Feasting at the Ex: nine foods that stand out (for various hilarious reasons) at the Canadian National Exhibition
Since the kickoff of the 132nd edition of the Ex, deep-fried butter has dominated CNE-related headlines. There’s no doubt that it’s worth trying (we thought it tasted like a doughnut), but we felt there were other artery-clogging delights that were being overshadowed. We found eight other foods that equally piqued our interest, either because they’re the last thing we’d expect to see at the midway or because of their curious ability to make us feel full just by looking at them.
Here they are, with a quick thumbs-up or thumbs-down rating »
Chocolate-covered bacon
What is it? Strips of greasy bacon smothered in bittersweet chocolate.
Tastes like: A child’s idea of what breakfast should be.
Price: $5 for six slices (it’s really three slices cut in half, tax included).
Where to find it: The Sweet Treats concession stand at the midway (near the Canadian Forces display).
Rating: Thumbs-down.
Twinkie log
What is it? A Twinkie dipped in chocolate and rolled in chopped nuts.
Tastes like: A cake version of a Nestle Drumstick.
Price: $5 (tax included).
Where to find it: The Sweet Treats concession stand at the midway (near the Canadian Forces display).
Rating: Thumbs-up.
99-cent pasta
What is it? Al dente pasta and watery tomato sauce.
Tastes like: Pasta that cost 99 cents.
Price: $1.12 with tax (in other words, it’s not really 99 cents).
Where to find it: The Primo booth in the Food Building.
Rating: Thumbs-down.
Foot-long corn dog
What is it? A wiener dipped in corn batter and fried.
Tastes like: Overcompensation.
Price: $6 (tax included).
Where to find it: The corn dog stand at the midway, next to the Crazy Mouse roller coaster.
Rating: Thumbs-up.
Deep-fried mac-and-cheese
What is it? Balls of peppery macaroni and cheese that are fried deeply.
Tastes like: Needs ketchup. Lots of it.
Price: $5 (plus tax, though it’s enough for two people).
Where to find it: The Mac and Cheesery stand in the Food Building.
Rating: Thumbs-up.
Taco in a Bag
What is it? A bag of Doritos cut open and filled with lettuce, beef, onions, cheese, salsa and sour cream.
Tastes like: Dinner in a dorm room.
Price: $6 (tax included).
Where to find it: The Taco in a Bag booth (connected to Bouchard’s Poutinery) in the Food Building.
Rating: Thumbs-up (no really!)
Beef flank and rare beef noodle soup
What is it? A bowl of traditional Vietnamese noodle soup.
Tastes like: Something healthy, for a change.
Price: $6 a bowl (plus tax).
Where to find it: The Pho 88 booth in the Food Building.
Rating: Thumbs-up.
Siu mai
What is it? Traditional-ish Chinese dim sum.
Tastes like: Theme park dim sum. We’re almost sure it’s water chestnuts and not Styrofoam in the pork.
Price: $2.50 for four pieces (plus tax).
Where to find it: The dim sum booth in the Food Building.
Rating: Thumbs-down.
Deep-fried butter
What is it? Balls of butter dipped in batter and fried, then drizzled with chocolate, strawberry, caramel and vanilla sauce
Tastes like: Hot Timbits. We expected to bite into a gooey, greasy mess, but the butter itself had disappeared. Good for the squeamish, bad for the gluttonous masses hoping to brag about their culinary adventures.
Price: $5 for four pieces (tax included).
Where to find it: The Sweet Treats concession stand at the midway (near the Canadian Forces display).
Rating: Thumbs-up.
$6 for a Corn Dog….WTF!!!!
Karen, Thanks for the intel…even after seeing the indestructable Twinkies in WALL*E I must say I’m intrigued by the “cake-like Nestle Drumstickish” version.
Who’s Karen?
Karen is the person who wrote this thing
Joe: Are you sure? Look a little closer.
If made correctly, chocolate covered bacon is good. really!
Andrew: Why does it say by Karen Liu under the “Previous” button?
Joe: on the right track! That’s definitely *where* the author’s name is. Now, just double-check *what* the name is.
Andrew: no one likes a douche. I’m sure Karon would agree.
Yeah, Karon probably would. I’m not really sure what Karen would think…
be nice everyone…try the shakes at Pho 88 they have about 15 different flavours including Durian, Sour Sop and Lychee
This is so nasty, but made me laugh – especially the taco in a bag. HOW GROSS IS THAT?!
@Seven Dollar Pants – My husband and I are considering going to the Ex just for the taco in the bag.. stop judging us! Haha.
FYI to anyone wanting to indulge on any of this, on weeknights it’s $5 admission after 5pm.. so going just for food isn’t too expensive!
we were at the Ex and I just wanted to see what the deep fried butter looked like and could not find it anywhere the obvious location would be the food building … nooooo
eventually I found out it was in the midway … go figure
Went to the CNE last night, here is a video of deep fried butter being made http://vimeo.com/14470520 and a picture as well http://flic.kr/p/8vL7Ld
The taco in a bag is extremely popular at my son’s school. The kids love it. One of my favourite things to eat at the CNE is the Shawarma’s in the food building. Always filling and tasty. Been getting this item for years since they had the international foods outside. They should bring this back.