I See RC

I love RC Cola. The taste is okay, but I think the real reason I like it is because it reminds me of the fair. I rarely drink RC elsewhere (save the full sugar soda for special occasions, like the fair!), but we've been going to this RC stand -- on Underwood near Dan Patch -- for years! The price is right, the lines move fast, and it made it into our roster of Minnesota State Fair traditions. You can always pick up RC Cola at a grocery store, but it always tastes better when enjoyed on hot August day at the fair. And it's cheap enough that you'll have money left for that extra bag of mini doughnuts or a last swing through Ye Olde Mill.

The booth is run by American Fountain Services LLC, owned by Scott Palmer and Richard Redding. As for RC Cola itself, it was invented in Georgia in 1905.

Break the Routine with Poutine

Fair goers tend to be split into two groups when it comes to food. There are those who have their set list of must-eats, beloved favorites that are essential parts of the annual fair tradition. Never mind that they've been eating the same exact items since they were old enough to chew. There's only so many things one can eat in a day (or in 12 days) and no time to clutter it up with new-fangled fried items on sticks when there's cheese curds and corn on the cob to be enjoyed! (disclaimer: I tend to fall into this category, although I like ogling the new stuff.) Then there are those who look to the fair for the novel and new. Where else, after all, are you going to be able to eat bacon ice cream or fried cheesecake?  Many of the newest fair food creations aren't exactly something you can pick up at your local drive-through or downtown bistro. 

One of the new-in-2012 fair foods manages to straddle the line between new and traditional. This summer, in fine fair tradition, Duke's Poutine did its part to further clog fair attendees' arteries. While new to the Minnesota State Fair, Duke's Poutine's feature item -- its poutine -- is a favorite food in Quebec, and seems lately to have taken the upper Midwest by storm. And why not? Duke's Poutine does indeed seem like a quintessential Minnesota fair food, like something we should all have been eating for decades. The basic recipe: take french fries, add gravy, top with cheese curds. If not for the large moose on the stand, you'd think this was invented in Brainerd.

So if you missed Duke's Poutine in 2012, get yourself over to their stand and order yourself some this coming August. After all, what can be more Minnesotan than fries and cheese, eh?

If It's Good Enough for Paul Bunyan, It's Good Enough for Me

If you pay any attention to the food and drink scene in Minnesota, you are by now well aware that the craft beer scene has exploded in recent year. Sure, Minnesotans have always liked their beer, but today you can't swing an uprooted hops vine without hitting a home brewer or encountering a restaurant or bar with a line of local craft beers on tap. No surprise, then, that this renewed interest in beer made good showing at the Minnesota State Fair. And, really, where better to pay homage to this state's brewing culture? Whether rural farmer, urban homebrewing hipster, professional brewer, hops grower, or barrel maker (or, for that matter, just enthusiastic Minnesota beer drinker), this state -- and our State Fair -- had something for you. The Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild's "Land of 10,000 Beers" proved wildly successful, and introduced thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of visitors to Minnesota beer and history through its exhibit and extensive public programming.

Here's raising a glass to Minnesota's thriving brewing scene, and to the Minnesota State Fair. And for you home brewers out there: it's never too early to get started perfecting your own secret blend. Last year's Home Brew competition received 680 entries! Congratulations to the winners, and happy brewing!

Days Gone By: Market Gardeners, 1905

Who can resist the plentiful displays of the state's finest examples of produce? The Minnesota State Fair is THE place to see it all: the state's largest pumpkin, longest green beans, and newest apple varieties, among other delicious prospects. I love that in 2012 this link to the state's agricultural roots is still very present. It doesn't matter if you own acres of farmland or whether your "farm" is a pot on your windowsill (or eve if your produce experience taps out at picking the finest cucumbers at your local supermarket); Minnesota -- and the Minnesota State Fair -- has room for produce admirers of all varieties.

Perhaps it's my appreciation for current Minnesota produce that draws me to the photographs of agricultural exhibits from years gone by. This photograph, featuring the 1905 bounty of the Minneapolis Market Gardeners Association, looks just as delicious 106 years later and in black and white as I'm sure it did to the visitors who walked these pathways before us. And now, I'm off to find myself a nice, juicy Minneapolis-grown apple -- all those baskets of beautiful, lush local produce are making me hungry!

Photo courtesy Minnesota Historical Society

Minnesota's Couture Kitchen Designer (Apron Elegance Meets the MN State Fair-Style)

This is how I dress when I'm making stock or baking cookies. Sometimes I even match my apron and heels to my food -- the orange stilettos with the carrots, while the green pumps look fab with the roasted asparagus. You do too, right? If not, and your cooking wardrobe needs a little spicing up, might want to check out Rachel Hart's Apron Elegance booth in Heritage Square. This photo was taken in 2011, her first year at the fair, and I don't yet know if she'll be returning.

Last year in addition to buying glam aprons, you could have the lovely Ms. Hart or her assistants type up (yes, TYPE, as in peck it out on an old-fashioned retro typewriter) an "Aprongram" message to include with gift orders. Hart says she takes inspiration from the "greatest generation" and their gift-giving, but my guess is that while Grandma might not be so impressed with a typed message (typewriters might be seen as a bit fuddy-duddy by those who actually used them), your younger friends will find the typewritten gimmick to be killer-diller.

Rachel Hart is a Duluth-based apron artist. You can buy her couture aprons online, or check to see if she'll be making a return to this year's Minnesota State Fair. As I'm sure she'd point out, a snazzy apron would be a GREAT way to keep sugar crumbs and ketchup splatters from ruining your fair clothes, so might as well wear your new apron right out of the shop.

Cars and Cows

Helio Laurin Porsche (left) and Mercedes (right) were exhibited by Danielle and Bradley Bye of the Pine Island FFA chapter (at Pine Island High School). And no, your eyes are not deceiving you. Yes, they are cows. Helio Laurin Porsche is a registered Holstein, and Mercedes is a Brown Swiss.

I have no idea how the Bye kids ended up with car-themed cows, but it reminds me of the story told by one of my California friends. She raised animals, too (for 4-H, I think; not sure if she did FFA), and all the kids in her family raised and sold huge pigs to fund their first cars. Perhaps Bradley and Danielle have similar ambitions. Unfortunately no one (other than Helio Laurin Porsche and Mercedes, but they had no comment) was around to ask, so the name choice will simply have to remain a mystery.

Her Boyfriend Rides Bulls

As a city kid from Minneapolis, I never had the opportunity to either (a) ride a bull or (b) don a shirt announcing to the world that my boyfriend rode bulls. If it were not for the State Fair I would, honestly, have had no idea that rodeos even existed in Minnesota. Perhaps that's part of why I like the Minnesota State Fair so much -- it brings together EVERYONE in the state, which (despite stereotypes to the contrary) is really a pretty diverse bunch.

The guys shown here were participants in the fair's High School Rodeo, held in the Coliseum. 2011 rodeo events included bareback, calf roping, goat tying, and steer wrestling, among other options. Although the competitors in this photo are male, it's entirely possible that the happy couple on the left had matching his-and-her shirts made up: there are plenty of rodeo opportunities for the girls, too, and, girls, in fact, now outnumber the boys in high school rodeo events. For more on the topic of girls in high school rodeo in Minnesota, check out this 2011 story in the Star Tribune.

If you'd like to get involved in Minnesota's high school rodeo scene, contact the Minnesota High School Rodeo Association.