Minnesota State Fair Foods & Book Pairings

If you like this food, read that book

I went to the Minnesota State Fair yesterday — which, for the unfamiliar, is the largest state fair in the U.S. While eating and drinking my way through a tiny fraction of the 279 food vendors, I mentally paired every item I consumed with a book.

Festival of the Lanterns, Bauhaus | Paul Klee

Eating is a lot like reading. For one, they are both necessary inputs: we need food to fuel our bodies and we need books to fuel our minds. They are sensual acts as well, as good food and good books should set our senses afire. And, perhaps best of all, they can both be indulgent. They can be an overflowing bucket of Sweet Martha’s or a second cheese-on-a-stick of the day.

As my family’s tally of food items grew and grew, so, too, did my book pairings. So without anymore fanfare, here are the unofficial Minnesota State Fair foods and book pairings:

Honey ‘N’ Spice Espresso Shakeup & Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

This drink is sweet and spicy and a little over-the-top — which is exactly what Big Swiss by Jen Beagin is. Plus! The protagonist, Greta, lives in an ancient house with thousands and thousands of bees, and she is as frenetic as any espresso-fueled fairgoer. You wouldn’t think bees inside a kitchen would work, and you wouldn’t think honey and spices and espresso would work, but they do — and they work together well. (A full writeup of Big Swiss is coming up next week.)

Quesabirria Taquitos & Witches by Brenda Lozano

These taquitos were increíble. They were filled with beef, red sauce, and cheese, and topped with salsa verde and crumbled cheese. Given the brilliance of a rather simple, mainstay dish, I am pairing the taquitos with Witches by Brenda Lozano. I wrote at length about this book here, but the short story is: I love it. It has some of the most stunning prose I have read all year, and the characters are as rich and vibrant as this dish. A 10/10 pairing in my biased opinion.

Cheese on-a-Stick & All Fours by Miranda July

At the Minnesota State Fair, you can get whatever you want on a stick. As for us, we opted for cheese. Twisted, unexpected, and — phallic. I had to! Because All Fours by Miranda July is all of those things, as well as delicious. This cheese on-a-stick was so good we bookended our day with it; a little morning and afternoon delight, if you will. (Find my full write-up of All Fours here.)

Buffalo Cheese Curd and Chicken Tacos & There’s Nothing Wrong With Her by Kate Weinberg

There is nothing — nothing — wrong with the obscure pairing of tacos with cheese curds, buffalo sauce, and bleu cheese. This was our last dish and it is a contender against the taquitos for best of the day. I paired these tacos with There’s Nothing Wrong With Her by Kate Weinberg because of their intrinsic paradoxes. In the book, the protagonist, Vita, battles an unknown illness — one which nobody, not even her super smart, super successful doctor boyfriend, can figure out. While Vita passes her days agonizing over her illness in her bed, a “jilted Renaissance ghost who wrote Romeo and Juliet” visits her, possibly guiding her to understanding what is going on with her. It’s goofy and lighthearted in the serious way invisible illnesses should be treated. This pairing is a statement: it may not look like anything is wrong with Vita, but there is; and there may look like there’s something wrong with these tacos, but there’s not. They’re perfect. 🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼

Wrangler Waffle Burger & Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

This one came from the Nordic Waffles stand — and it was divine. It’s a smash burger served in a caramelized onion-infused Nordic Waffle. It set off all my senses, just like Four Thousand Weeks did. When you’re at the Fair, you’ve got to budget not only your time and money, but your capacity for food. If you are eating this, it means you are not, currently, eating that. Eating a waffle burger is a deliberate choice. Choosing to eat this was a sacrifice because it meant I wasn’t eating other burgers, or that I didn’t order the bacon-wrapped waffle dog instead, for example. This book speaks openly of the terrifying reminder that life is short and we only have so much time to do so many things. As such, everything we do is a sacrifice. And as for the wrangler waffle burger, it was a choice well made.

Rainbow Shaved Ice & The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue

I had to make space for the cheery, delightful books! I chose to pair this super-sweet treat with The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue. While this particular food was my kids’ choice, I had to take a taste, and it delighted me in a similar way that The Rachel Incident did. The protagonist, Rachel, is messy but lovable, and you want to devour the book as soon as it’s placed in your hand. It’s serious in a hilarious way, quite like watching the debacle between my kids trying to share this enormous, colorful treat. Also, have you seen the cover? It’s got snow cone vibes.

That’s all I’ve got for you for Minnesota State Fair food and book pairings. What did you think? Do they track? Are you a Minnesota State Fair fan? Do you have any food highlights to share with me?!

What I’m reading: Homeseeking by Karissa Chen.

What are you reading?

Love,

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