Eater - Iowa State Fair: Everything 2020 Presidential Candidates Atehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2019-08-26T12:01:00-04:00http://www.eater.com/rss/stream/205733152019-08-26T12:01:00-04:002019-08-26T12:01:00-04:00America on a Stick
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<p>A taste of Americana in its most portable, edible form — food on a stick, from bacon-wrapped riblets to a Caprese salad to a deep-fried Twinkie — at the Iowa State Fair</p> <p class="p--has-dropcap p-large-text" id="rP5YE8"><strong>Americans did not invent</strong> food on a stick, but they did invent fast food, which they then made even faster by putting it on a stick. Food on a stick doesn’t require a container or wrapper; the handling mechanism is built right in, and it’s immediately ready to eat. The most famous iteration, of course, <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/15/20805830/corn-dogs-presidential-candidates-iowa-state-fair">is the corn dog</a>, which first saw life as <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-science-of-corn-dogs/">a sans-stick curiosity</a> before the <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US1706491?oq=patent:1706491">1927 patent application</a> for a “combined dipping, cooking, and article-holding apparatus” allowed it to assume its final form. </p>
<p id="n8TYZT">At the Iowa State Fair, the <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/12/20802166/iowa-state-fair-democratic-candidates-2020-eating-corn-dogs-pork-chops">premier stage for presidential candidates</a> to pantomime <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/14/20805052/pete-buttigieg-eats-iowa-state-fair-food">being a Just Another Regular American</a>, food on a stick is so foundational that there is a <a href="https://www.iowastatefair.org/food/food-on-a-stick/">dedicated section on its website</a> with an exhaustive list of impaled food items (there are, for instance, 11 variations on the corn dog). “People like stuff on a stick,” says Larry Fyfe, who has run concessions at the state fair for 50 years, and has sold novelty items like a deep-fried stick of butter... on a stick. “They can carry it around, eat it on the go.” According to Fyfe, putting a product on a stick can boost its sales by about 50 percent. </p>
<p id="iEp6e2">In all, Eater tried more than two dozen skewered items at the Iowa State Fair. It quickly became clear that while a stick is the natural home for some foods — shockingly, caramel-dipped pecan pie — not everything belongs on a stick (salads, in any form). </p>
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<p id="GuZZg8">Yes, the “stick” is just the bone,<strong> </strong>but the <strong>pork chop on a stick </strong>is the Iowa State Fair’s second-best-selling item, after the iconic corn dog. In the summer leading into the Iowa Caucus, presidential candidates usually take a crack at grilling a pallet of them for a now-traditional photo op. (Senator Kamala Harris was the grillmaster supreme this year.) If a whole pork chop is too much meat, there’s always <strong>brown-sugar pork belly on a stick.</strong></p>
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<p id="Ro79Qq">The <strong>popcorn ball with M&Ms</strong> <strong>on a stick </strong>managed to ruin popcorn and M&Ms at the same time, an impressive feat. <strong>Funnel cake on a stick </strong>is a <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/21/20826647/iowa-state-fair-food-corn-dog-peppermint-square-cheese-curds">prime example of fair food taken too far</a>, the traditional powdered sugar replaced with a drizzling of three flavors of liquid sugar. The <strong>deep-fried brownie on a stick</strong>, however, is a truly marvelous piece of American ingenuity; the result tastes like a pancake with a giant piece of chocolate inside. The <strong>monkey tail</strong>, despite the try-hard name, is refreshingly simple: a frozen banana dipped in chocolate and covered in nuts.</p>
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<p id="EDHVP6"><strong>Cajun chicken on a stick</strong> is a true delight, with seasoned chicken, pickles, and onion, jammed together and deep-fried on a single skewer. At $9.75, it’s on the pricier side, but it was worth it. On the less deep-fried side of things, there’s <strong>grilled corn on the cob on a stick, </strong>which was served at a stand with DIY toppings, like Tajin and mayo, to dress it elote style. </p>
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<p id="dDOv38">The <strong>bacon-wrapped riblet on a stick</strong>, which was located in the Budweiser tent, puts two cuts of pig on one stick for $5.50 — making it one of the fair’s best values, at least from a certain point of view.</p>
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<p id="hvxGej">Tucked away on the second floor of the Agriculture Building, the Salad Bowl stand was run by friendly, well-meaning people who had the unfortunate job of selling fresh vegetables at an event largely (<a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/16/20808678/iowa-state-fair-the-veggie-table-vegan-presidential-candidates">though not exclusively</a>) defined by deep-fried meat and dairy products. The<strong> caprese salad on a stick</strong> was the move — tomatoes and fresh mozzarella take exceptionally well to being impaled and eaten off of a skewer — while the <strong>salad on a stick</strong> is a mistake on many levels. <strong>Fruit salad on a stick</strong>, however, is totally acceptable. Naturally, though, there’s nothing like a <strong>pickle on a stick </strong>as a palate cleanser.</p>
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<p id="gFj4p7">The <strong>caramel apple</strong> is a longtime fair fixture, but why settle when there’s <strong>caramel-dipped pecan pie on a stick</strong>?</p>
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<p id="F37aa5">The <strong>chicken in a waffle on a stick</strong> is, well, an entire meal on a stick — syrup optional.</p>
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<p id="nUvL21">Dipped in Chocolate, a booth that is exactly what it sounds like, has been at the fair for a decade. It turns out there are a lot of things you can dip in chocolate, but it’s hard to say no to <strong>chocolate-covered New York cheesecake on a stick</strong>. </p>
<p id="5DhZMr">Some lessons learned: Raw<strong> peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a stick</strong> is a terrible idea (the same cannot be said for<a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/16/20808678/iowa-state-fair-the-veggie-table-vegan-presidential-candidates"> a fried PB&J</a>), while the <strong>crazy tater </strong>is better for ’gramming than for eating. The <strong>Dutch bologna</strong> may look like just a sausage on a stick, but it’s a fair classic for a reason. </p>
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<p id="vG9MOS">The cult of bacon is strong at state fairs: Behold <strong>bacon balls on a stick </strong>— each one consisting of nine strips of bacon. </p>
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<p id="YNFCtq">Sure, a<strong> soft pretzel dipped in chocolate on a stick</strong> is totally fine, but there’s a reason that, when alien archaeologists discuss the food culture of Earth during the late 20th century, they will probably end up talking about the <strong>deep-fried Twinkie on a stick</strong>: That’s when it peaked. </p>
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<p class="c-end-para" id="6Jbpr3">What is there left to say about the <strong>corn dog </strong>except that it is perfect in every way?</p>
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https://www.eater.com/2019/8/26/20830032/food-on-a-stick-iowa-state-fairGary He2019-08-21T14:48:19-04:002019-08-21T14:48:19-04:00It’s Time to Take the Great American Fair Foods Seriously
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<figcaption><a class="ql-link" href="https://garyhe.com/" target="_blank">Gary He</a></figcaption>
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<p>What the best — and worst — of the Iowa State Fair, from funnel cakes to apple egg rolls to, yes, corn dogs, tells us about abundance in America</p> <p class="p--has-dropcap p-large-text" id="kcupWz"><strong>Fried Twinkies. Fried Oreos. Fried pickles. Fried cheese curds. Fried brownies. French fries. </strong>Funnel cake (fried). Crazy taters (fried). Caramel apples (not fried). Apple pie on a (fried) stick. Ice cream, dipped in chocolate and covered in nuts (not fried). Hot chocolate chip cookies (not fried), corn on the cob (not fried), and cotton candy (not fried either). But also: freshly fried mini doughnuts, fried ice cream, and corn dogs. Veggie corn dogs too.</p>
<p id="DM4HM9">At first glance, American fair, er, fare is a hater’s buffet of our basest culinary excesses. If you associate ever-hotter summer weather with vacation, grilling, and <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/08/tomato-season/596101/">tomato season</a>, the spectacle of state fairs, all greasy fingers and hot oil with a sticky miasma of <em>eau de cardiac arrest</em>, might seem like a national side show. The dominant strain of American food writing worships the heavy, sweet August peach, not joining a sweaty crush of fairgoers consuming deliriously hyper-processed treats, along with their ever-more-baroque mutations — chocolate-covered bacon on a stick, rainbow poutine, fried Coke. Media coverage of fair food tends to latch onto words like <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/americas-wacky-fair-foods"><em>wacky,</em></a><em> </em><a href="https://kitchenette.jezebel.com/the-most-ridiculous-deep-fried-foods-from-state-fairs-a-1572769682"><em>ridiculous</em></a><em>, </em>and <a href="http://travelandleisure.com/slideshows/strangest-state-fair-food"><em>strange</em></a>; fairs aren’t just spectacle for the fairgoer, but for those who report back. Mix in politics and it only seems worse: Candidates for higher office stumping between <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/14/20805052/pete-buttigieg-eats-iowa-state-fair-food">huge bites of a pork chop on a stick</a> is <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/12/20802166/iowa-state-fair-democratic-candidates-2020-eating-corn-dogs-pork-chops">precisely the form of pandering</a> that America deserves, right? </p>
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<p id="5lCTEL">Except, what if we want to see <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/15/20805830/corn-dogs-presidential-candidates-iowa-state-fair">potential presidents eat corn dogs</a> because corn dogs are good? Like really, really good, even ingenious — the perfect walking-around food, mixing a crisp exterior with a soft cakey batter and the salty, almost acidic umami of a hot dog in one bite. Hot, juicy fried pickles are both indulgent and palate-cleansing; fried cheese curds, a pleasing mix of crispy and creamy; and fried Oreos are delightfully excessive while being obviously in on the joke.</p>
<p id="RtfPYM">There’s been a lot written about <a href="https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/the-history-of-deep-frying-food-at-fairs">the history</a> <a href="https://modernfarmer.com/2013/09/state-fair-foods/">of various state</a> <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bite-whys-behind-state-fair-food-180964568/?page=5">fair foods</a>, but they’re never quite treated as part of a distinct, singular cuisine, even though I’d argue that they are: Very few restaurants sell corn dogs, funnel cake, fried Twinkies, and caramel apples on the same menu, and often, if they show up at all, it’s as a winking allusion, like the foie gras funnel cake at fine dining restaurant Otium in Los Angeles. The inventor of the fried Oreo, Charlie Boghosian, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-chickcharlie2-2009sep02-story.html">known as Chicken Charlie</a>, has two San Diego restaurants, but maintains a separate menu for his offerings at the Orange County Fair. These foods are built for fairs, and not just because so many of them come on a stick: In an environment of sensory overload, the flavors we crave aren’t sharp or spicy or bitter — they’re fatty and sweet and comforting, amped up just enough that they feel like part of the spectacle. Summer is fried Twinkie season, too.</p>
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<p id="5MghYE"><strong>At the annual Iowa State Fair,</strong> farm families still arrive to show animals for competitions, as they have for 165 years. The grounds on the eastern side of Des Moines have been the fair’s home since 1886; each massive, brick animal barn is marked with a marble plaque that reveals what’s inside, like, say, SWINE. A hulking, gargantuan prize bull endures his fans in the cow barn; in the Ag building, the famous butter cow basks in her worship. There’s a vintage tractor show, an endless program of dance performances, state-of-the-art cattle chutes on display next to a Roomba for cutting lawns. The Varied Industries building is home to stands for the University of Iowa, animal rescue groups, solar panel installers, next-level gutter guards, mattress sellers, and at least one Creationist display about Noah’s Ark. There are carnival rides and prize-winning chickens in little red wagons and a<a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.desmoinesregister.com%2Fstory%2Fentertainment%2F2019%2F08%2F05%2Fdes-moines-metal-band-slipknot-plays-iowa-state-fair-concert-tickets-shown-clown-crahan-grandstand%2F1892186001%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F21%2F20826647%2Fiowa-state-fair-food-corn-dog-peppermint-square-cheese-curds" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"> Slipknot museum</a>. But most people are just there to eat. </p>
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<figcaption>A young competitor leads a calf to the Livestock Pavilion for judging.</figcaption>
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<p id="a6hall">There are new food items every year — <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.desmoinesregister.com%2Fstory%2Fentertainment%2Fdining%2F2019%2F08%2F05%2Fiowa-state-fair-2019-corn-dog-beer-dessert-poutine-bacon-balls-weird-wacky-new-foods-cost%2F1902564001%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F21%2F20826647%2Fiowa-state-fair-food-corn-dog-peppermint-square-cheese-curds" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2019 saw arrivistes</a> like dessert poutine (sweet potato fries with several even sweeter toppings) and corn dog beer (made with hot dog buns and corn bread) — but the vast majority of dishes have been served for years, if not decades. Some of the most beloved stands are also the oldest, whether it’s Hardenbrook’s concessions, at the fair since 1913, Carl’s Gizmo hot Italian sandwiches, since 1947, or relative newcomer <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/16/20808678/iowa-state-fair-the-veggie-table-vegan-presidential-candidates">the Veggie Table, which started in 1981</a>. For regulars, this sense of tradition is at the core of fair eating, and while most items are available throughout the day, there is an unofficial meal schedule. Mornings are for fresh mini doughnuts from JD Donuts, a classic stand open early for breakfast. The afternoon is for corn — corn dogs and corn on the cob. Around dinner, once the heat starts to abate, lines grow for the now-classic beef sundaes (mashed potatoes are the ice cream, roast beef is the hot fudge); gargantuan taco salads; and the Iowa Pork Producer’s Iowa chop dinner, which consists of a specially cut pork chop with baked beans, applesauce, and potato chips. Things get a little silly, sure, but never quite escalate into the kind of glorious gonzo fryer arms race that one might witness at <a href="https://dallas.eater.com/2019/7/26/8931345/state-fair-of-texas-big-tex-choice-awards-semifinalists">the Texas State Fair</a>. </p>
<p id="BHbCR7">The Iowa State Fair, in other words, is an ideal place to sample American Festival Cuisine at its finest, and over six days, I tried nearly 40 dishes. While in line at JD Donuts one morning, I overheard two fairgoers discussing what they would eat that day, and in what order. When I asked about their must-hits, the two women included JD’s miniature, sugar-dusted doughnuts; corn dogs; fried cheese curds; and lemonade. Eater Vegas editor Susan Stapleton, an Iowa native who comes back every year, says the classics include the fair square (a big Rice Krispie treat on a stick <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.desmoinesregister.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fcolumnists%2Fcourtney-crowder%2F2019%2F08%2F13%2Fiowa-state-fair-fair-squares-blue-ribbon-foundation%2F1992266001%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F21%2F20826647%2Fiowa-state-fair-food-corn-dog-peppermint-square-cheese-curds" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">that was not available this year</a>), the Gizmo sandwich, beef sundaes, pineapple soft serve, and Bauder’s peppermint squares. I managed to try almost all of these favorites (the beef sundae eluded me), letting locals and my own perambulations in between chasing presidential candidates set my agenda. Six days is a lot of days of fried food, but the Iowa State Fair most definitely fits the Michelin three-star definition of “exceptional cuisine, worthy of a special journey.” And I wouldn’t try tackling it in less than a full day. </p>
<div> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A person holds a peppermint square ice cream dessert in red-and-white checkered wax paper." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MZKEGcVSX5DRTUP5XOY2HpNYQQ0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19083738/AC1I1395.jpg">
<figcaption>A fairgoer unwraps a Bauder’s peppermint square.</figcaption>
</figure>
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<p id="Ecs6aN">It’s hard to name a single best dish, or even a top three. But there were two that stuck out for capturing the joyful excess of the fair; they were so delicious that they were impossible to stop eating. In terms of sweet foods, nothing could touch the Bauder’s peppermint square. Bauder’s Ice Cream is a pharmacy and ice cream shop dating back to 1916; it started coming to the fair in the ’80s, and about 15 years ago, it introduced the peppermint square, a hunk of peppermint ice cream layered with fudge and crushed Oreos and served as a gargantuan hand-held sandwich. Bauder’s intensely rich ice cream (12 percent butterfat, <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.desmoinesregister.com%2Fstory%2Flife%2F2017%2F08%2F14%2Fbauders-peppermint-bars-iowa-fair-favorite%2F553862001%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F21%2F20826647%2Fiowa-state-fair-food-corn-dog-peppermint-square-cheese-curds" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">according to the <em>Des Moines Register</em></a>) was counterbalanced by the kick of peppermint, and the essential creamy layer of fudge between the Oreo and ice cream transformed the bar into portable sundae. I ate it leaning against a nearby planter, dumbfounded by pleasure, the crowd streaming by reduced to a faint blur.</p>
<p id="Vw5gH1">Equally satisfying were the fried cheese curds from Brad & Harry’s, a blazing yellow and orange stand with a Jerry-like mouse beckoning at multiple locations around the fair. Fans of the Minnesota and Wisconsin state fairs (or <a href="https://www.culvers.com/menu-and-nutrition/sides/menu-item-details/wisconsin-cheese-curds">of Culver’s</a>) maybe have even higher fried cheese standards than I do, but the hot, crispy curds (hunks of fresh, unaged cheddar cheese), served in a basket with space for marinara, ketchup, ranch, or all three, were all the pleasure of mozzarella sticks with none of the fear of choking to death at a TGI Friday’s. The canned marinara underwhelmed, but dipping the cheese curds, hot against my fingertips, into ketchup while walking down the evening midway, the lights blazing a fairyland glow, captured a moment of pure American abundance, collapsing the chaos of the now into something that was maybe actually good.</p>
<div class="c-wide-block"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A pile of cheese curds in a red-and-white paper basket." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bbbJPZz44rVRb_WVMoD56IG9vFk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19083745/AC1I1496.jpg">
<figcaption>A basket of fried cheese curds from Brad & Harry’s.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p id="Urv7m9">But that six-day eating spree had plenty of other highlights. Hardenbrook’s, the fair’s oldest concession company, serves classics like pork tenderloin sandwiches and new-fangled additions like totchos, but I stopped by its burger-focused stand instead, which comes complete with a diner-like counter. The cheeseburger was a thin, classic patty, one lots of hip Los Angeles burger pop-ups imitate, served with sharp mustard and a pickle. It was blessedly uncomplicated. On the other hand, for those who wished to diversify their strict battered-meat-on-a-stick diet beyond the corn dog, the fried chicken and waffle from Waffle Chix offered an intense salty-sweet amplitude.</p>
<p id="C5QABM">The fair also has a wealth of light, sweet snacks that are perfect to grab and try whenever they catch your eye. The Wooden Shoe stand sells Dutch letter pastries, a classic from the town of Pella, Iowa; the person behind me in line declared he could never order fewer than two. Thin and S-shaped, they’re dusted with sugar and filled with almond paste, and they were the best and most unexpected pastry I tried. Tradition doesn’t always reign supreme, though: Apple egg rolls, from the Applishus stands, despite sounding suspiciously like bad chain-restaurant fusion, were shockingly light, flaky apple pastries; no wonder their mash-up simplicity won new best fair food in 2018. In general, anything apple is a good bet to break up heavier eating. A caramel apple with nuts, crisp and sweet, is the ideal end to the night. </p>
<div class="p-fullbleed-block"><div class="c-image-grid">
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<img alt="A person picks at a foil-wrapped turkey leg." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ob6Op9PdqqWlOAkqfieFTlr8Jts=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19083753/AC1I1552.jpg">
<figcaption>Demolishing a smoked turkey leg.</figcaption>
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<img alt="A hand pulls at ribbon fries covered in cheese sauce on a plate." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0l6tWbOl-3DyuTzJW9DJa9q4NVg=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19083767/AC1I1440.jpg">
<figcaption>Ribbon fries with cheese sauce, one of the fair’s many french fry variations.</figcaption>
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<p id="WD0nuB">The crazy tater does nothing wrong, corn on a cob is tough, chocolate-dipped cheesecake is immensely appealing but doesn’t feel core, ditto the fried Cajun chicken on a stick, though it’s worth ordering just to get a bite that includes the onion and pickle. A bucket of hot, tiny chocolate chip cookies is a bucket of hot, tiny chocolate chip cookies, and they delighted the press room; bacon balls contain nine pieces of bacon and taste like barbecue sauce; fried Twinkies are indecently good and the lemonade is fine and the one caffeine-centric stand sells an extremely bitter and effective iced Americano and no one else believes in coffee at all. The hottest club at the Iowa State Fair is the craft beer tent. The hottest teen club is funnel cake. Whew.</p>
<p id="cXBpxt">I was a little unnerved to discover that the fair’s famous pork chop on a stick is really a pork chop held by the bone, served hot and unadorned, with barbecue sauce nearby. The pork chop’s main pleasure is in its briny juiciness, and the slight subversiveness of walking around eating a hunk of meat usually reserved for knife and fork. Home cooks and grill nerds might prefer their own pork chops, properly charred; the fair versions generally arrive gray with maybe, maybe faint grill marks (though the chops Kamala Harris grilled <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/12/20802166/iowa-state-fair-democratic-candidates-2020-eating-corn-dogs-pork-chops">looked pretty good</a>). </p>
<div> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="An overhead view of the Iowa State Fair concession stands at dusk." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3whsccrDLtWClYRX_UYrlPoLlns=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19083756/AC1I2477.jpg">
<figcaption>Grand Avenue is one of the fair’s busiest midways, lined with food stands.</figcaption>
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<p id="15FvZY">There was also way more of my hometown of Philadelphia than I ever would have expected. Certain stands sell “steak Philly” and “chicken Philly” sandwiches (no, that is not how you conjugate cheesesteak). And one of the most iconic foods at the Iowa and Minnesota state fairs is right out of an Italian deli. The Gizmo sandwich, a mix of beef and sausage ground meat sealed in place with melted mozzarella on a roll, is tasty when taken as one big bite. It made more sense to me the second time around, after I’d taken a field trip to try the state’s famous loose meat sandwich, which operates on a similar principle. I grew up surrounded by hoagies and grinders and chicken parm, so I am personally cursed with the knowledge of everything a hot Italian sandwich can be in this world. If you didn’t grow up with your childhood sandwiches on Amoroso’s, the Gizmo will do just fine.</p>
<p id="vNvmVU">Fair food misfires occur either when dishes become overly complicated, which is often the case with new food entries meant to be enticing, or when they’re tragically unadorned except for being jammed on a stick. Sticks are fun, sticks are useful, but sticks are not seasoning. Caprese salad on a stick is refreshing in that it’s nice to eat a vegetable, but without olive oil tying it together, the whole thing is a bit bland. Hard-boiled eggs on a stick, available in the Ag building near the butter cow, had the appeal of being free, but they were ultimately hard boiled eggs on a stick, with a bottle of faux-Tajin to shake on it. A strawberry-chocolate-cheesecake chimi gushed out in a gloopy mess, and lacked the charm of any of the four foods its name invoked. Several taco trucks park not far from the fair every night, and the Mexican food options on the fairgrounds suggest everyone would be better off if those trucks were invited in. </p>
<div class="c-wide-block"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A group of concession stands illuminated at night." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HEFMrfeCJkw71m79akpz7gX-19Y=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19083758/AC1I2475.jpg">
<figcaption>A cluster of the over 200 stands scattered across the fairgrounds.</figcaption>
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<p id="8qSxCi">The fair is stacked with strawberry smoothie stands, but to me they tasted like canned pie filling without the pie. It would be very easy, here, to shake my fist at the fact that an agricultural festival doesn’t serve fresh strawberries in the summer, but as of 2017, <a href="https://data.ers.usda.gov/reports.aspx?StateFIPS=19&StateName=Iowa&ID=17854">Iowa’s five biggest agricultural products</a> are corn, pork, soybeans, cattle, and dairy. A celebration of agriculture in Iowa unsurprisingly venerates those crops, which are, above all, commodities. (In the Ag pavilion, a collection of prize-winning vegetables <em>were</em> on display, but they were dwarfed by the showcases of prize-winning corn, and wholly ignored by the crowd that’s there to see the butter cow, which was in fact spectacular.)</p>
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<p id="VpSRXo"><strong>Logically, it would be more feasible</strong> to get farm-fresh pork, corn, and dairy in Iowa than anywhere else on earth, but the systems that produce them are designed around a market that operates at a vastly different scale than a local farmer’s stand. The corn dog embodies Iowa agriculture precisely because it’s a hyper-processed pork product coated in a dairy-loaded batter that involves corn. Even better if it’s also fried in soybean oil. America’s agricultural policies <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/food-agriculture/our-failing-food-system/unhealthy-food-policy">incentivize commodities and processed food</a> — why would we eat anything but meat and fried, processed carbohydrates at our harvest festivals? This isn’t a knock on the heartland. California, touted as the fresh vegetable capital of the country, processes a great deal of its harvest, too. On a recent trip up I-5, I followed truck after truck loaded with garlic to the garlic powder factory in Gilroy; the fried Oreo was invented at the Orange County state fair.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A man bites into a corn dog." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Zl70NtkETiOoB_-rqRErxoEy5nY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19084462/CORNDOG_02.jpg">
<figcaption>A Mayor Pete supporter takes a bite out of a corn dog.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="eTXpWt">American festival cuisine captures what real American abundance looks like right now, in its uneasy complexity, which is why it endeavors to celebrate corn and meat and their multifarious iterations in the highest possible way. And honestly, it kind of works. The problem isn’t really all the fried foods, which are just celebration foods. Most people have them once a year. The problem is the utter dominance of nutrient-stripped derivatives of this small cluster of products in our dietary landscape, especially for those who are overworked for lower and lower wages, with less and less time to cook. People who dismiss fair food as gross or disgusting miss both what makes industrialized food tasty and appealing, and also how clearly these celebration foods reflect our cultural priorities, which are abundance, convenience, and comfort. I wish those priorities were different. But I also can’t deny the wonderfulness of a corn dog.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="afvIQr">And here’s the thing: Really, truly, the best things at the fair are the corn dogs. No one I spoke to had a favorite vendor; the only thing that mattered was getting a freshly fried one. So, as it is with taco stands, pick a corn dog stand that’s busy, staffed by friendlier teens who aren’t jaded to the fun of frying things yet, and go big. The foot-long corn dogs just taste better — it’s the law. Real state fair pros douse theirs with three long streams of ketchup, since dipping gets arduous. Yes, they’re phallic, yes, they’re gut-busting. But this is a harvest festival. Eat one to ensure fertility for the next year. Literally everyone else around you will be, too.</p>
<aside id="8LPVnT"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"eater"}'></div></aside>
https://www.eater.com/2019/8/21/20826647/iowa-state-fair-food-corn-dog-peppermint-square-cheese-curdsMeghan McCarron2019-08-16T16:16:46-04:002019-08-16T16:16:46-04:00So What Do the Vegans Eat at America’s Greasiest, Porkiest State Fair?
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<img alt="A crowd waits in line at the Veggie Table" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/a_5aHwyG1TXa7mPlQYuhp50hWGY=/0x0:4444x3333/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65033704/AC1I5662.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><a class="ql-link" href="https://garyhe.com" target="_blank">Gary He</a></figcaption>
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<p>The Iowa State Fair’s 38-year-old vegetarian stand served two vegan presidential candidates fried avocados, fried PB&Js, and veggie corn dogs </p> <p class="p--has-dropcap p-large-text" id="212RWH">At the Iowa State Fair, meat and dairy reign. Dating back to 1854, the annual fair is one of the nation’s <a href="https://www.iowastatefair.org/about/">largest and most famous agricultural festivals</a>, and in Iowa, agriculture mostly means <a href="https://data.ers.usda.gov/reports.aspx?ID=17843#P043d2ef00f6e42768a96bd5ca0cc0f19_2_17iT0R0x15">meat</a>. Pork is one of the state’s<a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.desmoinesregister.com%2Fstory%2Fmoney%2Fagriculture%2F2016%2F12%2F23%2Fiowa-inventory-hogs-and-pigs-reaches-record-224-million%2F95809142%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F16%2F20808678%2Fiowa-state-fair-the-veggie-table-vegan-presidential-candidates" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"> biggest agricultural commodities</a> — it is an <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/02/06/512190807/pig-farming-in-iowa-means-dirt-under-your-fingernails-and-a-strong-sense-of-prid">oft-regurgitated canard</a> that pigs outnumber people in Iowa by seven to one — and at the fair, like any good harvest festival, it is ritualistically consumed in many guises: as a corn dog, or a pork chop held by the bone, or even in the form of bacon caramel pie. Fairgoers, their noses and mouths fully saturated with the taste and smell of hog, seek out the palate-cleansing properties of turkey legs, chocolate-dipped ice cream bars, and fried cheese curds. </p>
<p id="q8N4sh">Unlike at the grocery store, where meat is wrapped in antiseptic plastic and cheese comes pre-sliced, there’s no ambiguity about where all that animal product comes from. The pigs, cows, sheep, and chickens are all proudly on display, the journey from calf to quarter-pounder laid startlingly bare: a dairy stand slings milkshakes in front of the cow barn, while lamb kebabs await just outside the sheep pen. </p>
<p id="RAJUnf">During presidential primary years, like this year <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.desmoinesregister.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Felections%2Fpresidential%2Fcaucus%2F2015%2F08%2F24%2Fmemorable-political-moments-iowa-state-fair%2F32201015%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F16%2F20808678%2Fiowa-state-fair-the-veggie-table-vegan-presidential-candidates" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">or 2015 before it</a>, the Iowa State Fair is also <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/12/20802166/iowa-state-fair-democratic-candidates-2020-eating-corn-dogs-pork-chops">a major campaign stop</a>. But this time around, as contenders for the Democratic nomination geared up to <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/15/20805830/corn-dogs-presidential-candidates-iowa-state-fair">eat their obligatory corn dogs</a>, <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/14/20805052/pete-buttigieg-eats-iowa-state-fair-food">tote around turkey legs, and flip pork chops</a>, there was a fresh question on the campaign trail: What would the two vegan candidates, Senator Cory Booker and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, eat?</p>
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<img alt="Tulsi Gabbard holds a basket of fried avocado slices in front of a food stand" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vhs1ZyqLfP7m6UaYh00EfzBt_J4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19015919/AC1I1994.jpg">
<figcaption>Presidential candidate and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard holds a basket of fried avocado slices from the Veggie Table</figcaption>
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<p id="sNkC20">The answer led Booker and Gabbard to the same place: the Veggie Table, a bright yellow stand emblazoned with “Home of the Veggie Corndog,” located on the fair’s main drag. For 38 years, despite a name that evokes the fresh produce of a farmer’s market, the stand has catered to the fair’s vegetarian pioneers with a smorgasbord of hot and greasy and salty fried vegetable dishes, from fried pickles to fried zucchini. The fair has other vegetarian options, but they’re either side dishes (french fries) or too healthy to feel celebratory (salad on a stick???). But the Veggie Table knows that even those who avoid meat still come to the fair to eat something fried.</p>
<p id="gBUZG4">Last Friday, Gabbard ordered a basket of fried avocados, the stand’s new item for 2019 — the fair encourages long-time vendors to regularly <a href="https://www.iowastatefair.org/food/whats-new/">introduce new food items</a> — which she picked at as she walked around introducing herself to voters. She even shared a few with a couple of fairgoers. But there was something lurking in the avocados: dairy. All of the Veggie Table’s batter contains milk, and Gabbard had not been warned off of the dish because the stand had been inaccurately informed that she was a vegetarian, not a vegan. “I’m sorry we contaminated her,” Veggie Table owner Ruth McCoy said. (Eater has reached out to the Gabbard campaign for comment).</p>
<p id="Zqk4LC">On Sunday, Booker chomped down on one of the stand’s handful of fully vegan options, a deep-fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich. As he bit into it, the jelly spilled out, and he reacted with noticeably more delight than many candidates had while dutifully gnawing pork chops and corn dogs. “I’m in a bit of heaven right now,” he said. He ordered another.</p>
<div class="c-wide-block"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Cory Booker bites in a deep-friend peanut butter and jelly sandwich while waiting in line" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iZrUrxQ4ocqetGKvkrOuptuLpz4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19015914/AC1I4704.jpg">
<figcaption>New Jersey senator and presidential candidate Cory Booker bites into a deep-friend peanut butter and jelly sandwich</figcaption>
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<p id="TWgOY3">While Booker waited for his second fried PB&J, he chatted with Bryan McCoy, Ruth’s son, about the history of the Veggie Table, a family-run operation that exists each year for just eleven days, and only at the Iowa State Fair. It was founded by Bryan’s grandmother, a vegetarian, in 1981, and has been run by Ruth since 2000. Vegetarians exist in the heartland, too, and they’ve been grateful to have a place at the roving, handheld fried food feast that many attendees consider the fair’s main attraction. When Booker offered to buy an onlooker a corn dog, she said to Bryan, “Thank you for making a veggie corn dog for us vegetarians.” </p>
<p id="zOPEqD">The Veggie Table started with pre-packaged frozen, battered vegetables, sold from a wooden stand the family wheeled over from their nearby home. During their first fair outing, everyone made just $100. But after Ruth’s branch of the McCoys came back for another year and secured a better location, the Veggie Table took off. Now, the Veggie Table serves a variety of frozen, pre-battered vegetables, including mushrooms, cauliflower, and onion rings. (Bryan had asked their Sysco rep for battered avocados for several years, and this was the year the food supplier giant finally came through.). Ruth says the stand’s customer base has grown enormously — the revenue has helped put Bryan through college — though she’s not sure if that’s because more people are eating vegetarian, or just because each year at the fair, more people discover them. </p>
<div class="c-wide-block"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="A veggie corn corn dog, fried pickles, and other deep-fried vegetables on a table" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZSJgXg9a0trGiSlUB7oCipPo260=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19015906/AC1I1255.jpg">
<figcaption>A selection of fried dishes from the Veggie Table at the Iowa State Fair, from onion rings to the famed veggie corn dog</figcaption>
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<p id="KJsa0h">The Veggie Table’s biggest hit is the veggie corn dog, which consists of a veggie hot dog from the midwestern supermarket chain Hy-Vee that is freshly battered and fried. At the Iowa State Fair, <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/15/20805830/corn-dogs-presidential-candidates-iowa-state-fair">corn dogs are ubiquitous</a>; walking around the crowded midways, it’s almost impossible to <em>not</em> see someone eating a corn dog. Ruth, who introduced the veggie corn dog in 2000, after taking over from her mother-in-law, says that their most regular customers are Indian-Americans who eat vegetarian, along with a large number of younger women. Ruth herself is not vegetarian, though she believes that more and more people her age are thinking about cutting back on meat, though, for the environment and their health. She tries not to eat much meat herself, besides some fish and chicken.</p>
<p id="FpKnOf">Down the way from the Veggie Table, the Iowa Farm Bureau’s massive stand offered teeshirts emblazoned with their theme for the year’s fair: <em>Real Farmers. Real Meat. Real Food</em>. Ruth says the stand does occasionally hear from farmers who say that the Veggie Table is undermining their livelihood; given that the Iowa Pork Producers tent moves 100,000 pork products over the course of the fair, though, it seems safe to say that veggie corn dogs probably aren’t much of a threat. Still, in 2013, when animal rights activists <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.desmoinesregister.com%2Fvideos%2Flife%2Fliving-well%2F2014%2F07%2F30%2F13348839%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F16%2F20808678%2Fiowa-state-fair-the-veggie-table-vegan-presidential-candidates" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">covered the fair’s famous butter cow in fake blood</a>, Ruth says that fingers were pointed at the Veggie Table, and that police even came to question them. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Bryan McCoy dumps fried pickles under a heat lamp while wearing an American flag bandana" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LdLNE7CI1zYIGXvxlYl_xHYRc34=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19015943/AC1I1302.jpg">
<figcaption>Veggie Table co-owner Bryan McCoy dumps a pile of freshly fried pickles underneath a heat lamp</figcaption>
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<p id="5y7tbQ">Ruth turned 60 this year, and thinks it will be her last setting up the stand and frying food in the heat. But when she spoke about stepping down, she started to cry. “It’s so rewarding, honestly, to have so many people thank you,” she said. “I was in my 20s, and my son was a year-and-a-half when we started. It’s such a family thing.” Her nephew who usually helps out is in the hospital this year; he was diagnosed with cancer, and she’s sad not to get to spend time with him. “It’s also time to let that younger group step up,” Ruth said. “I remember when my mother-in-law stepped down, we brought in the veggie corn dog next year. New ideas come with younger folks.”</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="9EPKQK">Bryan, who now lives in Chicago, plans on taking over the stand next year and running it with his generation of cousins. “[Booker] talks a lot about bootstraps and working your way up, and that’s the story of my family as well,” Bryan said. “My parents did this just to make ends meet. It’s great to be here to carry on the tradition.” As for the prospect of having a vegan president, Bryan said it could change the world. One of the younger McCoy cousins working at the stand added, “It’s better than having a meathead.”</p>
https://www.eater.com/2019/8/16/20808678/iowa-state-fair-the-veggie-table-vegan-presidential-candidatesMeghan McCarron2019-08-15T14:47:54-04:002019-08-15T14:47:54-04:00How the Corn Dog Became the Must-Eat Food of American Presidential Candidates
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<img alt="An animation of a corn dog being eaten" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/z9zJvM5rklHr5TJw6b1WHp_rZC0=/0x0:2668x2001/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65025841/CORNDOG_ANIMATION.0.gif" />
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<p>A long time favorite of state fairs, the corn dog represents Americana and, quite possibly, a way to the White House</p> <p class="p--has-dropcap p-large-text" id="ArFONP"><strong>Over the weekend</strong>, the Democratic block of presidential hopefuls descended on the Iowa State Fair to partake in a cherished American tradition: stuffing one’s self to the gills with <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/12/20802166/iowa-state-fair-democratic-candidates-2020-eating-corn-dogs-pork-chops">fried foods</a> while the rest of the country looks on. In the spirit of a Renaissance fair frequent flyer, Andrew Yang purchased not one but two turkey legs. Tulsi Gabbard accidentally tarnished her vegan diet with a non-vegan boat of fried avocado slices. Kamala Harris tried to impress pork producers by eating a grilled pork chop. Amy Klobuchar tucked into fried cheese curds and Cory Booker took a bite out of a vegan fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Pete Buttigieg <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/14/20805052/pete-buttigieg-eats-iowa-state-fair-food">ate just about everything</a>. But with a smorgasbord of fair delicacies available, one deep-fried delight continues to be a staple among the campaigners at the fair: Whether vegetarian or omnivore, a majority of candidates — this year it was the democrats’ turn — made sure to purchase a corn dog. </p>
<p id="RKlAv1">Slightly sweet, crisp, hot and preferably dunked in yellow mustard, the corn dog is an institution on fair circuits, regularly outselling its fellow deep-fried snacks. While these top-heavy, golden meat popsicles can be purchased from frozen food aisles and stands at the mall food court, they’re inextricably linked with the seasonal festivals and play an <a href="https://www.eater.com/2015/8/15/9160037/presidential-candidates-iowa-state-fair-food">unusually consequential role</a> in the optics of national politics for both Republicans and Democrats. To eat a corn dog is to visually embrace the philosophy of the fair — to let go of dietary guidelines and willfully consume a meal of corn and an amalgam of pork product. It’s an instant visual icon. Unlike a fried butter or a pork chop on a stick, nearly everyone can relate to eating a corn dog. </p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="BMpfKJ">
<p id="ldNR8K">The <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/09/02/definitive-guide-to-pronto-pup-corn-dog">origins of corn dogs</a> are just as complicated as the optics of consuming them. Corn dogs are believed to have originated in the early 1900s. <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-science-of-corn-dogs/">German immigrants entering Texas</a> were some of the first to start selling cornbread-covered sausages as a way to appeal to local palates. A product called the <a href="https://www.cooksinfo.com/corn-dogs">Krusty Korn Sausage Pan was first patented in 1910</a> with accompanying advertisements suggesting it was used for baking sausages into cornbread — a “famous combination.” A similar 1924 <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.scribd.com%2Fdocument%2F322854572%2FThe-Matson-patent&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F15%2F20805830%2Fcorn-dogs-presidential-candidates-iowa-state-fair" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">patent filed by Francis Matson</a> shows drawings of his device, “wherein a previously cooked sausage, such as a frankfurter, is enclosed in a casing of baked batter.” Neither example, however, appears to have been affixed on a stick. A separate <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.scribd.com%2Fdocument%2F322854574%2FStanley-Jenkins-corn-dog-machine-patent&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F15%2F20805830%2Fcorn-dogs-presidential-candidates-iowa-state-fair" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">patent submitted by Stanley S. Jenkins</a> of Buffalo, New York, in 1927 takes the corn dog process a step farther with a device that clamps onto and deep fries items “impaled on sticks and dipped in a batter,” such as “wieners.” </p>
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<img alt="A hot dog freshly dipped in corn batter before being deep fried" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cTmclEcS6tYCBUpy0mY69Q9lS2g=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18972328/CORNDOG_PRODUCTION.jpg">
<figcaption>An Iowa State Fair worker hand dips a corn dog into batter before deep frying it</figcaption>
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<p id="ZisCgo">However, the corn dog didn’t truly take off until the late 1930s and early 1940s. Around that time, George Boyington, a former bootlegger and hot dog stand owner from Rockaway Beach, Oregon, developed his <a href="https://edibleportland.com/doggone-good-pronto-pups/">signature breaded hot dog recipe</a>. As the legend goes, Boyington’s hot dog buns were drenched in a downpour during Labor Day weekend. The weiner peddler found himself on the beach feeding birds his sodden buns and pondering an alternative to soggy bread. When he returned to his stand he decided to skewer, batter, and fry the sausages for a portable feast without fear of rain. The Pronto Pup was born and soon became a staple on the fair circuit — particularly the Minnesota State Fair, which <a href="http://www.startribune.com/state-fair-guide-find-out-how-the-pronto-pup-is-made/491136991/">sold its 25 millionth Pronto Pup in 2016</a>. </p>
<p id="a2zV03">Boyington started cooking up Pronto Pups during the same period when a family in Texas was developing its own recipe for corn dogs (or rather Corny Dogs). Brothers Carl and Neil Fletcher <a href="https://dallas.eater.com/2014/7/10/6189947/the-story-of-fletchers-americas-original-corn-dog">opened Fletcher’s Corny Dog</a> at the State Fair of Texas in 1942 selling corn dogs for <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/obituaries/obituaries/2017/01/31/skip-fletcher-top-dog-fletchers-corny-dogs-dead-75">15 cents each</a>. They became a signature of the fair as much as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Tex">Big Tex</a>, with a highly guarded recipe that’s locked away in a safe. Today, the family-owned company continues to serve Corny Dogs at the State Fair of Texas and other major events. A single fair stand is known to sell upwards of 400,000 corn dogs during the annual event. </p>
<p id="4zroqP">It’s not clear when corn dog stands were first introduced at the Iowa State Fair, but like at other major state fairs, corn dogs have firmly been integrated into the fabric of the festival landscape. The Iowa State Fair serves nearly 70 types of <a href="https://www.iowastatefair.org/food/food-on-a-stick/">food on-a-stick</a>, including 11 styles of corn dog — the fair’s <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.desmoinesregister.com%2Fstory%2Fentertainment%2Fdining%2F2016%2F06%2F17%2Feverything-know-iowa-state-fair-food%2F85845730%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F15%2F20805830%2Fcorn-dogs-presidential-candidates-iowa-state-fair" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">number one seller</a> above pork tenderloin on a stick, lemonade, and funnel cake. The fair even holds a record dating to 2008 for <a href="https://www.kxly.com/news/world-record-corndog-eating-attempt-in-iowa/177440624">most people to simultaneously eating corn dogs</a>. This year, visitors could also partake in <a href="https://kdhlradio.com/beer-inspired-by-popular-fair-food-available-only-at-the-iowa-state-fair/">corn dog ale</a>. Even the symbol for the <em>Des Moines Register’s</em> Iowa State Fair’s Food Finder app is <a href="http://data.desmoinesregister.com/fairfood/index.html">a corn dog with a line of yellow mustard</a>.</p>
<p id="hILbXw">These facts alone make it unsurprising that candidates seek them out for a photo op. They’re ubiquitous and easy to grasp with one hand while gesturing with another. Perhaps more importantly, they have an Americana wholesomeness that can be captured by the press hordes, the whole purpose of visiting the fair in the first place. Fairs themselves are a monument to a bygone, agrarian lifestyle, where farmers and makers are celebrated for their blue ribbon-winning hogs, gargantuan pumpkins, and painstakingly sewn quilts. To blend into the “folksy” image of the fair is a badge that separates the archetypal city slicker from their rural counterpart. For that reason, politicians have long frequented state fairs during an election year in an effort to shore up their credentials as regular joes willing to eat junk food in the sun and marvel at the butter cow. </p>
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<img alt="Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders takes a bite of a corn dog" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/153X75ZgDw7GAsi8H0cP7NvQRlY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18972136/BERNIE_FIRSTBITE.jpg">
<figcaption>Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders bites into a corn dog at the Iowa State Fair</figcaption>
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<img alt="Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders reacts to his bite of the corn dog" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/43Gz4eTtW_Qurhg6FAs9ASu7uag=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18972142/BERNIE_REACTION.jpg">
<figcaption>Sanders reacts to his mouthful of corn dog</figcaption>
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<p id="oEp69K">President Dwight Eisenhower is believed to be <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.desmoinesregister.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2F2018%2F08%2F09%2Fiowa-state-fair-political-history-state-fair-2018-soapbox-schedule-politics-dates%2F945823002%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F15%2F20805830%2Fcorn-dogs-presidential-candidates-iowa-state-fair" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">one of the first presidents</a> to tour the Iowa State Fair during his reelection campaign in 1954, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/08/14/how-the-iowa-state-fair-became-a-political-rite-of-passage/">drawing 25,000 people</a> with his speech. But the fair didn’t become a staple on the national campaign circuit until 1972 when the Iowa state caucuses were established as the first major contest of the presidential primary season. Since then, the Iowa State Fair has held an outsized influence in American politics relative to its population and largely white demographics. Jimmy Carter famously campaigned at the fair before defeating President Gerald Ford in the 1976 election. At the fair attendees can see multiple candidates step up to the <em>Des Moines Register</em>-sponsored Soapbox platform and give speeches making their case for the country while trying not to produce a gaffe a la Joe Biden’s “<a href="https://theslot.jezebel.com/this-is-the-same-guy-who-lost-2-other-presidential-elec-1837094517">truth over facts</a>” or Mitt Romney’s “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/us/politics/12romney.html">Corporations are people</a>.” Then, those same fairgoers cast corn kernels into mason jars as an informal poll for their favorite candidates in the race. </p>
<p id="AjbqkF">Speeches are a minefield for candidates, but the closely held cultural mores of food consumption can be equally harrowing to parse. In the public eye, an <a href="https://www.eater.com/2018/9/11/17845952/cynthia-nixon-cinnamon-raisin-lox-bagel-zabars-new-york">unusual bagel order can become a front page headline</a> and <a href="https://www.eater.com/2016/3/31/11337010/john-kasich-eats-pizza-fork-lol">eating pizza with a fork</a> becomes a personal affront to voters everywhere. Had Gerald Ford not <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ezkvxk/how-a-plate-of-tamales-may-have-crushed-gerald-fords-1976-presidential-campaign">bit into a tamal still wrapped in its husk at the Alamo</a>, perhaps he might have been reelected. With press coalescing around the Iowa State Fair during the Soapbox, the event has also elicited plenty of its own food-related political missteps. Coming off a rocky visit to Philadelphia in August 2003 during which he made the fateful mistake of <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3kj9vj/tbt-how-a-philly-cheesesteak-destroyed-america">ordering a Philly cheesesteak with Swiss</a> instead of the traditional Cheez Whiz, then-Senator John Kerry made a beeline for a refreshment stand at the Iowa State Fair where he picked up a $4 strawberry smoothie with an umbrella in it. The smoothie selection did not go over well with campaign operative and former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, who was trying to help Kerry shed the elitist image of the previous food mishap. Gibbs <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121755336096303089">reportedly</a> called a staffer and demanded that “Somebody get a f-ing corn dog in his hand — now!” (Kerry made up for it a year later with <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gettyimages.com%2Fdetail%2Fnews-photo%2Fdemocratic-presidential-candidate-john-kerry-buys-a-corn-news-photo%2F51223728&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F15%2F20805830%2Fcorn-dogs-presidential-candidates-iowa-state-fair" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a corn dog photo op</a> at the Minnesota State Fair, Garrison Keillor’s <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gettyimages.com%2Fdetail%2Fnews-photo%2Fdemocratic-presidential-candidate-john-kerry-gets-ketchup-news-photo%2F51223848&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F15%2F20805830%2Fcorn-dogs-presidential-candidates-iowa-state-fair" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">ketchup wielding presence excluded</a>.) </p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">In my defense, it was delicious - but you’re right Matt, that smoothie clearly killed me in the Iowa caucuses! <a href="https://t.co/7Wc6r60fcJ">https://t.co/7Wc6r60fcJ</a></p>— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnKerry/status/1159117093465395200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2019</a>
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<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p id="58bUQM">Yet even the corn dog isn’t an exact science at the fair. Sure, corn dogs embody the down-home ethos of the fair in which eating copious amounts of fried meat-on-a-stick is immortalized rather than shamed as an oily, processed food. A candidate eating one can be memorable and relatable, reading as, “Politicians, they’re just like us.” However, their phallic shape and skewers make for inelegant eating, and in a 24-hour campaign news cycle in the age of Photoshop, some political operatives view them as a risky photo op. </p>
<p id="kJVaGy">“It may be a bit indiscreet, but don’t be photographed eating a corn dog,” one veteran presidential campaign veteran Eric Woolson warned in <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/presidential-candidates-beware-the-iowa-state-fair-11565185289">an interview with the <em>Wall Street Journal</em></a>. “Just Google Michele Bachmann or Rick Perry and corn dog,” he added. </p>
<p id="LkWRXJ">Both failed presidential hopefuls represent cautionary tales of corn dog eating gone awry. During Perry’s 2011 visit, photographers captured <a href="http://www.apimages.com/Search?query=rick+perry+corn+dog&ss=10&st=kw&entitysearch=&toItem=15&orderBy=Newest&searchMediaType=allmedia">numerous unfortunate angles</a> of Texas governor’s corn dog bite. In one image, Perry’s <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gettyimages.com%2Fdetail%2Fnews-photo%2Frepublican-presidential-candidate-and-texas-governor-rick-news-photo%2F121203442&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F15%2F20805830%2Fcorn-dogs-presidential-candidates-iowa-state-fair" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">mouth is agape and tongue flapping</a> to receive the tip of the (vegetarian) corn dog and in another he <a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Perry-2012/c40a9463e09c4af58db48c02072d0aa4/2/0">takes the bite</a>, fully encompassing the end of the corn dog with his mouth. For Bachmann, the photo came as she bit into a foot-long chicken and beef sausage corn dog with eyes awkwardly half-closed. In both cases, the candidates faced depressingly predictable homophobic and <a href="https://gothamist.com/2011/08/13/michele_bachmann_enjoys_leading_iow.php">sexist coverage</a> complete with sexual innuendo. The resulting internet memes outlasted both candidates’ hopes of reaching the White House. </p>
<p id="uTO0de">That’s perhaps why candidates such as Hillary Clinton, John Kasich, and Donald Trump opt for the pork chop — a strange stick food that’s less familiar than the corn dog and still ungainly, but lacks some of the vulgar associations. </p>
<p id="8CWzUS">That doesn’t mean eating a corn dog for the camera is a campaign’s death knell. President Barack Obama visited the famed fair in his successful bid for the White House in 2007 and managed to <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gettyimages.com%2Fdetail%2Fnews-photo%2Fsenator-barak-obama-eating-corn-dog-while-campaigning-for-news-photo%2F144074912&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F15%2F20805830%2Fcorn-dogs-presidential-candidates-iowa-state-fair" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">snag a corn dog in front of the press</a> without much fanfare. </p>
<p id="tYGwSo">During this latest fair food frenzy, Democrats took advantage of the Iowa State Fair as an opportunity to stand out from a broad pack of rivals. This year’s candidates showed differing levels of restraint when it came to the corn dog. Whether they took a bite or simply held the meat stick up for a photo tended to fall along gender lines. Bill de Blasio struck a pose in front of a food stand, the sleeves on his robin’s egg blue shirt rolled up as he finished his corn dog and was <a href="http://www.grubstreet.com/2019/08/bill-de-blasio-corn-dog.html">teased</a> for it by New York media outlets. Bernie Sanders also didn’t shy away from the corn dog photo. Andrew Yang went hard on all of Iowa’s fair foods. While <a href="https://youtu.be/vsex_46PZ9k?t=2992">filming a spot for</a> <em>The Late Show</em> featuring writer Brian Stack as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=72&v=B6n74-fGN_4">fake presidential candidate Gregory Whytman</a>, Yang asked an employee at the corn dog stand for a recommendation for ketchup or mustard. After being asked whether it was possible to eat a corn dog on camera without become a meme, Yang took a notably awkward side bite in front of cameras. The segment, which cracked jokes about politicians eating corn dogs, seemed to have a cooling effect on visits to the corn dog stands, Ruth McCoy of the Veggie Table told Eater correspondent Meghan McCarron. “It seems like they all started staying away from eating a corn dog after that.” </p>
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<img alt="New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio bites into a corndog" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sJVXSAWttYv_j4iGLGjKjXKHFv4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18992333/BDB_CORNDOG.jpg">
<figcaption>New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio bites into a corndog at the 2019 Iowa State Fair</figcaption>
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<p id="sVKMi4">Meanwhile, the women campaigning at the fair generally elected not to eat corn dogs for the camera. Senator Elizabeth Warren carted a corn dog around the fair amidst a gaggle of eager supporters and press. She was later seen stepping into a car with the untouched corn dog. Tulsi Gabbard did purchase a veggie corn dog, though handlers told reporters she wouldn’t be eating in front of the press. Mayor Pete Buttigieg enthusiastically consumed rootbeer floats, fired bacon balls, fried Oreos, pork chop-on-a-stick, and a slushie, but bypassed the corn dog counters. Others, unwilling to take the chance on an unphotogenic moment, simply stuck to the ice cream and butter sculptures. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="FA7IyI">The selection of food available at fairs today stretches about as far as the human imagination, yet the humble corn dog continues to attract American fairgoers. And while candidates may come and go — or maybe never arrived at all, in a pack of 23 — their Iowa State Fair corn dog memories (and the accompanying photos) will endure for years to come. </p>
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https://www.eater.com/2019/8/15/20805830/corn-dogs-presidential-candidates-iowa-state-fairBrenna Houck2019-08-14T14:18:26-04:002019-08-14T14:18:26-04:00Mayor Pete’s Excellent Iowa State Fair Adventure
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<img alt="Presidential candidate Pete Buttegieg eats a pork chop" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jWPKLRNilzoXGcfOybbAcDG7_gk=/382x0:3427x2284/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65018471/00_LEAD.0.jpg" />
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<p>In the span of four hours, presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg put down a root beer float, a pork chop on a stick, a fried bacon ball BLT, fried Oreos, and more — then washed it all down with chocolate milk</p> <p class="p--has-dropcap p-large-text" id="wJrmzo">Over the weekend at the 2019 Iowa State Fair, 20 candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination gave stump speeches and ate fried food for the cameras, competing for the attention of prospective caucus goers and journalists alike. Crushes of cameramen, supporters, and operatives mobbed front-runners like Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Bernie Sanders, who maybe managed to <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/12/20802166/iowa-state-fair-democratic-candidates-2020-eating-corn-dogs-pork-chops">wolf down a bite or two of a corn dog or pork chop</a> before ducking out of the scrum.</p>
<p id="5vJtPt">By waiting until Tuesday afternoon to speak, Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and the first openly gay presidential candidate, had the run of the fair, taking full advantage of the nearly 200 food stands as he walked around. “I’m a little grumpy there was no lunch,” said Buttigieg. “Now I’m realizing there was no need.”</p>
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<p id="XSgGBx"><strong>Supporters gathered early</strong> to await Buttigieg’s arrival to the Iowa State Fair.</p>
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<p id="J3VUnq"><strong>Buttigieg arrives and makes</strong> a beeline to the nearest vendor to order a root beer float, the perfect energy drink for participating in a Fox News interview. </p>
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<p id="PFJY8V"><strong>At the</strong><em><strong> Des Moines Register</strong></em><strong> Soapbox</strong>, Buttigieg makes his case to be the Democratic nominee for president, before closing his remarks by polling the crowd on whether he should eat a pork chop or a turkey leg.</p>
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<p id="9d8qMm"><strong>Buttigieg flips pork chops</strong> at the Iowa Pork Producers Association tent, a regular stop for candidates wishing to acknowledge the $36.7 billion industry.</p>
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<p id="6ZMzj6"><strong>At the nearby pork-chop-on-a-stick</strong> stand, Buttigieg sniffs the pork to take in its aroma before giving it a hearty bite. “It’s very good!” </p>
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<p id="PPZpz4"><strong>Buttigieg spent more time</strong> than any other candidate speaking directly to voters — and did so while slowly munching on his pork-chop-on-a-stick.</p>
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<p id="tHqUpy"><strong>When you have to sign</strong> autographs and eat a pork chop but you only have two hands.</p>
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<p id="nf4ucW"><strong>Buttigieg picked up the fair’s</strong> iconic Gizmo sandwich, which is made with Italian sausage, tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella cheese. A staffer tucked it away for dinner. “I don’t know the history,” Buttigieg said. “I just know it’s something I shouldn’t be eating on camera.”</p>
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<p id="qBQsou"><strong>The BLT bacon ball sandwich</strong> from the Bacon Box stand was Buttigieg’s favorite item of the day. </p>
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<p id="4LW5RM"><strong>According to a sign on</strong> the Bacon Box stand’s window, every bacon ball has nine pieces of bacon in it.</p>
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<p id="DWG8wR"><strong>After a quick interview,</strong> Buttigieg spotted deep-fried Oreos across the street and walked over to order some. “The Oreo is now giving the bacon ball a pretty good run for its money,” said Buttigieg after washing one down with a bottle of chocolate milk. Food pairings are so in right now. </p>
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<p id="pC1lsL"><strong>Buttigieg walks over to</strong> a do-it-yourself Slushie Factory with 12 flavors to choose from. The mayor opted to create a red, white, and blue drink. </p>
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<p id="iSjVad"><strong>“I’m too full to go </strong>on any rides,” said Buttigieg.</p>
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<p id="v8EiQs"><strong>Buttigieg changes his mind.</strong></p>
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<cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://garyhe.com" target="_blank">Gary He</a></cite>
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<p class="c-end-para" id="uL63RN"><strong>Buttigieg boards the Sky Glider</strong> for an interview and soon makes his way to the exit, full of fried and sugary treats that the Iowa State Fair is known for. “I will be taking a long run tomorrow, a very long run,” said Buttigieg. “But this is why we run.”</p>
https://www.eater.com/2019/8/14/20805052/pete-buttigieg-eats-iowa-state-fair-foodGary HeMeghan McCarron2019-08-12T14:13:20-04:002019-08-12T14:13:20-04:00There’s No Elegant Way to Eat a Corn Dog: Here Are the Democratic Candidates at the Iowa State Fair
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<p>Campaigning in the form of pork chops, turkey legs, and deep-fried everything</p> <p class="p--has-dropcap p-large-text" id="I3NQEG">The first weekend of the 2019 Iowa State Fair had it all: a butter cow, a craft beer tent, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcqxb1bb5YE">mutton bustin’</a>, a Slipknot museum, and <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/2/1/18185333/2020-presidential-candidates-warren-gillibrand-harris">20 candidates vying for the Democratic presidential nomination</a>. Iowa is the home of the first nominating contests that will eventually determine the nominee from both parties, and the food-on-a-stick bonanza is<a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.desmoinesregister.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Felections%2Fpresidential%2Fcaucus%2F2015%2F08%2F24%2Fmemorable-political-moments-iowa-state-fair%2F32201015%2F&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2019%2F8%2F12%2F20802166%2Fiowa-state-fair-democratic-candidates-2020-eating-corn-dogs-pork-chops" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"> the stage on which</a> candidates vie for the hearts of Iowa voters and attention of the news media. </p>
<p id="H2Dswi">As President Donald J. Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee, the state fair was swarming with Democratic candidates attempting to eat their way to the top of the ticket. The candidates largely chowed down on traditional, nostalgic fair food: pork chops, ice cream cones, and corn dogs. Cory Booker, the New Jersey senator who is <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/6/19/18691943/2020-democratic-presidential-candidates-favorite-comfort-foods-campaign-trail">famously vegan</a>, tracked down a fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a stick. “Can we settle the Democratic primary by how many of these you can eat?” he said. “I think I could take the field.”</p>
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<p id="uHaRLc"><strong>John Delaney, a former U.S. representative from Maryland, flipped burgers at the Iowa Pork Producers Association Tent</strong>. The state has more pigs than humans, and is the top pork producer in the country. With 36.7 billion in sales in 2015, the pork industry is a huge economic driver in the state, making this tent an important stop for many candidates. </p>
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<p id="z9C7M7"><strong>Businessman Andrew Yang ordered two turkey legs</strong> from the Steer ‘N Stein stand. He called the order “the best 10 dollars I ever spent,” and then, in reference to his freedom dividend proposal that would give each American $1,000 a month, said, “Think of it, America. A hundred of these a month.”</p>
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<p id="ba3hoX"><strong>Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. representative for Hawai‘i’s 2nd Congressional District, ordered a veggie corn dog and fried avocado slices</strong> from the Veggie Table tent, and shared a few slices with a fairgoer who came over to meet her. Unfortunately, they’d thought Gabbard was a vegetarian — <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/02/us/politics/tulsi-gabbard-2020-presidential-race.html">she’s vegan</a> — and there was milk in the batter for both the corn dog and the fried avocado slices. “I’m sorry we contaminated her,” Veggie Table owner Ruth McCoy said.</p>
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<p id="gtyE2b"><strong>Washington Gov. Jay Inslee ordered a chocolate soft serve ice cream cone</strong> after saying during a press conference, “I hope to be the first presidential candidate to take a bite of every food in the state fair.” Perhaps the ice cream was a way for the climate-change-focused candidate to tackle the 88-degree day at the Iowa State Fairground. </p>
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<p id="Hwn22S"><strong>California Sen. Kamala Harris also visited the Iowa Pork Producers Association Tent</strong> to flip burgers. “I think I can also flip Republicans,” Harris said, before she ordered a six-pack of pork chops for her staff and wolfed one down in front of cameras.</p>
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<p id="2OzD4h"><strong>Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar went to Brad and Harry’s to order fried cheese curds, </strong>her favorite state fair food item. When asked if they were better than the cheese curds at her neighboring home state’s fair, she wisely sidestepped the question before announcing that they were “both great.”</p>
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<p id="QrDUOz"><strong>Tim Ryan, U.S. representative for Ohio’s 13th Congressional District, cooled down with a mug of beer </strong>with Todd Anderson from the Cherokee County Pork Producers after working a shift flipping burgers. </p>
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<img alt="Elizabeth Warren, surrounded by reporters, holds an uneaten corn dog." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/A0BOUEDZbmtPSlPWZmKi1LR7w3c=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18962721/08_WARREN.jpg">
<cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://www.garyhe.com/" target="_blank">Gary He</a></cite>
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<p id="8SjuGh"><strong>Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren ordered a corn dog</strong> in the midst of the most intense press scrum of the state fair, whose size owed in part to the fact that she regularly stopped to take selfies with supporters, allowing stragglers to catch up. “Nobody get injured over a corn dog,” Warren commanded as cameramen swooped in to capture her with the iconic fair food item.</p>
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<p id="67KNSn"><strong>New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper teamed up to flip pork chops</strong> at the pork producers tent before eating bacon on a stick.</p>
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<p id="Kqdjko"><strong>New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker ordered a fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich</strong> from Veggie Table. The peanut butter and jelly is the only vegan dish at the stand (his campaign also considered fries and lemonade as other potential vegan options). “I’m in a bit of heaven right now,” he said while eating it. Soon after, he ordered another. “This is really good. It exceeded my expectations.”</p>
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<img alt="de Blasio in front of a stand with a large “Hand Dipped Double Bacon Corn Dogs” sign, taking a large bite from a corn dog." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xwfjLxpyE3nVcpbZaVMSFmu3yFY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18962735/12_DEBLASIO_01.jpg">
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<p id="zUhqSZ"><strong>New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ate a corn dog </strong>and called it “a health food” because “it’s got corn,” adding that “corn is a vegetable.”</p>
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<img alt="Mayor Pete eats a deep-fried Oreo with an intense facial expression" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IczWxdCm-fd3_UCAT6mIaAcjze0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18970970/13.jpg">
<cite><a class="ql-link" href="https://garyhe.com/" target="_blank">Gary He</a></cite>
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<p id="sCc0nK"><strong>Mayor Pete Buttigieg</strong> <a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/14/20805052/pete-buttigieg-eats-iowa-state-fair-food">devoured deep-fried Oreos</a>, and then washed them down with some chocolate milk.</p>
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<img alt="Sanders walks while eating a corn dog, with supporters following behind him." data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lO1TLoXpavPO-XECvYSj5GOQ1nM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18962740/13_BERNIE.jpg">
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<p class="c-end-para" id="msrfWs"><strong>Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also nabbed a corn dog.</strong> When asked how it was, he paused and said, “I’d like to make an announcement: pretty good!”</p>
<p id="qwmBWW"><em>Additional reporting by Meghan McCarron</em></p>
<p id="CMz8Um"><em>Updated on Aug. 14 to include a photo of </em><a href="https://www.eater.com/2019/8/14/20805052/pete-buttigieg-eats-iowa-state-fair-food"><em>Pete Buttigieg’s Tuesday fair run</em></a><em>. </em></p>
<p id="yNtGP6">• <a href="https://www.eater.com/presidential-election-race-candidates">All Presidential election coverage</a> [E]</p>
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https://www.eater.com/2019/8/12/20802166/iowa-state-fair-democratic-candidates-2020-eating-corn-dogs-pork-chopsGary He