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14 Horrifying Fried Foods at State Fairs

Craving a heart attack? Check out the fare at your local State Fair.

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The best fair finds

I recently lost 20 pounds and thought I’d celebrate by gaining it all back. And I know exactly how I’ll do it: by dining out at upcoming State and County Fairs, where everything, it seems, is simply half-cooked until it gets chucked in a deep fryer. For more fair fun, check out the best state fair or festival in each state.

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Fried scorpions

Is that a scorpion walking by? Yes it is, and at the Arizona State Fair (October 5 – 28) they toss it into the fryer and call it lunch.

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Fried jellybeans

Do you know what the problem with jellybeans is? They’re not bathed in a frothy tub of scrumptious fat. Problem solved at the Massachusetts State Fair (September 14 – 30).

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Fried meatballs

For those of us who prefer ethnic fare, there’s the deep-fried Spaghetti and Meatballs on a Stick at the Minnesota State Fair (August 23 – September 3). While you’re at the fair, you’ll want to understand how these favorite carnival games are rigged.

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Fried butter

Because butter isn’t fattening enough, the Wisconsin State-Fair (August 2 – 12) offers Deep-Fried Butter.

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Fried Snickers

If you like your fat sweet, the good people at the Florida State Fair (February 7-18, 2019) will happily throw a Snickers bar into the deep fryer for you.

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Fried burgers

If you’re not a sweets person, California’s Orange County Fair (July 13 – August 12) deep-fries White Castle Burgers—bun and all.

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Fried beer

How does one deep-fry beer, exactly? Ask the folks at the Texas State Fair (September 28 – October 21). They insert the drink into a pocket of pretzel-like dough and fry it for 20 seconds. The quick cook time means the food keeps its alcohol content. You’ll want to add these 10 weird food festivals to your bucket list.

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Fried Coca-Cola

Similar to beer, you can also get a refreshing Coca-Cola popped in the frier. For this confection, chef’s create a dough batter made of normal dough ingredients, plus Coca-Cola. Then, they fry it.

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Fried latte

Deep-fried lattes are also sold at the Texas State Fair. Hey, sometimes you need a caffeine boost to make your way through all that food. These six tips will ensure you always win the carnival games at the fair.

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Fried Kool-Aid balls

The San Diego County Fair (June 1 – July 4) favors their drinks in the form of Deep-Fried Kool-Aid Balls. After all, true aficionados recognize that kid’s drinks are best served as finger food.

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Fried pumpkin pie

Got a pumpkin pie sitting around? Hey, that’s fryin’ food at the North Carolina State Fair (October 11-21).

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Fried Twinkies

At the Indiana State Fair (August 3 – 19), Hoosiers know that the only thing better than a Twinkie is a Twinkie fresh out of the fryer.

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Fried Jell-o

At the Kansas State Fair (September 7 – 16), dessert options include deep-fried Jell-o and deep-fried Nutella. How’s that for a serving of jiggly, sweet goodness?

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Fried salad

You may have reached the heretical conclusion that all this grease may be the stuff of Dr. Oz’s nightmares. If that’s the case, take a trip back to the Texas State Fair and dig into a Fried Club Salad. You’re mostly eating it for the bacon and chicken, but there have been sightings of lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots. Deeply fried, of course. These are the 8 yummiest, nutritionist-approved things to eat at state fairs.

Reader's Digest
Originally Published in Reader's Digest

Andy Simmons
Andy is a longtime editor at Reader’s Digest, where he’s edited and reported on national interest, dramas and humor. He is the author of Now That’s Funny! featuring his most popular, funniest writings on all things America, some exclusive and all-new, some taken from the award-winning pages of Reader’s Digest. He also wrote That Reminds Me of a Joke ..., a collection of gags and hilarious true stories taken from the news. In a past life, Andy graduated from Kenyon College and was an editor at National Lampoon Magazine.