Summer would not be the same without the Ohio State Fair. After all, where else can you eat your way from one end of the fair to the other on such delicacies as deep-fried chocolate-covered bacon? I can easily pass on the bacon, as well as funnel cakes, elephant ears, and fair fries, but in fifty-seven years of attending the fair, I have never passed on Tracie’s coney dog and a BBQ beef sandwich.
I have a long history with the fair, beginning at age five when my mother took me for my first two-day adventure. I was expected to survive a first day filled with exhibits, corny shows, and smelly animal barns in exchange for a second day filled with rides and anything else I wanted to do. Attending the fair became a family tradition, and fair food quickly became intertwined with memories of time spent with people who have now been gone for many years.
Why it was so easy to bypass some foods in favor of others is an easy one to answer. My passion for BBQ beef and sauced dogs are both deeply rooted in my past.
On the west side of Columbus, Phillip’s Coney Island on Broad Street was a local landmark. The thin dogs slathered in sauce with just the right amount of onion and mustard were enough to give even an iron gut horrific heartburn, a small price to pay for the distinctive taste of the best coney in town. The “island” was walking distance from our home, a couple of city blocks down Dana Avenue and a few more down Broad Street. A trip to Phillips with my dad was a treat, not just for the dogs, but for an atmosphere entrenched in early sixties style, complete with tabletop jukeboxes and spinning stools. An order of three dogs and fries was a hefty meal for my small stomach, but nothing less would do. It was as if the larger meal would keep me full until my next visit.
The BBQ beef sandwich was less frequent fare, an option available only at Jitney Lunch. This special luncheon occurred once a year during my elementary school years. Lunch items were chosen by each student, brought to the school, and provided to each student. Jitney lunch was a departure from the cold sandwiches and chips lovingly packed by my mother each morning. Jitney lunch was a departure from the normal cold sandwich and chips lovingly packed by my mother; the fare was hot and delicious, served by a smiling stranger. How strange that something as simple as a hot sandwich could make a child feel so special.
Experiences with food rarely occur in isolation. Instead, food is central to our life experience, an important part of the events and associations with people who give life meaning. What holiday or special event does not include food?
BBQ beef sandwiches and coney dogs are a rarity these days, reserved for special events and tucked away in fond memories. Such is part of our 95% rule. We follow a whole-food, plant-strong path 95% of the time while still allowing room for cake at birthdays, hotdogs at picnics, and, yes, our cherished state fair fare. It keeps us healthy and also honest.