart. Even patrons on a diet second-guess themselves. They know that they will walk away a winner with a perfectly grilled delight in each hand.
Just because I don’t have to work to get customers over to my cart, doesn’t mean my work is easy. A line full of hungry fairgoers means I am working double. Dipping and frying corndogs, swirling ice cream in a cone and layering the right amount of toppings on a burger all takes a lot of skill and perfect timing.
Visitors may say they come to the Kentucky State Fair for the rides, shopping and educational exhibits, but don’t listen to them. All of us food vendors know that people from all around the United States swarm Louisville in August for the taste of deep-fried perfection on a stick. Where else can you find such delicacies as pork-butt on a stick or a pineapple whip or a funnel cake topped with chocolate and Bavarian cream?
What makes this job worth it is not that we can make a meal high in calories, but that we can make a meal high in satisfaction. We know that when you come to the Fair, all diets are off and that what matters is food that tastes good while you’re having the time of your life.
As the lines taper off, we purveyors of deep-fried creations can take a brief rest. We clean up from the last rush and step out in to some much needed air. By the time we have rested and replenished our supply of French fries, corn cobs, and sweet iced tea, it’s almost dinnertime.
For the rest of the evening we will be feeding a new bunch of people their Fair food fantasies. I’m also sure we will see some familiar faces returning for one more taste before tomorrow morning when real-life begins again and they remember the diet they forgot all about today.
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