New York: The Deep-Fried Guy
Eating is one of the most popular activities at state fairs around the country.
It is where some of the most interesting cooking techniques and food creations are found.
Jim Hasbrouck owns one of the popular food stands at the New York State Fair, which takes place from August 25-September 5 this year.
His stand is called Fried Specialties. But he may be better known as the deep-fried guy. That is because he will put just about anything in batter and fry it in oil.
He sells fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fried pickles, fried jellybeans, fried candy bars and even fried lasagna. He has 35 items on the menu.
Everythings fry-able. Everything. Ive done everything up to whiskey. Fruits. Ive done everything. Everythings fry-able. Its all in the process, how you do it. If you want to take your time and come up with a process and you can toy with it, you can make it happen.
This year, he has a special fried creation. It is called The Harvester. The sandwich includes mashed potatoes, stuffing, fried turkey and other items that recall the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving.
Hasbrouck loves frying food so much that he sold his construction business and devoted himself to making fried items. This is what we do full-time now, he said.
Hasbrouck attends multiple fairs and festivals each year. But he is from New York and loves being at the New York State Fair.
My blood gets flowing and I feel like a kid again. Its just a great thing. And I dont think you can go wrong with going to a state fair.
Texas: Fried Jesus
If you want to visit the king of all fried items, it is a good idea to pack your bags for Texas. That is where you will find Abel Gonzales. Some people call him Fried Jesus.
The State Fair of Texas runs for almost a month, from September 30 to October 23. It is located in the city of Dallas.
Gonzalez impressed food critics from all over when he came up with fried butter in 2009. His creation was so good that the newspaper in Dallas wrote that he should be named Texan of the Year.
Fried butter is a sweet square of butter that is rolled in batter. It is then fried. The result is something like a bite-sized bread roll, with the butter already melted inside.
A wide view of the food stands at the Iowa State Fair features many foods "on a stick."
Gonzales won the fairs food competition for his fried butter. He went on to be featured on television shows and in food magazines.
Can a sausage win an election?
State fairs can also be a good place for politicians to meet the people they represent.
The New York Times has a story of the New York State Fair in 2000. In that year, Hillary Clinton was campaigning to become a senator.
Clinton and her husband, then-president Bill Clinton, stopped at a well-known food stand at the New York State Fair for a sausage sandwich. The first couple happily ate one sandwich each, according to the story. They posed for photos and joked with voters and reporters.
President Clinton, left, and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton enjoy sausages at Gianelli's stand at the New York State Fair in Syracuse, N.Y., Sept. 2, 2000.
But Clintons top rival for the senate position did not eat the sandwich when he was offered one.
Clinton went on to win the election two months later.
