Pole stars

Photo: Andy Berndt

Aside from carnival rides that date back to the Wilson administration, the Minnesota State Fair (Aug 26–Sept 6) [2011 State Fair will be held Aug 25-Sept 5] earned its rep as the nation’s best by staying on the cutting edge of artery clogging…on a stick. Reubens, Scotch eggs, mac and cheese, alligator sausage, butterscotch cake—if it’s solid and edible, odds are a vendor will shove a wooden rod through it, fry it and dare you to eat it. Personally, we’re fans of the improbable—full entrées condensed to a magic wand of heart disease.

Spaghetti and meatballs on a stick at Oodles of Noodles
Impossible? Look, we put a man on the moon, and mixing noodles into ground beef isn’t rocket science. The meat ’n’ pasta wad is then coated in Italian bread crumbs, fried and topped with marinara sauce.

Tater Tot hot dish on a stick and deep-fried banana split at Ole and Lena’s
The handheld casserole is engineered by covering crisp hash-brown chunks in cream-of-mushroom sauce. Double-fist it with dessert: a molten banana encased in doughy lefse (Norwegian flatbread).

Big Fat Bacon at Big Fat Bacon
Pure stunt eating to make Elvis look like a vegan. A third of a pound of bacon, cut to the size of a Wii controller, dropped in sizzling oil. The death pole is then caramelized in Canadian maple syrup.