Deep-fried fare gets extra flair
Fire up the fryers. Opening day at the Fair at the PNE was decadent, delicious and deep fried.
It seems any food — and now drink — is fair game for the fryer.
“Deep-fried Kool-Aid . . . people want to try it,” Joe Premont of Granny’s Cheesecake and More said Saturday.
This year, Granny’s is serving up a twist on the sugary drink, turning what looks like Kool-Aid slushies into deep-fried treats.
“It’s more like a Kool-Aid funnel cake,” Premont said before rhyming off his list of cardiac candy.
Deep-fried Oreos, Twinkies, shortcake, Snickers and his famous deepfried cheesecake.
It’s gluttony at it’s finest — battered, fried and sprinkled with icing sugar.
And if you didn’t get your fill at Granny’s, the Pennsylvania Dutch Funnel Cake cart is serving up even more odd treats out of the fryer.
They have four kinds of funnel cakes, including a new bacon maple syrup deluxe version.
Deep-fried Wagon Wheels are also new to the menu this year and, if you skipped breakfast, deep-fried Pop Tarts are back again from last year, topped of course with real whipped cream and Fruity Pebbles cereal.
“It doesn’t start out like a thing of beauty, but you’ll see,” laughed funnel cake cart owner Suzanne Poudrier as her husband Perry dropped the battered Pop Tarts in the fryer.
The fair has everything from corn dogs, poutine or perogy-covered hotdogs, donairs and burritos.
And back for a second year is the Vancouver Rib Festival, with it’s first all female team, Smokin’ Babes BBQ.
Run by 17-year-old Jessica Kyllo, Smokin’ Babes is in it’s first year of competition and up against her biggest rival: her father.
Justin Kyllo is just two stands away at Smoke & Bones BBQ, and while the two shared a smoker on the opening day, Jessica claimed her sauce is boss, and backed it up by beating her dad’s rack in competition in May.
But the friendly rivalry doesn’t extend to home, Jessica said. “I still live at my parents’ place.” If there’s room after downing Kool-Aid treats and ribs, PNE favourite Those Little Doughnuts will always be around.
So leave the skinny jeans at home, flop from fryer to fryer and indulge. You can always eat salad in September.