Amusement parks and US State Fairs are well-known for being places of indulgence. Simply put, you just don’t go to Disney World on a diet, because you’ll either leave extra hungry, or leave having broken your diet several times. Amusement parks are home to corn dogs, popcorn and sweet tea at every corner. However, there are many more treats aside from these common classics that are served in these venues. In order to attract more and more customers, concession stands create outlandish foods like deep frying uncommon things or presenting things in a very original fashion. This article will show off some failed attempts at making new and popular dishes by food vendors in amusement parks.
Don’t eat your dinner while reading this article because there’s a big chance that some of these will totally cut your appetite. Adventurous eaters might enjoy some of these weird treats, but some of the dishes on this list should simply not exist. Read on and see what bizarre concoctions are being sold in amusement parks nowadays!
25 Pop Rocks Donut
A doughnut comes in so many different flavours that generally you can find at least one you like. Whether you love chocolate, maple or custard, pretty much anyone loves doughnuts.
At the Texas State Fair, they created a doughnut, that at its core sounds delicious but is then topped with something that’s completely uncalled for.
A giant, fluffy doughnut is sprinkled with literally the worst candy of all time: pop rocks! The pop rocks will totally ruin the flavour and taste of the doughnut and just hurt your mouth. No thank you!
24 Caviar-Covered Twinkies
There is so much wrong with this. First of all, most people going to the fair expect to spend $2 on a bag of popcorn, not $125 on a weird salty-sweet treat. The orange county fair tops a basic twinkie with caviar.
Caviar is an expensive delicacy that is coveted worldwide and pairing it with Twinkies is simply wrong.
It’s two totally different foods that do not at all go together. There is nothing appealing about a cheap dessert topped with $100 fish eggs and served at a fair. Hard pass!
23 Turkey Leg
This is a common American treat that is served literally anywhere from local fairs to Disney World. It’s a giant turkey leg that’s eaten while walking around and enjoying the attractions. This just seems like such a weird way to serve such a messy food and kind of barbaric if you ask me.
Amusement parks are the place for junk foods like cotton candy and popcorn, and a turkey leg seems completely out of place amongst these fun foods and looks nowhere near as appetizing as a plate of nachos, amiright?
22 Fried Scorpions
So we all know Arizona has quite a few Scorpions, well, it turns out they eat them too. The Arizona state fair serves fried scorpions, which sounds incredibly unappealing.
They batter the scorpion and throw them in the deep fryer, as they would a corn dog and people enjoy this “delicacy”. This is completely different than your typical hot dog and French fry meal that you find in most amusement parks.
21 Deep-Fried Margarita
There seems to be an unknown love for deep frying liquids in the States and I just don’t get it. You can purchase a deep-fried margarita at the Texas state fair. It comes in a glass like a classic margarita, but it’s made of up some crazy ingredients.
They use funnel cake batter and mix in margarita mix, then fry up the concoction.
They then soak the fried batter in more margarita mix and then serve it in a glass with a salted rim. This is just a confusing treat. Do you eat it with a fork? Drink it? Should you eat it at all, that’s the real question?
20 Fried Jelly Beans
Jelly beans are just weird. Most state fairs have this bizarre treat nowadays. It’s made up of funnel cake batter that covers a handful of jelly beans that is then fried in extra-hot oil.
Jelly beans have a particular flavour that doesn’t mesh so well with sweet, oily dough.
While the rainbow-like inside makes for a cute Instagram photo, there’s absolutely no way this dish can taste good. Jelly beans and funnel cake are two foods that simply work better alone. Sorry!
19 Deep-Fried Spaghetti and Meatballs on a Stick
There are lots of food in the world served on a stick, such as corn dogs, popsicles, lollipops and so on, but before today I’m sure most of us would not include spaghetti and meatballs on this list.
At the Minnesota State Fair, they went ahead and found a way to make this meal a handheld one.
They took this concept one step further and actually DEEP-FRIED this Italian delicacy. Any fan of spaghetti and meatballs knows that this dish is totally NOT OK. Please take the time to enjoy your spaghetti with a fork and spoon, not on a stick.
18 Fried Butter
There’s nothing more icky than just taking a large bite into a stick of butter. Just the thought of it makes me nauseous. Well, in many fairs across the states you can pay money to eat a deep-fried stick of butter. Yup, you read that correctly.
Concession stands serve sticks of butter coated with batter and breading that’s deep fried. R.I.P. your arteries after eating this one! Not only is this literally a meal consisting of only fat, but it’s also totally unappetizing. Butter is good on toast, or to grease a pan but who enjoys eating plain butter?
17 Fried Snickers
Snickers is a yummy candy bar that’s loved by most people from America. Well, in most southern fairs, you can purchase this bar deep-fried in batter. A light powdered sugar tops these desserts that are pretty popular now in the States.
The layer of batter makes the treats easily mistakable for a chicken finger or any similar savoury food. While many argue that it is a yummy treat, it seems far too indulgent and more about the concept than the actual taste.
16 Chocolate-Covered Corn Dog
A corn dog is a pretty typical snack that you can find at nearly any concession stand across the United States. It’s a hot dog that’s battered and deep-fried, however at the Orange County Fair, they decided to give this classic snack a little makeover.
They revamped this local snack by dipping it in chocolate and adding sprinkles of course.
I’m not quite sure why people think these kinds of food are necessary or why they assume adding chocolate to savoury dishes will make all things taste better, but this is a major pass. Ketchup and mustard are the only sauces that should go with corn dogs.
15 Fried Beer
Yes, you read that correctly. The Texas state fair somehow managed to do the unthinkable and fry a liquid and not just any liquid, BEER! Beer is already so unhealthy and filling as it is, but in Texas, they add beer to a pretzel-like dough.
This dough is thrown into the deep fryer and served almost like a ravioli, how weird. Fried foods are a great choice when you feel like indulging and beer can be enjoyed (if you’re of age) but combining these two together is absolutely GROSS.
14 Fried Latte
Most of us love our morning coffee and there’s no better treat than a deliciously warm and creamy latte bowl. The Texas State Fair decided to combine America’s love for caffeine with their love for fried food and invented the deep fried latte.
Imagine being in need of a boost while at the fair and finding this in place of a nice, warm coffee?
It’s a puff pastry infused with coffee, fried and topped with coffee ice cream. Even further? Its toppings include sprinkles, whipped cream and instant coffee for an extra bit of energy. The sugar and caffeine combo is sure to give you a kick, but I’m not quite sure you’ll feel good after eating this.
13 Fried Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is already one of the most unhealthy things you can choose to ingest. It’s packed with unhealthy levels of sugar, caffeine and many other unknown ingredients. Even if you love this carbonated soft drink, I still don’t understand the appeal of this dish.
At the North Carolina State Fair, they infuse coca cola in funnel cake batter, fry it up and serve it up with a coca-cola syrup and a cherry on top. This dish just sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen.
12 Fried Kool-Aid Balls
Kool-aid is a fan favourite drink. We all loved it as kids and it was a sweet treat when we found out our parents packed it in our school lunches. Well apparently, at the San Diego County fair, they served fried Kool-Aid balls.
A sweet and savoury mix can sometimes be good, but this is totally weird.
Imagine being parched on a warm day at the fair and craving a cold kool-aid beverage, but instead, find this weird finger food being served. No, thank you! I’ll stick to my regular Kool-Aid.
11 Kool-Aid Pickle
Pickles are an extremely polarizing food. Some people live for pickles and eat them with literally anything including sweets, while others cannot even smell it without being completely grossed out. Well, turns out you can now purchase a pickle marinated in Kool-Aid.
In North Carolina, they’ve coined the term “koolickles” for this sweet and sour food. While this sounds absolutely strange to most of us, it is a traditional southern dish that you’ll find at nearly any amusement park or fair there.
10 Cheeseburger with Fried Ice Cream
Some foods are weird, and despite their bizarre appearance or uncommon mix of ingredients, some may even taste better than expected. However, this dish is yucky in every way. The Florida State Fair invented one of the most baffling meals: A classic, delicious cheeseburger, is served with a deep-fried ball of ice cream on top.
Yup, you read correctly, not only did they mix ice-cream and cheeseburgers, but they also fried the ice cream. This is the fattiest and most disgusting dish I ever could’ve dreamt of. Yuck!
9 Spaghetti Ice Cream
Oh Indiana, why? Spaghetti ice cream is a thing served at the Indiana state fair and it’s left me pretty much speechless. It looks baffling, why would anyone in the mood for ice cream have the desire for their dessert to resemble a classic Italian dish?
This dish is crafted from gelato noodles (what?) and topped with strawberry sauce in place of tomato sauce, shredded white chocolate to replace parmesan and chocolate balls in place of meatballs. All I have to wonder is what’s wrong with a regular bowl of ice cream and where is the demand for such a weird looking dish?
8 Fried Salsa
Salsa is a delicious condiment that pairs perfectly with burritos, tostitos or really anything. Well, at the Texas state fair they decided to show their love for this glorious condiment by making it a meal of its own.
Yup, they decided to take salsa and mix it with corn dough, add in some crushed tortilla chips and fry it up.
This dish is served with nacho cheese on the side. All these ingredients are great and taste really good in classic dishes, like beloved nachos, but why on earth would anyone want to take a bite out of a salsa-flavoured dough? Stick to using salsa as a dipping sauce, please!
7 Hot Beef Sundae
Mmmmmmmmm, sundaes, right? Ice cream sundae is a classic American treat that’s been enjoyed through the generations. Yummy ice cream topped with sweet chocolate syrup and of course a cherry on top! Well, locals revamped this classic US dessert and invented the Hot Beef Sundae.
This dish can be found in state fairs across the state. It’s made up of layers of mashed potatoes with roast beef, cheddar cheese, sour cream and a cherry tomato in place of the classic cherry. This is quite a far stretch away from the snack we all know and love. A roast beef dish is delicious, but what’s the need in layering it up like a sundae and confusing everyone’s taste buds. Don’t ruin a good thing.
6 Pulled Pork Parfait
The name parfait opens up my appetite and makes me think of a delicious ice cream treat that’s layered with fruit and whipped cream and presented in an aesthetically pleasing fashion. Putting the words “pulled pork” before the word “parfait,” just totally baffles my mind.
This dish is pulled pork layered with mashed potatoes and some sort of gravy that’s eaten in a cup with a spoon, like an ice cream parfait. Maybe with a different name and presentation, this dish could work, but the allusions to ice cream make this dish sound yucky.