On a stick

Some years ago, I went to the Wisconsin State Fair.

Until that time, I had never been to a state fair, so the whole experience was new and novel; I was excited and a little bit nervous, mostly because I had no clue what to expect.

Prianka and I had flown to Milwaukee from DC to attend a wedding. We arrived early, so it only made sense to spend some time at the fair since we were in the area.

My first reaction was to be overwhelmed: there were so many people, so many rides, so many vendors, so much to see and do. Over the next few hours, I saw that there was a rhythm to the fair, a method to the madness. More than enjoying the fair, I enjoyed watching how the fair came together: I revelled in figuring out how things operated, why decisions were made, and how each choice was made to maximize fun and profit all at the same time.

I had a blast at the Wisconsin State Fair, and have been to several others in the time since then.

I was reminded of that trip after seeing Darren Rovell’s tweet about the 82 things on a stick that you can purchase at the Iowa State Fair.

The Iowa State Fair opens tomorrow and you can get 82 items on a stick... pic.twitter.com/9y3XXbraNV

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 9, 2018

It’s an impressive list, and it reminded me of just how amazed I was by the amount of things you could find either on sticks, or deep-fried, or both, at the Wisconsin State Fair. That day, I indulged on deep-fried mac & cheese, and on chocolate-dipped bacon on a stick, and it was entirely too much.

Still, I can’t help but be intrigued by the list of 82 that Darren Rovell shared. Who isn’t curious about a tater dog on a stick, after all?