KAYLIE SIROVY: Hello, everyone. My name is Kaylie Sirovy, your host from the Minnesota Daily. Right now, you’re listening to In The Know, a podcast dedicated to the University of Minnesota. With me in the studio today is Claudia Garcia, our opinions editor. She is here to talk about some of the new state fair food that they are unveiling this year. Welcome, Claudia.
CLAUDIA GARCIA: Hi, thanks for having me.
SIROVY: As everyone knows, some of the state fair foods are pretty classic. We got Sweet Martha’s cookies. We got the corn on the cob. What else do we have?
GARCIA: Fries.
SIROVY: Oh, the fries are good.
GARCIA: The lemonade.
SIROVY: Oh, the lemonade stands, yeah. There are a few lemonade stands, though, that I think they watered down the lemonade.
GARCIA: Oh, yeah. For sure.
SIROVY: And I go, ‘That’s mean”. One of my favorites is the mini donuts.
GARCIA: Oh, yeah.
SIROVY: I love going for the mini donuts.
GARCIA: Of course.
SIROVY: But some of the new ones this year are, I know we have, it’s from Tasti Whip, the Chili Mango Whip. So it’s mango Dole soft serve with chamoy and Tajín with tamarind candy, what is it, straw? Ugh, that sounds fantastic.
GARCIA: I saw that, and I just really want to get that now.
SIROVY: Yeah.
GARCIA: Like it looks so good.
SIROVY: Yeah, some of the other stuff we have from Sausage Sister and Me, I don’t know where that one is. It’s Three Piggy Pals on a stick, so it’s smoked sausage slices wrapped in bacon filled with cream cheese and drizzled with barbecue sauce and then with a jalapeno slice on top. How does that one sound to you?
GARCIA: I mean it sounds so American.
SIROVY: It really does!
GARCIA: So, I don’t know, I would try it though, but I don’t know if I’d like it. I don’t know if it’s something I would go and buy again, you know, but I would definitely try it.
SIROVY: You would have to try it once, yeah.
GARCIA: Yeah.
SIROVY: Yeah, and then from our own Afro Deli here on campus, we got Afropoppers. These look fantastic.
GARCIA: They look delish.
SIROVY: It’s like just pastries with spices, vanilla, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and then deep fried and coated with coconut flakes, sugar, or just served plain. Oh my gosh.
GARCIA: Dude.
SIROVY: Every time I go to the State Fair, I go, “Don’t eat so much. You’re just there to have a good time.” And then that’s all I do is eat.
GARCIA: No, I’m there to eat. I don’t know about you. I’m there to eat as much.
SIROVY: Do you go on any of the rides?
GARCIA: I used to when I was younger, you know, with my friends, but now I just go to get snacks. To get, like, you know, just glutton out.
SIROVY: I also go to people watch, that’s fun.
GARCIA: Oh, me and my mom love to do that, too.
SIROVY: I just sit on a little bench.
GARCIA: Yes.
SIROVY: And for like, just like 10 minutes, I just stare at people walking by.
GARCIA: Yeah, you’re just munching on your food and just watching, like, I love that. I love people watching.
SIROVY: Where do you mostly go when you go to the State Fair? Like, what are the sections?
GARCIA: Okay, so, I immediately, when I walk in, go for the fried pickles.
SIROVY: Oh!
GARCIA: I love fried pickles and I saw that they have those same fried pickles in Goldie’s Game Room.
SIROVY: They do?
GARCIA: Yep, and when I found out, it was just new this just past year, and ever since I found out about that, I’ve been going and getting.
SIROVY: That’s the first thing you go is a fried pickle.
GARCIA: Fried pickles. Yeah. I love fried pickles. And then my family and I love the Australian potatoes.
SIROVY: I don’t know what those are.
GARCIA: Have you tried?
SIROVY: No.
GARCIA: Oh my God, you have to go. You have to go.
SIROVY: What are they?
GARCIA: They’re like kind of like hash brownish, but not really.
SIROVY: Okay.
GARCIA: They come with different sauces and we get the chipotle sauce, which I think is the best sauce. And it’s so, oh my God, it’s delish. It’s so good. It’s greasy, but I don’t care. It’s so, so good.
SIROVY: All the state fair food is greasy. Let’s be honest.
GARCIA: It’s like, you have to like go in knowing that, you know. There’s gonna be nothing that’s not fried.
SIROVY: They have like healthy options, but like no one. No one really.
GARCIA: It’s still fried.
SIROVY: It’s still fried. Have you tried, I know last year that they had pickle pizza.
GARCIA: Oh.
SIROVY: Did you not see that?
GARCIA: That doesn’t sound appetizing to me?
SIROVY: I was walking by, and I remember what the line was ridiculous. It was just down the street. I don’t know how they’re handling that. I was like, why would you want pickle pizza? Just get the big pickle.
GARCIA: No, I would, yeah, big pickle is also a good one. Oh, of course, Sweet Martha’s Cookies.
SIROVY: Yep, yep.
GARCIA: We usually try to go towards the end and then we take them home.
SIROVY: A lot of people tell me that they do that.
GARCIA: Yeah. It’s strategy.
SIROVY: I like getting it because I can munch, like early, because I can munch on cookies all day.
GARCIA: Oh.
SIROVY: I like having the the little box because then when I finish it, I can put stuff in there.
GARCIA: Oh wait, that is so smart.
SIROVY: Right? Right?
GARCIA: See, I don’t know. I feel like I am more drawn to like salty savory than sweet, so I end everything with sweet. So I feel like having that after I’ve eaten so much like fried food is nice, especially later at home. You know, drive home, eat nothing, and then eat all these cookies at home.
SIROVY: Yep. What other spots do you like to go to?
GARCIA: You know, it’s not food, but I love the little – the U of M will have, like, their, what is it, the animals?
SIROVY: Oh, the farm.
GARCIA: The farm.
SIROVY: The little farm with the little babies.
GARCIA: Okay, I love going there. And then, I can’t think of what it is or why it’s there. Oh, I think it’s for like flowers and like kind of gardening and then they kind of make it into like a theme.
SIROVY: Oh, it’s not, it’s not the, is it the barn? No, it’s not the barn.
GARCIA: No.
SIROVY: But I know because, and they have like the little sections with like, there’s like trees in one corner. They have flowers. There’s like an apple spot.
GARCIA: Yep. There’s a bunch of flowers. Like a room of like.
SIROVY: Yes. and it’s like a competition, too. So you get to see like these flower arrangements that like.
SIROVY: They had a Shrek one last year.
GARCIA: Yes.
SIROVY: And I took a picture next to it
GARCIA: Yeah, you know what I’m talking about.
SIROVY: Yeah.
GARCIA: Yeah, I love going in there cause they’re so cool. Like they’re so creative and people put so much time and effort and it’s just so cool to see. And then they also have like the flower arrangement competition. My mom and I love to go look at flowers. Their flowers are so pretty so.
SIROVY: I mean you’re so right.
GARCIA: Yeah, so take a little break and just walk through there.
SIROV: Yeah.
GARCIA: It’s really nice.
SIROVY: They also have a section where you can look at like the biggest produce that they have, like the giant pumpkins.
GARCIA: Oh, I think, yep.
SIROVY: Other new stuff that they have this year is cotton candy iced tea. How do we feel about that?
GARCIA: I saw that. I would not get that.
SIROVY: It looks really cute. It’s got like a rock candy in it.
GARCIA: It’s cute, but I just feel like I don’t know. It’s just gonna be too like sweet or too like.
SIROVY: Just drinking pure syrup?
GARCIA: Yeah, yeah, it does look pretty and I love the glitter in the drink.
SIROVY: Yes, I see it. Yeah.
GARCIA: I love that, but I just would not. I wouldn’t buy it. I’d rather get lemonade. Lemonade is safe.
SIROVY: You’re right. You’re right and then they have cookie butter crunch mini donuts.
GARCIA: I don’t know about that. Also, I’m not really, like, heavily deep, or not, I’m not really into sweet stuff.
SIROVY: Yeah.
GARCIA: As much, like, really sweet stuff, you know?
SIROVY: Oh, those are really sweet. I know what you mean.
GARCIA: That is, like, over the top sweet.
SIROVY: Then how do we feel about from Soul Bowl, crab boil wings?
GARCIA: Oh, for sure. I would for sure try that.
SIROVY: I’m looking at a picture right now. It’s got like sausage and little lemon wedges and little things of corn on the cob and wings. Oh, it looks.
GARCIA: My mouth is watering I think.
SIROVY: It looks so good. Oh, this is exciting. This has been a little controversial. The deep fried ranch dressing.
GARCIA: Oh, absolutely not. I saw.
SIROVY: That’s what most people have been telling me, yes. I don’t know why they’re doing it.
GARCIA: I, who thought of that? Like, that is, no. That is the most American thing that we can do.
SIROVY: Forget about deep fried Oreos or deep fried Twinkies. This is the most, especially Midwest thing.
GARCIA: Yes, for sure. Deep fried with ranch? That’s insane.
SIROVY: I don’t know. Why would you want warm ranch?
GARCIA: How do you even do that?
SIROVY: I don’t know. I’m sure that they like freeze it into like little cubes or circles or something and then they like, I don’t know.
GARCIA: See that just doesn’t sound appetizing.
SIROVY: But this sounds appetizing – dill pickle tots.
GARCIA: Oh, yeah, I saw that. I would try it.
SIROVY: From Tot Boss. I wish I knew where most of these were.
GARCIA: Oh, yeah,
SIROVY: I know like the classic, I know where those are, but like I don’t know where most of these are.
GARCIA: No, it’s like another thing about the State Fair is like you’re walking like all over.
SIROVY: Yeah, I get like 20,000 steps.
GARCIA: The grounds. Yeah, so it’s like you’re eating, but it’s fine.
SIROVY: Because you just keep walking. You’re making it up.
GARCIA: You’re burning it up.
SIROVY: Yeah, and then we got Grilled Purple Sticky Rice. I’ve never had sticky rice.
GARCIA: Neither have I, but I saw that and I would try it. I would spend my money and try it because it looks interesting. Purple? That’s interesting.
SIROVY: It is. There’s so much garnish on it and it’s a lot of sauce and stuff. It does look good. And then from the Route 66 Roadhouse Chicken, I think I’ve been here before, the Ham and Pickle Roll Up on a potato skin.
GARCIA: Oh, I saw that.
SIROVY: So it’s got like, so it’s three fried potato skins filled with sour cream, cream cheese, chopped pickles and ham topped with potato chip crumbles.
GARCIA: Yeah. So the picture doesn’t look appealing.
SIROVY: It really doesn’t. No, I don’t know why they did like face down. Why did they do it like at an angle or something? I have no idea.
GARCIA: No, I don’t know it. I bet it tastes good.
SIROVY: But it just doesn’t look that appetizing.
GARCIA: But I wouldn’t want to go and buy it, you know.
SIROVY: Cause I bet that these are really expensive, too.
GARCIA: I know yeah, I wouldn’t.
SIROVY: The amount of money I spend at the State Fair just on food alone is ridiculous. I mean, I love going, but it’s so expensive.
GARCIA: No, it is, but I don’t care.
SIROVY: It’s just fun.
GARCIA: It’s fun. You get little snackies, you get to walk.
SIROVY: I just pig out for a day.
GARCIA: Yeah, I think it’s worth it. I think it is our, you know, mission as Midwesterners to go to the State Fair and spend our money so.
SIROVY: And then we got, what is this? Mocha Madness Shave Ice. Oh, it’s caffeine free coffee flavoring with caramel macchiato cold foam.
GARCIA: I think the part about the shaved ice is what throws me off. Wouldn’t it be watery?
SIROVY: I’ve seen people walk around with the shaved ice, and it looks pretty, like, contained. Like, it doesn’t look like it gets.
GARCIA: Watery?
SIROVY: Watery super fast.
GARCIA: I do love coffee, so I feel like I would like the taste of this, but I don’t know about the shaved ice part.
SIROVY: Just throws you off a little bit?
GARCIA: Yeah, yeah. But I’d try it, I’d try it.
SIROVY: This one looks good. I don’t know, Patata Frita Focacciawich. What? Okay, oh my God, kettle chip flavored ice cream. Oh, by the Minnesota Dairy Lab! That’s on St. Paul.
GARCIA: Oh, really?
SIROVY: That’s the St. Paul campus.
GARCIA: Oh, is that U of M students?
SIROVY: Yeah!
GARCIA: Oh! Okay, that’s crazy.
SIROVY: Okay, sandwich between focaccia bread from Wrectangle Pizza and with, topped with honey butter kettle chips and herbs.
GARCIA: Okay, maybe not this one.
SIROVY: See, I love focaccia bread and I love ice cream. So I don’t know.
GARCIA: I don’t.
SIROVY: It’s ice cream and bread. How do we feel? I don’t know.
GARCIA: The ice cream is kettle chip flavored.
SIROVY: I bet it’s just salty.
GARCIA: It’s really, I want to try it, but I don’t know if I’d like it. I feel like no, I would definitely try it though.
SIROVY: Yeah.
GARCIA: Like I’m curious to taste ice cream that’s kettle chip flavored.
SIROVY: Yeah, like I don’t. It’s created by students, so I don’t know.
GARCIA: You know what I would try it then.
SIROVY: Just for them.
GARCIA: Just for our students.
SIROVY: Just for our students. From the Herbivorous Butcher we got the Raging Ball, which is deep fried sesame mochi dough ball with vegan cheeseburger filling.
GARCIA: I’d try. I’d try it.
SIROVY: So it’s just like a little vegan burger in a little ball form. Is that what they’re doing?
GARCIA: I guess?
SIROVY: Bacon flavored powdered sugar. That’s crazy.
GARCIA: I wonder how big it is?
SIROVY: From the French Meadow Bakery and Cafe. I love this place. Shroomy “Calamari.” Oyster mushrooms hand breaded and deep fried.
GARCIA: I’m not a fan of calamari.
SIROVY: I’m not a fan of mushroom or calamari, but from the picture, it looks fantastic.
GARCIA: It looks fried, so it looks good.
SIROVY: You’re so right. You are so right. And then we got Savory Éclairs from Scenic 61 by the New Scenic Café. I don’t know where that is again. So it’s a choux pastry éclair shell with a choice of filling, Bánh Mì or lobster.
GARCIA: Oh, I would eat this.
SIROVY: That sounds fantastic.
GARCIA: I would eat this up. That looks so good.
GARCIA: Lobster?
SIROVY: Oh, come on.
GARCIA: Bánh Mì and lobster. I would get both.
SIROVY: I’m gonna start crying here.
GARCIA: Oh my god, I would definitely try that. That looks so delish.
SIROVY: And the other one that you can get is with like pork.
GARCIA: I would get both.
SIROVY: That looks so good. And then we got, this one, I don’t know what the outside of this one looks like. So it’s from the Fluffy Hand Cut Donuts, Strawberry Lemonade Donut. But it’s like, it’s rolled in strawberry lemonade crunch. That’s why it looks so weird.
GARCIA: It looks like, it looks like clay.
SIROVY: It kind of does!
GARCIA: It looks like my little brother like made it in art class. Like, that’s what it looks like.
SIROVY: Hey, strawberry lemonade, though, those are great flavors.
GARCIA: That is a really good flavor.
SIROVY: I don’t know why they would roll it though in crunch.
GARCIA: And the other thing is the little like strawberry lemonade, what is that, squeezer?
SIROVY: I don’t know what that’s called.
GARCIA: Pipette.
SIROVY: Pipette.
GARCIA: Pipette.
SIROVY: Pipette.
GARCIA: A filled pipette. That kind of throws me off.
SIROVY: Yeah, the freeze dried strawberry, I don’t know about that. It looks weird. It looks like a rock.
GARCIA: It does.
SIROVY: It looks like a rock.
GARCIA: It does, yeah, but that strawberry lemonade pipette. It kind of, because it, wouldn’t it just make it like soggy?
SIROVY: Soggy?
GARCIA: I don’t know about that.
SIROVY: I don’t know. they’re trying stuff. I mean good for them.
GARCIA: They’re experimenting. Yeah, we’re gonna let them.
SIROVY: We’re not gonna go near it, but we’re gonna let them. And then Strawberries and Cream Waffle Stick, that one looks good.
GARCIA: I saw that that looks delish. I’d try that.
SIROVY: With strawberry shortcake cookie dough?
GARCIA: I go crazy for strawberry shortcake.
SIROVY: You do?
GARCIA: Yeah, that’s like, that’s like one of the sweet things I do like.
SIROVY: A what? Swedish Ice Cream Sundae from the Salem Lutheran Church Dining Hall? What makes it Swedish?
GARCIA: Is this like Ikea? Is this like the Ikea?
SIROVY: Of the State Fair? I have no idea.
GARCIA: I feel like Ikea has this. I do love Ikea food.
SIROVY: Okay, so. It’s vanilla ice cream and lingonberry jam, I do like that, with Swedish ginger cookie crumble, with a ginger cookie heart. Okay, I don’t know what makes it swedish though, is it just the?
GARCIA: I think it’s the lingonberry.
SIROVY: It’s the lingonberry?
GARCIA: Because Ikea has like frozen yogurt, I think or ice cream with lingonberry. That goes so hard. Everyone go to Ikea.
SIROVY: Forget the meatballs, just get the ice cream or the frozen yogurt.
GARCIA: No, also Swedish meatballs at Ikea.
SIROVY: Yeah, you’re right.
GARCIA: So good, but no, I think it’s like yeah. I think that’s what makes it Swedish is the lingonberry.
SIROVY: Okay.
GARCIA: I don’t know.
SIROVY: I mean, that’s a good guess because it doesn’t, I don’t know. We’re trying here and then from the Hamlin Church Dining Hall, we got Swedish ‘Sota Sliders. So, cranberry wild rice meatball formed into patties with dill Havarti cheese and a red relish of beets, red onions, red peppers, lingonberries and cranberries. There’s the lingonberries again. So it must be.
GARCIA: This is very Minnesotan.
SIROVY: Very.
GARCIA: The wild rice meatball formed into patties?
SIROVY: Yeah.
GARCIA: I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t try it. I don’t know. Something about, I think the, something about the lingonberries with the cranberries.
SIROVY: Yeah.
GARCIA: Mixed, like, sweet and savory kind of throws me off a bit.
SIROVY: But aren’t they, but aren’t they, like, tart? Do you think they would be tart?
GARCIA: I don’t know. Maybe it would taste good, but I don’t think I’d try it.
SIROVY: I mean, it looks pretty good. I mean the colors look fun, but I don’t, I also don’t know if I would try it.
GARCIA: The colors are cool.
SIROVY: Okay, and then this one, I have no idea what this, like, I’m so confused about this. The Blue Moon Dine-In Theater has a Sweet Corn Cola Float. What is sweet corn cola?
GARCIA: I have no idea.
SIROVY: I’ve never heard of that before.
GARCIA: That is throwing me off a little.
SIROVY: And then sweet corn ice cream with popping candy and house made frozen caramel. What is? What is sweet corn cola?
GARCIA: I don’t know.
SIROVY: I’m so confused. Is it supposed to taste like corn?
GARCIA: Like kettle corn?
SIROVY: I don’t know.
GARCIA: Like sweet?
SIROVY: Maybe kettle corn.
GARCIA: Like sweet, like that Kettle corn flavor with wait, but is it a cola flavor? Like kettle corn cola? Is that what it is?
SIROVY: It says sweet corn cola, doesn’t say kettle corn?
GARCIA: Are they putting corn?
SIROVY: If they, if I see a piece of corn in that, I will freak out.
GARCIA: That’s gonna be crazy. Corn?
SIROVY: It looks just like a root beer float, though.
GARCIA: Corn bits in my cola?
SIROVY: Stop. I mean, I would try it just for the bit. Just for the plot, but if I find a piece of corn in it, I don’t know.
GARCIA: Trash. Immediately trash.
SIROVY: Immediately.
GARCIA: Thrown in the trash.
SIROVY: I don’t care how much money I spent. But from the picture, I don’t, I don’t see anything. It just looks like, like a cola root beer float.
GARCIA: Yeah, it just looks like a float. I mean, is that a caramel on top?
SIROVY: It looks like, in the description it says house made frozen caramel. So I’m assuming it’s just little caramel bits.
GARCIA: Okay.
SIROVY: We’re thinking about it. We don’t know, but we’re thinking. And then from next on the list is from RC’s BBQ, Sweet Heat Bacon Crunch. I love me some bacon.
GARCIA: Oh my God. I would immediately get this. Forget the fried pickles. I think I would go straight to this. This looks so good.
SIROVY: Yeah, the double smoked slab bacon tossed in RC’s red barbecue sauce and topped with hot honey and chili crunch, served over a bed of white rice and garnished with green onions. Like, come on.
GARCIA: Forget about it. This is it. Everyone, actually, no. No one go to this. I don’t want, I don’t want.
SIROVY: Don’t talk about it. No one talk about it.
GARCIA: Forget it. Forget it.
SIROVY: I don’t want there to be a line.
GARCIA: No, I’m getting this for sure. This looks so good.
SIROVY: Yeah, and then from Minnesota Farmers Union Coffee Shop, we have the Turkey Kristo. Texas toast from Pan-O-Gold Bakery, sliced Ferndale Market turkey, CannonBelles white cheddar cheese, apple butter. I love apple butter. Made from locally sourced apples, and house-made spicy brown mustard mayo, dusted with powdered sugar. Why would you do powdered sugar?
GARCIA: That kind of throws me off.
SIROVY: Why, why? Leave the powdered sugar out of this? This is a sandwich.
GARCIA: See, it’s the sweet and savory. They’re experimenting this year with it.
SIROVY: They are, they really are.
GARCIA: I don’t, it looks like, French toast and like.
SIROVY: With meat.
GARCIA: Meat inside which I don’t know how I feel about that.
SIROVY: It does kind of like French toast. You’re right.
GARCIA: Yeah. Yeah, it’s like really thick bread, Texas toast. I love Texas toast, but.
SIROVY: It goes great in French toast.
GARCIA: But I don’t know about this.
SIROVY: Yeah, maybe we leave that for other people. Okay, and then Walking Shepherd’s Pie. I know a few people who love Shepherd’s Pie.
GARCIA: See, I’ve never tried it. I would.
SIROVY: I haven’t either.
GARCIA: I think this, I would go and try it. But, I don’t, I’m scared that if I ever try a true good Shepherd’s Pie. Like, I want to try a good one. You know, I don’t want this to be like.
SIROVY: The like the baseline of which other Shepherd’s Pies are judged.
GARCIA: But I would want to try it cause it looks delish.
SIROVY: Yeah, the golden brown like pastry on the outside looks good. It looks hardy. That’s for sure. And then from Chan’s Eatery, it’s a new vendor. So Korean corn dogs. I love Korean corn dogs like Cruncheese.
GARCIA: I love Korean corn dogs.
SIROVY: It’s so good.
GARCIA: No, Cruncheese here in Dinky? Delish.
SIROVY: Delicious.
GARCIA: Potatoes. The one with potatoes on it. Eat that up.
SIROVY: Eat that up. So this one is hot dog and mozzarella cheese battered with panko, deep fried, and finished with a dusting of cinnamon sugar. And there’s a few different options they look like. I wonder where this one’s gonna be. They always, they like add new vendors every year, but I’m like, how are they getting these people inside the park? There’s no space.
GARCIA: I know. Do you think some vendors leave? Like they kick? Sorry.
SIROVY: I don’t know.
GARCIA: You’re out.
SIROVY: Maybe they, I don’t know if they get kicked out, but maybe they just kind of.
GARCIA: Relocate.
SIROVY: Yeah. Go to like other fairs or something.
GARCIA: True.
SIROVY: I don’t know, but like they have all the classics. So I mean, that’s fine with me. And then from Nordic Waffles, Wrangler Waffle Burger. So it’s like a burger, but instead of the buns, it’s a waffle.
GARCIA: Okay. I would try it.
SIROVY: That looks like it would kill me.
GARCIA: It looks really, like, shiny which.
SIROVY: It does look shiny.
GARCIA: Very greasy.
SIROVY: I wonder if that’s the syrup, though.
GARCIA: Oh, you’re right.
SIROVY: I wonder if it’s syrup. I don’t know.
GARCIA: I’d try it. I’d try it.
SIROVY: I would try a bite before it would fill me up.
GARCIA: I think this would fill me up for sure, so.
SIROVY: Like the whole day. I’d be like, I don’t want to eat anything else.
GARCIA: No, yeah, that’s one of those things where it’s like you take big breaths after you eat it.
SIROVY: Big breaths. Gotta go sit down.
GARCIA: Yeah. People watch for a while.
SIROVY: And then we got some other new vendors. El Burrito Mercado.
GARCIA: I love them. Delish.
SIROVY: It looks like they got Quesabirria Taquitos, Esquites.
GARCIA: Yeah.
SIROVY: I said it right and then agua, I love this. It’s a watermelon drink with chamoy and bits of seasoned dried mango.
GARCIA: Yeah.
SIROVY: That sounds so refreshing, though.
GARCIA: It does.
SIROVY: For like a walk in a super hot day with like 20,000, more than 20,000 other people like 50,000.
GARCIA: Watermelon, with chamoy? Slurp that up.
SIROVY: Yeah.
GARCIA: I would for sure.
SIROVY: And then another new vendor is Kosharina Egyptian Cuisine. So Koshari which is rice, pasta, chickpeas, lentils, tomato sauce, garlicky vinegar “dakkah” sauce and then topped with fried onions and like three varieties chicken, beef and vegetable.
GARCIA: Oh, I would get this. I would get this for sure.
SIROVY: And it looks like they have a drink? “Plus caffeine free high iced hibiscus tea.” That sounds good.
GARCIA: Oh, I love hibiscus tea.
SIROVY: I’m not a huge fan of tea, but I do like hibiscus tea.
GARCIA: Hibiscus is delish.
SIROVY: Oh, the person who is serving the Cotton Candy Iced Tea, that’s a new vendor. So it’s Loon Lake Iced Tea. They got cotton candy, blood orange, blueberry, peach. Those sound good.
GARCIA: Okay.
SIROVY: And it looks like they come with, like, rock candy too, like all of them.
GARCIA: I would probably try, like, maybe blood orange, peach or strawberry, but the cotton candy one?
SIROVY: Just too much.
GARCIA: It might be too much. But do they all get glitter?
SIROVY: It looks like they all get glitter because they all look really pretty.
GARCIA: Yes, then I would get one of these, for sure.
SIROVY: And then another new vendor, Midtown Global Markets Indigenous Food Lab. So we got, uh, serves Official New Food Nixtamal & Wild Rice Bowl. I don’t know how to say that. I don’t want to say it with I’m just gonna say, Wóžapi? I don’t know. And bison meatballs. I would eat that.
GARCIA:That looks great.
SIROVY: Or sweet potato dumplings.
GARCIA:That looks great.
SIROVY: With options to add cricket and seed mix.
GARCIA: Okay.
SIROVY: I do like a bison burger, so I would probably like the bison meatballs.
GARCIA: I’ve never tried bison before.
SIROVY: It’s really, it’s actually really good.
GARCIA: Okay, I would try it.
SIROVY: Like, people would be, think that they would be thrown off about it, but it just tastes like a regular burger.
GARCIA: Okay.
SIROVY: I’ve been to a few places that like serve that.
GARCIA: Wild rice, too.
SIROVY: And it looks like the last new vendor is Paella Depot, serves Chicken & Chorizo Paella.
GARCIA: Oh my God, I’ve tried this before.
SIROVY: Have you? And then, plus, aguas frescas in six flavors from fruit puree, whole fruit, lime juice, agave and water.
GARCIA: No, paella, especially the Paella Depot, so good.
SIROVY: Is that, is that in Minneapolis?
GARCIA: I don’t know where, like, they’re located, but I’ve seen their food truck, like.
SIROVY: They have a food truck?
GARCIA: Yes. I’ve been to where? It was just a food truck festival a few weeks ago and they were there and it was so good. So everyone, do not go here cause I want to go here again. I don’t want a line.
SIROVY: And then from Jammy Sammies by BRIM, we have Margo’s Garden, which is local rhubarb jam. I love rhubarb. Oh my gosh.
GARCIA: I’m not a rhubarb fan.
SIROVY: It’s not for everyone.
GARCIA: It’s a texture thing for me. I’m really big on texture.
SIROVY: So me too. But I only really like rhubarb when it’s like either in like a drink or something or like it’s a jam or sauce. I would never eat like rhubarb chunks. I don’t know.
GARCIA: See, I didn’t know when I grabbed this cake at this wedding, I didn’t know it had rhubarb in it. So that was a scary time because I was so confused.
SIROVY: You’re like, what is in this?
GARCIA: There’s texture. So ever since, I’m not a fan.
SIROVY: That makes sense. Hey, that’s childhood trauma. We all have those moments. So local rhubarb jam, thyme marinated, locally sourced tomatoes, farmer cheese, jalapeño, and honey served with a side of grilled, gluten free flatbread.
GARCIA: See, I like everything except the rhubarb part, but it looks, it looks good.
SIROVY: It looks, it does look like, like almost like a summer salad almost.
GARCIA: The tomatoes look really refreshing.
SIROVY: And then from Bridgman’s Ice Cream, Lady Slipper Marble Sundae. Strawberry ice cream, lemon marshmallow cream, and lady finger cookies layered in a cup and topped with whipped cream and cherry. That looks fantastic.
GARCIA: I don’t, I don’t know. Something about.
SIROVY: Says the non-sweet girl.
GARCIA: You know, it kind of looks like what an old lady would look like as a dessert. Am I wrong?
SIROVY: I see where you’re going. I see the vision. That’s not my first thought. Old lady as ice cream version? No.
GARCIA: Okay, got it.
SIROVY: I see what you mean though.
GARCIA: Just keep that to myself.
SIROVY: It’s the colors, and it’s like.
GARCIA: Yeah.
SIROVY: It’s the layers.
GARCIA: Yep. I think what throws me off is the lemon marshmallow cream.
SIROVY: Really? That sounds delicious.
GARCIA: That sounds too sweet for me.
SIROVY: I’m glad there’s two versions of “I really love sweet” versus “You don’t really like sweet.”
GARCIA: But I do love the savory.
SIROVY: You do love the savory. From Sabino’s Pizza Pies, Fried Bee-Nana Pie. What makes it, okay? Handmade pie filled with Minnesota honey, fresh banana and Biscoff cookie butter. I love Biscoff cookies. So good.
GARCIA: I do not like Biscoff.
SIROVY: I sense a theme here.
GARCIA: Opposites attract.
SIROVY: Opposites attract. And then from, already talked about Soul Bowl. Holy Land Deli, so deep fried Halloumi cheese is that is that how we say that?
GARCIA: I do not know.
SIROVY: Okay, so Halloumi cheese crafted from a blend of sheep and goat milk wrapped in pastry dough and deep fried, so it’s, so it’s just like cheese.
GARCIA: Yeah.
SIROVY: But in dough.
GARCIA: Yeah.
SIROVY: Okay.
GARCIA: I’ve never tried sheep or goat milk.
SIROVY: And then from Richie’s Cheese Curd Tacos, Buffalo Cheese Curd & Chicken Tacos. I love. This sounds fantastic.
GARCIA: That looks so good. Oh my God.
SIROVY: So it’s fried buffalo flavored cheese curds and chicken.
GARCIA: You had me at buffalo.
SIROVY: Just had you at buffalo. I don’t need to say anything else. Topped with blue cheese slaw, drizzled with buffalo sauce and served in a fried flour shell. That looks really good.
GARCIA: Second stop.
SIROVY: Oh, yes.
GARCIA: Second stop.
SIROVY: Oh, yes.
GARCIA:That looks so, buffalo, anything. And the cheese curd with buffalo?
SIROVY: Right.
GARCIA: Girl, don’t even say anything else.
SIROVY: I don’t need to be convinced. I’m already there.
GARCIA: Already there.
SIROVY: Already there. And then from Baba’s, we have Ba’bacon Sour Cream + Onion. So sour cream and onion, hummus topped with beef, bacon, sumac, onions, scallions, French onion cream, and the works. So it’s, so it’s just like.
GARCIA: Is it a dip?
SIROVY: It’s hummus, so it’s a dip, yeah.
GARCIA: So it looks like it comes with pita puffs.
SIROVY: Okay.
GARCIA: That looks good.
SIROVY: It looks good.
GARCIA: I probably wouldn’t run to it though.
SIROVY: I don’t know if I would run.
GARCIA: No, but it looks, it looks good.
SIROVY: At one point, I would probably try it.
GARCIA: Yeah, it looks worth it.
SIROVY: And then, from Dino’s Gyro’s, we have Blazing Greek Bites. Deep-fried bites made from a blend of chickpeas, tomato, roasted red pepper, scallions and cayenne pepper. So it’s just little, um, it’s just like little euros and little bite form. With a side.
GARCIA: I know how I feel about this one.
SIROVY: Yeah. I don’t know. With a side of roasted red pepper hummus.
GARCIA: Okay.
SIROVY: I do like hummus.
GARCIA: I do too. And it’s got a little spice, which I appreciate. I feel like the hummus would carry. I wouldn’t go running to this either.
SIROVY: So at the top we have a few stuff, but these would be kind of like in the middle.
GARCIA: Yeah.
SIROVY: Like, stuff we would try.
GARCIA: Lower middle.
SIROVY: Lower middle. Yeah. Not at the bottom, with like the deep fried ranch. But like.
GARCIA: That is way bottom.
SIROVY: Way bottom. That is.
GARCIA: I’m not even looking at that when I walk past. Shielding my eyes.
SIROVY: I would ask. I would probably eat, because people stand around the booths where they have the food, I would probably ask to see what it tastes like. I’d be like, “Tell me your thoughts.”
GARCIA: Tell me, why did you do this?
SIROVY: Why, why did you hurt yourself like this?
GARCIA: What was going through your mind when you’re standing in line.
SIROVY: But people really love, like, ranch. Like, I know people that would literally just eat it from the jar.
GARCIA: But, there’s people who are in love with ranch though.
SIROVY: A little too much.
GARCIA: A little too much. But you know what, hey, go your own way.
SIROVY: You do your own thing. I’ll do mine. You would probably judge me for the things I would eat too.
GARCIA: True. So true.
SIROVY: That seems to be all the new food I think. I don’t think I missed anything. I really want to try those crab boil wings though. I love wings.
GARCIA: And crab boil.
SIROVY: With the cajun sauce?
GARCIA: Delish.
SIROVY: I’m getting hungry.
GARCIA: Me too.
SIROVY: It’s horrible. I’m really excited though.
GARCIA: I can’t wait.
SIROVY: Yeah, do you go to the fair like just one day or like a couple days?
GARCIA: One day usually. I usually go with my family, but this year we’re taking a trip, so I might go, you know, with my friends instead. We’ll see what happens, but I usually try to go every year because I love those Australian potatoes, like, and I don’t know where you find them so.
SIROVY: You just keep thinking about them.
GARCIA: They’re so good. Everyone do not go there. Those are the love of my life.
SIROVY: I, this year I was, I kind of wanted to go like as like a Daily group because I think that’d be a good bonding, like experience. Cause like a lot of us, it’s kind of hard to get to know each other because we do a lot of our work online and we don’t like see each other all the time. But I would love to go as a group. We would be so fun.
GARCIA: I think it would be interesting to see everyone’s like reaction to things.
SIROVY: Yeah. Someone would dare someone to try the ranch.
GARCIA: I think I know who.
SIROVY: I know who.
GARCIA: I can already see it happening.
SIROVY: But yeah, no, I wanna go like as a group. I think that’d be so fun.
GARCIA: That would be great.
SIROVY: The first thing that I would probably try, the Lady Slipper Marble Sundae. I’m such a sweet.
GARCIA: The Old Lady? The Old Lady Dessert?
SIROVY: The Old Lady Dessert. It looks cute! It looks like it belongs at like a tea party.
GARCIA: It looks like it belongs in like, the Queen of England. No.
SIROVY: Rest in peace.
GARCIA: No! It looks like the Queen of England.
SIROVY: Or it looked like it.
GARCIA: It looked like her.
SIROVY: Yeah.
GARCIA: No, it looks like, what am I trying to say? It looks.
SIROVY: Like it belongs in like an old lady’s house, like the, with the dollies and the floral furniture.
GARCIA: It looks like a piece of decoration that yeah, you would find in an old lady’s house. I think it’s the colors mainly.
SIROVY: It is the colors. It’s like light pink. Yellow, white, beige.
GARCIA: Those old lady colors, you know?
SIROVY: Yeah. The first thing I would try, I don’t know. Honestly, the savory Éclairs with the lobster.
GARCIA: Oh, for sure.
SIROVY: That would probably be, like, one of my first ones.
GARCIA: I’d go there. I’d get that, also, the Sweet heat Bacon Crunch.
SIROVY: Yes.
GARCIA: I’d probably get, like, a few of those to go, too.
SIROVY: Oh, I almost missed one from the Blue Barn. We got the PB Bacon Cakes. So it’s pancake. So it’s bacon dipped in pancake batter. I’ve had stuff like that before. It’s actually really good. Really filling though.
GARCIA: Oh, I bet. Yeah Fluffy pancake and then like bacon.
SIROVY: Yeah, like right in the middle of it.
GARCIA: It’s like the waffle burger.
SIROVY: It’s like the waffle burger bites, but in smaller form.
GARCIA: Yeah, and you’re huffing.
SIROVY: Yeah, huffing and puffing. I need one of those like the mobility scooters. It’d be chaos.
GARCIA: We’d get to a society like Wall-E and.
SIROVY: We would.
GARCIA: That’s scary.
SIROVY: That’s my ultimate fear.
GARCIA: I see it happening.
SIROVY: I see it happening with like the self driving cars and the AI.
GARCIA: Oh god.
SIROVY: It’s scary.
GARCIA: We’re getting into a whole new conversation.
SIROVY: This is for another time, but I have thought about this. Yeah, but the PB Bacon Cakes are with whipped cream, grape jelly and banana chips.
GARCIA: I don’t know. I wouldn’t go running for this one. I’d put it middle tier though. I wouldn’t put it at the bottom though. Yeah. I think it has potential.
SIROVY: But definitely the marble sundae and the Bánh Mì. That is what I would go first, like two very different things. But I would go for it.
GARCIA: The Bánh Mì for sure and then I would also go for the paella, even though I’ve had it before.
SIROVY: Yeah.
GARCIA: I love paella. It’s so good.
SIROVY: I mean, if you’d love it, you know. You know.
GARCIA: I know.
SIROVY: You know. I’m just so curious about this sweet corn cola. It doesn’t look bad, but the words make me go, something’s not right here.
GARCIA: Corn bits?
SIROVY: Corn bits? It doesn’t look like there’s corn bits, but you never know.
GARCIA: I think it’s just the flavor of the ice cream.
SIROVY: Well, I think that’s the end of this episode, but do you have anything you would like to share that’s going on with the opinions desk?
GARCIA: Yeah, we just put out our first opinions A&E collab. One of our columnists, Izzy, and one of the A&E reporters, Sommer, worked together to figure out a few of the best covers in their opinions. And then, yeah, they just kind of wrote down what they thought. And they did a really good job on it. Like, I was just listening to each song while I was editing, so. I would go check that out, because they did a really good job on finding these covers.
SIROVY: We love collabs. It makes the world go round in this place.
GARCIA: Yeah, for sure.
SIROVY: Like we’re collabing right now.
GARCIA: We are.
SIROVY: As always, we appreciate you listening in and feel free to leave us an email at podcasting@mndaily. com with comments, questions or concerns. I’m Kaylie.
GARCIA: I’m Claudia.
SIROVY: And this has been In The Know.