What you see is what you get

I went to the fair and I came home with a sunburn. It was about what I expected, but no Yak-woman. In fact, there was a serious lack of carnival barkers at this fair, but that is probably because the San Diego Fair is held in one of the wealthiest parts of our fair city, and the people who live in the hilltop manses above the fair are okay with having their view marred for a few weeks, but don't want their auditory senses assaulted. I'm sure I could find a city ordinance on the books somewhere.

I happily partook in the delicacy that is known as the deep fried avocado and it wasn't that bad. Coming from a region of the country that fries everything, I wasn't that surprised at what people were willing to eat as long as it had been dipped in batter and submerged in a vat of bubbling oil. I was hoping that I could find some fried dill pickles, but that must be a regional delicacy, sort of like fried cheese curds in Wisconsin. I did get my funnel cake fix for the year, and I am hoping that the damage to my figure and my arteries are not permanent. With all the walking we did, I am sure I kept it to a minimum.

I went in with the impression that this fair would be different than all of the other fairs I have attended, and to some degree is was and to some degree it wasn't. Just like the fairs I have been to in the South, you could purchase an airbrushed t-shirt that proudly states, "Redneck in training." There was also the vast acreage of booths selling everything from toe-rings to pots and pans, and the minute you made eye contact you were drawn into their tractor beam. However, there was a sense of cleanliness to this fair, and they gave you a fork. A FORK to eat your food with. Growing up you ate fair food with your hands, and wax paper was the vessel that transported funnel cake to your gaping maw. I guess culture shock is still relevant, even after living here for nearly two years.

Today I am nursing my sunburn and The Rev. and I are debating what we should do. As little as possible has been the general consensus, and we may celebrate our country's birth with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Something that does not require a fork.