ASHLAND — Around dinner time at the Ashland County Fair, food is the talk of the town.
While walking past the colorful, delicious-smelling food wagons, you may overhear more than a few conversations about food.
“How are your fries?” a woman next to me asked her male companion.
“Oh, delicious,” he said, popping one into his mouth.
While seeking out amateur food critics, I came across two women, Zoe Carter and Lana Perry, sitting at a picnic table, eating corn dogs that were at least a foot long.
Corn dogs are Zoe’s favorite fair food. As for why that is, she had a simple reason.
“They’re just delicious,” she said.
Her friend Lana assured me that she was also a corn dog fan, and was not simply roped into buying one because of Zoe. She said she tries to get one at every fair.
There are fair food classics available at the Ashland County Fair, like fried Oreos, funnel cake, popcorn, burgers, and hot dogs. One family I met at a picnic table was eating a veritable smorgasbord of these fair classics.
When I asked for a quick review, they all gave me a thumbs up. One of the children in the group, who was eating fries and pizza, assured me of the food’s quality.
“Good!” he said.
There are also other foods you may not expect to find at a fair, like classic Canadian poutine, ravioli, and bubble tea.
While I was conducting my survey of the fair’s food, my stomach began to rumble. I was surrounded by temptation, and I eventually gave in and bought Italian sausage and some French fries.
As a fairgoer, how could I offer my own review of the fair’s food without a taste?
The sausage was spicy and covered in onions and peppers. The meat was crunchy, and the bun that surrounded it was firm, yet still soft. If I may copy the words of Zoe, it was “just delicious.”
As for the fries, they were thin, stringy, and doused in malt vinegar that came out of a spray bottle. Potato and frying oil flavor mixed together to create a great French fry taste.
If these food reviews made your mouth water, the Ashland County Fair is open through Saturday.
