A fair-size feast

Counting laughs, not calories, at the 2019 Ag Fair.

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It’s been a year since our intrepid reporter and stunt eater Geoff Currier tackled the monumental task of consuming as much fair food as possible without ending up in the medical tent.

This time around, the man who ate the fair said he wasn’t feeling as peckish as last summer, and asked me to be his designated eater. I accepted the challenge without haste, and in the end, Geoff ended up eating almost as much food as I did — he couldn’t resist! 

Loco’s Tacos

Our fair-size feast began with pulled chicken tacos from Loco’s Tacos ($12). It didn’t take much convincing for Geoff to take one taco. I naturally had the other, and I can safely say these tacos set the bar high for the rest of our culinary adventure.

Geoff sized his taco up before biting into it, whereas I was so hungry that I bit into mine without noticing a sizable lime wedge right in the middle (it added some nice zest, but I would have preferred a sprinkle of lime juice instead).

The fresh pico de gallo layered atop the chicken sent my tastebuds south of the border, and the tortilla was crispy, but didn’t crack when I folded it — a key element to consider when tasting tacos. As we made our way around to the many booths, a vendor’s sign caught our eye, Cozy’s Last Stand. 

Cozy’s Last Stand

As we perused the menu at Cozy’s Last Stand, we noticed a jar of massive pickles at the end of the counter.

We gazed in awe at the vinegar-soaked wonders, and for a moment we thought these were all the winning cucumbers from last year’s produce contest made into pickles. 

Alas, the pickles weren’t grown on-Island, but were instead grown and harvested in Worcester at the Worcester Pickle Works. I chose the biggest, most juicy-looking pickle from the jar and stuck it on a stick — a theme that would continue for the remainder of the day.

The pickle ($3) was indeed an impressive specimen, and although it was a half-sour, it was a big dill to me.

After consuming what may have been three times the amount of recommended daily sodium, Geoff and I were fairly parched. It didn’t take much searching to pinpoint a sign advertising ice-cold lemonade. We made a beeline for the refreshments.

Concession stand

It took all my willpower to not order a corndog, as they are one of my favorite artery-clogging foods. But we did follow through with buying some lemonade ($5 per cup), which wet our whistles and allowed us to continue on our search for delicious fair food. After finishing our drinks, smoke drifting from the Wood Fired Grill (a food stand set up by Rockfish restaurant in Edgartown) lifted us from our shaded picnic table and carried us to our next stop.

Wood Fired Grill
Although there were many menu items that sounded scrumptious, you can’t go wrong with a Cuban sandwich (I am biased, as Cubans are my absolute favorite). So I ordered the Cuban panini ($12) with fire-roasted pork, smoked honey ham, crunchy onions, sharp Cheddar, and chipotle aioli. The panini bread was crunchy and warm, and the multitude of meats melted in your mouth with every bite. 

Among other tempting choices were the wood fire-roasted chicken wings with buttermilk ranch ($15), and the truffled mac and cheese ($10). 

After demolishing the panini and loosening our belts, we circled back to see if there was any booth we neglected to hit up. Chef Deon’s Veterans of Foreign Wars booth called to us immediately as we passed by (literally, a woman beckoned us to come try the conch fritters).

Chef Deon’s VFW

This little piece of heaven served up Jamaican delights such as beef patties ($5) and conch fritters ($10). We chose the conch fritters, and got some classic Jamaican soft drinks, called Ting ($5). The fritters were light and airy, with tasty chunks of chewy local conch spread evenly in each ball of dough.

The Ting drinks were sugary and refreshing — simultaneously tart and sweet, with pulpy grapefruit floating among the bubbles.
At the top of the menu, the word “livity” caught my interest, so I asked the woman at the booth what it meant. She said livity is the Jamaican patois word for living and the way of life.

“Livity is beef patties and conch fritters and delicious food like this,” the woman said. “We really live it up in Jamaica!” 

Around this time, we started to feel like we were closing in on the limit of our eating abilities.

But everyone knows that sweets and desserts go to a different place than normal food, so we continued to push the envelope and tried some sugary delights. 

Pie Chicks

When I saw that Pie Chicks had a slice of Key lime pie on a stick, I jumped on the opportunity. The pie ($5 for a sizable slice) was creamy and frozen so as not to fall apart as you ate it. It was tart and refreshing, and the crust was flaky, delicate, and didn’t overpower the taste of the Key lime. I was amazed by how affordable the massive slice of pie was, and it certainly satiated my sweet tooth. But Geoff didn’t have the same pie jones I did, so he decided to check out Yommi Pop, a popsicle stand that uses only natural ingredients.

Yommi Pop

These organic and eco-friendly popsicles are sustainably sourced and powered by the sun! The coolers the pops are stored in are powered by solar panels situated atop the Yommi Pop booth, and each ingredient is freshly harvested.

Geoff chose a Lemon Alive pop ($7) with organic coconut milk, fresh lemon, organic lemon oil, raw local honey from Island Bee Co., and sea salt from M.V. Sea Salt. Although half of the pop may have melted onto Geoff’s hand, the remainder of the frozen treat still left on the stick (continuing our theme of food on sticks) was thoroughly enjoyed. 

Although we missed a couple of noteworthy stops, like the Firemen’s Burger Booth and Barbecue Bill’s, we were able to get a taste of the fair in more ways than one. 

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