OK, I'll admit it. The entry reads “one last look,” but yesterday was in fact my first look at the OC Fair…my first American fair, to confess further.
As I was born and raised in Manila, my fair experiences consisted of badly-made (and pretty frickin' dangerous) rides, and Philippine favorites like “Isaw” —barbecued pig intestines—and balut – fertilized duck eggs with nearly-formed embryos inside. Vendors sold “dirty ice cream” which was sometimes as dirty as its name (my sister was food-poisoned one year) and “taho,” a creamy sweet tofu and syrup snack.
Walking onto the Costa Mesa fair grounds with my sister, Cree, on Saturday was a small-scale culture shock. Not only were most of the attractions state-of-the-art; they appeared to compete with each other in terms of which could make the folks strapped in scream louder or puke longer. American kids are either crazy or valiant. I'm leaning towards crazy.
But, just like home, there was no shortage of strange eats. Folks in the U.S. will fry ANYTHING, it seems. Nothing is sacred. Nothing is safe. LYT already blogged about the fried Coke and cookies, so I'll leave you to him.
Be sure to click the picture to check out our photos from the fair's last weekend. And if you haven't gone yet…today's your last chance!
