I journeyed to Springfield for the Illinois State Fair last weekend on a quest to eat the holy grail of decadent fair foods: the deep-fried Twinkie. Hostess’s recent decision to launch a supermarket version of the treat usually only found at fairgrounds felt like a minor act of blasphemy, and I sought redemption for the snack cake’s spongy soul.
At the dozens of food booths at the Illinois State Fair, all consumables seem to follow a few simple guidelines:
A banner flying over a small booth read fried what!, and I knew I’d reached the end of my sojourn. I placed my order and three minutes later the smiling woman standing behind the counter delivered the sizzling cake in a red-plaid paper dish. The fried Twinkie is special because it represents the transformation of something mundane (eating a store-bought version out of the box is always underwhelming) into a wonder-food. It’s also the rare foodstuff that adheres to all three of the aforementioned fair-food rules—it’s sugary, it’s fried, and it arrives on a stick.
