Last year, I went back to the CNE after an absence of many years to
As happened last year, we had rain during the day and threatened thunderstorms. The rain cleared up, or so we thought, by evening and we biked off to eat more fair food and introduce the DC to fried butter.
But first, we had to pay homage to the wonder that is the Rob Ford Butter Sculpture:
We spent some time admiring the pretty farm animals, including a horse pulling a Fabio, and then it was off to the Food Building to get some questionable food.
It was wise bringing a companion along. You can try a little of everything without getting over-stuffed.
First up: Jack'd, (from Pull'd, a stall that seemed to have an issue with the letter E): two layers of pulled pork sandwiched between red velvet pancakes and covered in Jack Daniels syrup.
Aside from the violently red pancakes, this was really tasty. The pulled pork was fabulous.
I have been dying to try a deep-fried Mars bar for years, and finally here was my chance:
It's nice and crisp on the outside, delightfully melty and chocolatey and wonderful on the inside. And again, half a bar was enough.
I had a hankering for a corn dog, but sadly what I got was this:
This is not a corn dog. This is a deep-fried hot dog. Which was blechy. I will have to look for a true corn dog next year.
It was time to head across the midway for fried butter. As we left the Food Building, it turned out that the rain hadn't quite finished with us yet. We ducked into the Arts and Crafts building, and we spent a fun half hour mocking some of the stalls and trying not to buy things at the other stalls, because who really needs punched aluminium snowflakes or candle holders, no matter how beautiful they are? Right?
When the rain had slowed to a drizzle, we ventured out into a reflective wonderland.
We felt we should go on at least one ride while we were there. The swings would have been our preferred choice, but as you can see they were out of commission for the moment, so I suggested the giant Ferris wheel. Which was stupid of me. That thing goes way too fast. And did I suddenly forget that I am afraid of being in open spaces when I am very high up? Apparently. I spent the whole ride trying to convince myself that the wildly swinging, very open pod was not going to pitch me over the edge, while the DC held me reassuringly.
Look at those pods! Not even a seat belt for security!
When the wheel mercifully stopped and my legs stopped shaking, we wound our way past all the
But we were there for the butter itself. The DC was somewhat skeptical, but he was quickly won over.
It was just as good as last year, with the added benefit that my stomach wasn't so full of fried goodies that it was about to explode.
We didn't have enough ride tickets to take what-is-no-longer-called-the-Alpine-Way back to the other side of the grounds, so we walked back. On our way, we stopped for Tiny Tom Donuts.
Do you know, I have never had these before, despite the fact that they have been at the CNE for over 50 years. You get them freshly made, so they're almost indecently hot at first. I prefer the simple icing sugar coating, since the granulated sugar (even with cinnamon) doesn't melt enough and has a weird texture.
At this point, despite saving most of the doughnuts for another day, we were definitely full, and all the buildings were closing, so we walked back to our now somewhat damp bikes and rode home. We stopped at my local pub for some cider and beer to aid the digestive process.
Until next year, my friend.
You can see more pictures, including ones of adorable animals, when you click on the name below the thumbnail and scroll down forever until you reach this picture.
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| From Rambling Through Toronto |
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