Ever since 1853, the NC State Fair has been satisfying people with its wide variety of foods. The 2013 NC State Fair ran from Oct. 17-27. The NC State Fair food includes everything from the widely talked about Krispy Kreme burgers to exotic alligator. The 2013 fair this year had a total attendance of 927,563 people. For the 2014 fair there is projected to be a total attendance of approximately 920,000 people.
The fairgrounds are on approximately 344 acres, so some people do have trouble navigating around to find what kind of food they are craving for. On the NC State Fairs official website, ncstatefair.org, there is an app called Food and Fun Finder that can help people find the food they want.
“My favorite thing about NC State Fair food is how unusual it is. You really cannot find things like alligator or Krispy Kreme burgers in your normal restaurants or supermarkets,” said Sofia Ali, junior.
The fair offers such a wide variety of food from various cultures that allows for fair attendees to experience a taste of different cultures. There are booths that contain Middle Eastern food, Asian food, European food, Mexican food and food from many other different cultures. Amira Ishak, senior, works at the fair at a Middle Eastern food booth called “Party at the Pita.” Amira Ishak, senior, works at the fair at a Middle Eastern food booth called “Party at the Pita.”
“We go to festivals in NC, SC, VA, and MD for 9 months of the year. We sell gyros, shawarma, falafel and more. I love meeting so many different people and talking to them about my culture,” said Ishak.
In a survey conducted involving Athens students, over half of the 50 students asked said that they go to the fair mainly for the food. Of the people who participated in this survey, most of them claim they have tried the infamous Krispy Kreme burger. The Krispy Kreme burger costs about $6-7 and is made out of a burger with deep fried donuts in substitute for bread. The Krispy Kreme burger is one of the most purchased and consumed foods at the state fair.
“My favorite thing about the Krispy Kreme burger is the combination of the beef with the glazed donuts. You would think that this combination is nasty, but it actually is good. It also is one of those things that you can just splurge on without thinking about it because it is so good and it is worth the money. I would think that the only bad thing is the extremely high calorie count,” said Adrian Al-Khalidi, sophomore.
Unfortunately those who enjoy and crave the NC State Fair food will have to wait until next year comes to get a hold of the fair food like the Krispy Kreme burger. The fair next year in 2014 will be from October 16 to 26.
