[Cheers somethingawful]

The bad news for all you bubble gum lovers is…His dish really isn’t bubblegum at all. Its bubblegum-flavored marshmallows dipped in batter, fried and decorated with icing and powdered sugar.

“It does not work to fry bubblegum,” Martinez said he learned. “It doesn’t taste good, and you can’t chew it.” He had tried out jelly beans once before, but those didn’t impress the fair judges.

Here’s the full list of Big Texas Choice finalist-dishes:

•    Deep-Fried Pinapple Upside-Down Cake

•    Deep-Fried Texas Salsa

•    El Bananarito (a deep-fried, doctored-up banana)

•    Fried Autumn Pie (not a fried pile of leaves but a deep-fried pumpkin pastry ball that kind of sounds good, almost)

•    Hans’ Kraut Ball (sauerkraut and pork sausage rolled into a ball and deep-fried; can be served with raspberry chipotle, ostensibly to induce vomiting)

•    Walking Taco (a taco “served in a nacho cheese-flavored Doritos bag”)

•    And last but not least: Buffalo Chicken in a Flapjack, “a skewered buffalo chicken strip, coated [with] flapjack batter” that’s rolled in “jalapeño bread crumbs” and deep-fried. Comes with a side serving of syrup. This dish won the “best taste” award.

The fair starts September 30…Bring your defibrillator.

[Cheers ksby.com]

North Carolina: Kool-Aid Pickles

Also known as Koolickles, pickles soaked in the sugary kids’ beverage are a Southern tradition—and a sweet-and-sour snack at North Carolina’s annual state fair.

Texas: Fried Beer

Even alcohol can be fried when it’s pocketed in pretzel dough. The food innovation won the 2010 Big Tex Choice Awards at the Texas State Fair.

Illinois: Alligator on a Stick

After enjoying some gator antics at the State Fair’s Swampmaster Alligator Show, visitors can pretend they’re eating the entertainment, deep-fried, on a stick.

Alabama: Krispy Kreme Hamburgers

The doughnut burger at the Alabama State Fair features a quarter-pound hamburger, bacon, cheese and two glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts in place of a single bun. The monstrosity contains nearly 1,100 calories and 67 grams of fat.

South Carolina: Fried Pepsi

Pepsi was created in North Carolina, but it’s hardly recognizable in South Carolina, where state fair vendors inject fried dough with Pepsi syrup and top the result with powdered sugar and more syrup.

California: Python Kebabs

After realizing that visitors to the California Exposition & State Fair wanted more adventurous foods, vendor George Sandefur changed his offerings from chicken to foods that “taste like chicken.” Grilled python kebabs seasoned with Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, Old Bay and lemon-pepper are a new favorite.

Arizona: Mealworm-Covered Caramel Apples

Along with deep-fried crickets, the Arizona Exposition & State Fair’s Chef du’ Jour booth sells caramel apples dipped in mealworms.

California: Chocolate-Covered Scorpions

Raccoon on a stick at the Alameda County Fair is barely adventurous compared to crunchy, chocolate-covered scorpions—though the dessert is no longer poisonous.

In fact, thanks to the new Automatic Mini Donut Factory, there is no longer any reason to venture out into the world anymore.

The $179.99  $110.00 doughnut maker from Nostalgia Electrics sits on your kitchen counter, makes 30 mini doughnuts per batch, features a drip tray to siphon off a little of the grease, and plays the “Hallelujah” chorus as each hot doughnut arrives.

Yup, according to creator Charlie Boghosian of Chicken Charlie’s his deep-fried-Kool-Aid is selling like deep-fried hot cakes, selling 400 to 600 orders a day at the San Diego County Fair.

Why? Because it tastes so damn good. The deep-fried novelty takes the shape of a doughnut-hole. There are five per order. That breaks down to as much as 9,000 balls of deep-fried Kool-Aid eaten over opening weekend.

Unfortunately, Charlie isn’t sharing the exact recipe, but it involves flour and Kool-Aid powder, a deep-fryer, and possibly some sugar.

[Cheers signonsandiego.com]