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Life's Just Not Fair

I know what you're probably thinking. Lady Amy (my favorite blogger in the world) is going to do ANOTHER post about the Olympics for a third week in a row! Especially because she didn't even get around to talking about how Jamaica kicked ASS in the track meets or about how boring the marathon race is to watch. But alas, blogureader, I have already hopped on to the next massively popular and wildly addicting bandwagon - the Minnesota State Fair! Yes, oh, yes our state fair is a great state fair. I believe it is either the largest or the second largest state fair in the entire country. So it's no surprise that everyone and their mother has a booth at the state fair - every radio and TV station is broadcasting from the fair, all of the colleges and the U of M have permanent buildings on the fairgrounds, and any candidate running for any office MUST have a presence. Everyone wants a piece of the action, and everyone sends their hardworking employees out of the office and into the sun for ten glorious days a year to get the company name out there. And just like so many other employed Minnesotans, I have been hard at work at the state fair as well.

Doing a lot of people-watching and making many observations about the inner workings of such an enormous event, I have come to two conclusions. I've actually come to many conclusions, but these ones are particularly interesting. First: the state fair is run on child labor. Ok, not like little 7-year-olds are getting their hands chopped off in the gears of the ferris wheel while being forced to fix it because they are the only ones with hands tiny enough to reach in. But like almost every food stand you go to has a kid under the age of 14 working in some capacity. Yes, they are probably mostly family run booths, but it does break my heart a little to walk away from the cheese curd stand, munching on my fried milk fat and have to watch a poor 10-year-old kid spend his afternoon sweeping up the sidewalk after me. He should be out playing and getting into trouble like little boys do - or at least that's what I learned from watching The Sandlot.

The second observation is more of an internal one. Something about the state fair has always rubbed me the wrong way. I thought that it was simply the greasy food and watching guys with giant beer guts and fanny packs eat one unhealthy snack after another, waiting for one of them to have a heart attack on the spot. But I realized that my problem with the fair goes a little bit deeper. It's really more about the marketing strategy for this whole operation, which can best be summarized in another installment of...

Angry Amy! Grrrrrrrrrr...

You know what makes me angry?! Food on a stick being the trademark of the Minnesota State Fair! If you're not from Minnesota, you might not get it, but I think it's totally embarrassing. I don't want to have to say that I am from the state that prides itself on the enormous amount of deep-fried over-(or under)sized pieces of random food it can poke with a small, pointy sliver of wood and serve up to thousands of sweaty, salivating gawkers who are amused by the very concept.

I admit it could be the fact that I hate crowds, and I especially hate crowds when it's hot, that I have such a negative view of this "food on a stick" idea and the people who enjoy it, but I just think the "what WON'T they put on a stick?!" shock should have worn off the second the corn dog was invented. Observe: to your right is a picture of hotdish on a stick. Looks just like a lumpy corn dog, doesn't it? So what's the diff? It doesn't look cool because it's on a stick. It probably doesn't taste better. And it's from Ole and Lena's "Uffda" treat stand. Is that really necessary?! No. It just makes we Minnesotans look bad! I guess what I'm trying to say is that I am just not impressed. And I'm grossed out. What is that sauce next to the hotdish? You don't put sauce on hotdish! Sick! And that's this week's.....

ANGRY AMY!!! Enjoy the fair everyone!

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  1. Blogger chris | 8:49 AM |  

    Haha those are the best/worst two pictures you have ever posted. Is the food-on-a-stick thing just us? I guess I assumed that's every state fair. Are we really just the grossest state ever? That would be sad.

    PARAMORE AT THE STATE FAIR THIS WEEKEND WHO'S WITH ME?!?!!?

  2. Blogger Brigitte | 10:47 AM |  

    I like that the food on a stick you choose to talk about specifically was hot dish on a stick...since most people who aren't from Minnesota (or Wisconsin? not sure how far this spreads) wouldn't even know what a hot dish is. So that's TWO Minnesota things right there!! and I agree with Angry Amy--it just makes us look bad. We've got lots of other stuff to offer! Like...buckets of cookies, for example. Let's not be pigeonholed.

  3. Blogger Lady Amy | 10:57 AM |  

    Agreed...plus, hotdish can be gross enough without being deep fried.

    And I hate that Ole and Lena jokes are still a thing. Get over it. Let's talk about some classy Minnesotan thing - like Garrison Keillor or something.

  4. Blogger Unknown | 11:11 AM |  

    Love Ole and Lena jokes!

  5. Blogger Brigitte | 11:14 AM |  

    you WOULD love Ole and Lena jokes. Weirdo.

  6. Blogger Brigitte | 11:15 AM |  

    is Garrison really that classy? Don't they tell Ole and Lena jokes on his show? was that a joke that i didn't get because this is on the internet? nervous face.

  7. Blogger chris | 11:15 AM |  

    What the ex is an Ole and Lena joke?

  8. Blogger Brigitte | 11:29 AM |  

    http://www.norskarv.com/jokes1.htm

  9. Blogger chris | 11:56 AM |  

    Oh dear. I just had the sudden visceral urge to leave this state ASAP.

  10. Blogger Brigitte | 11:58 AM |  

    ah, get over it. it's no worse than wisconsin. at least minnesota is charming. am i right? (come on, wisconsin vs. minnesota fight!!)

  11. Blogger Lady Amy | 12:10 PM |  

    Yes, Brigitte, that WAS a joke. Chris, you should be glad that you did not grow up in MN with people who actually think those jokes are funny. They are not funny.

  12. Blogger Brigitte | 12:35 PM |  

    wow amy, way to abandon your state.

  13. Blogger Lane | 12:47 PM |  

    Amy, I am sad by your dislike for food on a stick, what about giant pickle on a stick.

    Luis tried the hotdish on a stick and enjoyed it, even though some 14 year old stood by and yelled ohhh grosss, gross, gross. But I think all hotdishes are gross...

    G Kellior is that show not one big toast to Ole and Lena, just with different words?

  14. Blogger Lady Amy | 1:24 PM |  

    Haha, you are correct. There are definitely certain food that belong on a stick. I can't believe he tried the hotdish though!

  15. Blogger Lane | 1:36 PM |  

    oh and he LOVED it!

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