From bizarre bites to carnival classics, the Heart O’ Texas Fair and Rodeo is likely to have what you’re hankering for. This weekend, we tried a variety of fried foods and refreshing drinks to let you know what’s worth your money. Here are our thoughts.
Olivia Turner | Arts & Life Editor
1. Soda Fountain
If you’re looking to keep your thirst quenched for the entirety of your fair experience, I’d highly recommend stopping by Pecos Pete’s soda fountain for endless refills on any homemade soda of your choice. They have a variety of mug sizes and sodas, such as cream soda, root beer and huckleberry. I tried their root beer, my go-to soda choice, which was icy cold and had a just sweet enough, almost Killebrew-like flavor. Plus, you can take your mug home with you at the end of the night as a memento!
2. Elote
When I saw the sign for elote, I knew I had to try it. Typically, I like my elote with plenty of toppings, but I had to admit I was a little disappointed by this particular purchase. Other than the corn in the cup, the rest of the setup was DIY, making for limited time to dress up my cup in cojita cheese, lime juice and Tajin. The corn itself was fine, but definitely not worth $7.
3. Deep-fried Oreos
Of all the wacky fair foods out there, deep-fried Oreos are one of the strangest and most pleasant surprises I’ve encountered. At Fry Dat, they make “errything fried,” from Twinkies to pecan pie. Upon first glance, the Oreos were steaming hot and generously dusted with powdered sugar. Upon first bite, the typical crunch of a the cookie was replaced with sweet fluffiness, but that iconic Oreo taste remained.
Emma Weidmann | Editor-in-Chief
4. Strawberry lemonade
As soon as I was handed this drink, I was stabbing my straw into the lid. Greedy? Maybe, but it was worth it. This strawberry lemonade was the most refreshing treat after walking around for a while at the fair. And at only $4.50 for 20 oz, it was a complete steal.
5. Corndog
$9 feels a little much for a corndog at first, but then this corndog became a little much for me. After snacking on some of the other foods on this list, I was definitely too full to finish this due to its size. But while I was still hungry, it hit the spot. I’ll admit, I hadn’t had one of these in a long time, and though I might have preferred a classic hot dog, this wasn’t bad at all. It reminded me a bit of school lunches, but better — nostalgic and tasty.
Kassidy Tsikitas | Photographer
6. Watermelon lemonade
The prices for the lemonade are what sold me — 32 oz for $6 and half-priced refills for the rest of the day seem like a steal. The watermelon was extremely underwhelming, while I highly recommend trying the strawberry flavor. Mixing in the regular lemonade would have saved it.
7. Nachos
Buying $8 nachos only to dip the chips in the cheese defeats the purpose of the way nachos are traditionally supposed to be. They honestly weren’t worth it, especially for that price. I think you would be better off getting the corn dog or elote.
