On e-gullet yesterday, I came across a conversation asking for advice on what to eat while at the Puyallup Fair. The consensus was pretty clear: Don't eat there.

People, people, calm down. It's called a Fair for a reason. It's not great, but it's not bad either. It's just, y'know, fair.

That can easily apply to the foods there as well. The trick into eating fair food is summed up by three words: Lower your expectations. Personally, it's the one time I allow myself to eat horrible food. I mean where else on earth do you have a collection of restaurants and food vendors that offer elephant ears, Cascade Burgers, hot scones, funnel cakes, BBQ and a multitude of other food varieties, most of which are deep fried?

Is there great food to be had at the fair? Well, no. But you can still have fun. Our group, for example, went searching for the elusive deep fried snickers bar.

However, there is bad food at the fair. I know that I'm going against 80 years of Puyallup tradition, but the Fair Scones are nothing more than biscuits disguised as scones. When you can taste the baking powder in the mix, you know you've hit a low in pastry history.

On the great side, I was able to pick up an incredible jelly at one of farm vendor stand. Micks peppourri had several tastes availble to sample. And I was impressed enough to pick up a jar of Cabernet wine jelly, which I hope to use as a glaze on some lamb.

But then there was the deep fried snickers bar.

[More:]

It took us a while to actually locate the darn thing, as it appeared as if the snickers bar was a phantom...an urban legend it you will. We asked several attendants where we could locate the infamous fair treat, and no one knew if it even was being made this year.

And then, jackpot! At the liberally titled "International Dessert" building, in a section where they were making funnel cakes, we found it...The deep fried snickers bar.

Everyone in line was curious about the dish, giving it a myth like status. Oooos and Ahhhs were murmered througout the crowd as people came away from the counter with the treat. One woman looked quite embarrased that she had purchased the item, as if this was the ultimate in food pornography.

How do you make deep fried snickers? Take one jumbo-size snickers bar, and coat it with funnel cake batter. You then place in oil heated to 300F, and cook until it floats. Then, taking a pair of tongs, take the bar and place it into another fryer heated to 375 degrees. Cook for 10-20 seconds. Place in a paper boat and serve.

The result? Well, If you look at the picture, it has no asthetic at all, at least in the looks department. But I was more interested in how it tasted. For the first two bites, it wasn't bad, tasting exactly like you think it would....a batter coated melted snickers bar. But as it cooled down, it quickly became a disapointment. I couldn't eat half of the thing. It was, quite simply, too much, on the order of eating a bowl of Lucky Charms marshmellows without the oat nuggets.

My eating partner and I looked at each other and shook our heads. No. This wasn't a good thing...it was a blasphemy. How dare they sacrilege a candy bar for novelty purposes. We both looked as if the wind had been knocked out of us.

So avoid the deep fried snickers bar. But that doesn't mean you should avoid anything else. A fair is the chance for you to play the ultimate game of "I dare you" with foods. And that, in of itself, is worth the price of admission.