A MINNESOTA STATE FAIR FOODIE STORY

by Kimberley Thompson, Tastemaker in Residence

As a native born Minnesotan...the beginning of September means only one thing! THE MINNESOTA STATE FAIR is over… The State Fair deserves both CAPS and bold letters in my mind!

Every child, teen, adult and senior plans the last 10 to 12 days of August meticulously; avoiding as many doctors' and dentists' appointment, hair cuts, shopping trips, and social commitments as humanly possible to avoid conflicting with the timing of the State Fair. For most of us, it is not limited to just one trip...but several!

I had to chuckle and nod affirmatively when I heard Andrew Zimmern talk on WCCO Radio about going EVERY DAY to the MN State Fair. (Now that is the right way to do it! Just clear the calendar!

I attended the Fair with 2 distinct groups: 
My 87 year old Mother (another story for a later time!)
A group of daytime foodie friends (as differentiated from nighttime foodie friends who tend to imbibe WAY to much). The daytime friends tend to stroll, people watch and discuss the merits of opposing reviews about the Fair Food from the Pioneer Press and the Star Trib food critics.

This year was a small group, a very small group, consisting of my brother and myself. Pro: we moved quicker. Con: we could not sample as many of the foods we wanted to try.

So we ate, walked, sat, strolled, debated and ranked the food. As siblings who share a love of cooking simply, we talked about making Fair Food at home. But doing it better, quicker and HEALTHIER!

I justify eating whatever I want at the State Fair without calorie counting or regret, because it only happens once a YEAR! I am not eating these calories on a weekly or even monthly basis.

So my brother Mark and I decided to try and make the San Felipe yummy Fish Tacos at home; but again, quicker, easier and with less mess and yet still create a high quality meal that tastes like the STATE FAIR.

You'll find our adapted recipes State Fair Fish Tacos at Home & Adobo Chili Mayonnaise Dressed Cabbage, thanks to trial and error and Tina Wasserman's recipe; many thanks Tina!