Fried What?????

 

By Michael Mantell, PhD

DEL MAR, California — This year, the theme of the San Diego County Fair is “It All Started At a Fair.” Since the first World’s Fair “Great Exhibition” in 1851, in London, and then from about 100 years ago when San Diego’s Balboa Park became part of the World’s Fair tradition, these celebrations are where the world first tasted hot dogs, Campbell’s soup and brownies.

I recall back in 1964 going to the New York World’s Fair in Queens, NY. The theme then was “Peace Through Understanding.” Of course I recall Dinoland, the Chunky Candy Corporation Pavilion, the General Electric “Progressland,” Pepsi’s “It’s a Small World, Ford’s “Ford’s Magic Skyway,” and so much more. Even the Belgian waffles which we saw for the first time at the fair billed as “Man’s Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe”

Somewhere between “Peace Through Understanding,” and “It All Started At a Fair,” I think there ought to have been a wise team of sales folks from Prilosec, Zantac, and other antacid manufacturers, to set up booths at these local, state and global fairs. Why? C’mon. These events are noteworthy for the new “foods” that they deliver. Way back to 1893, the Chicago World’s Fair delivered us to hot dogs, brownies, Cracker Jacks and Cream of Wheat cereal. In 1904, St. Louis unwrapped the ice cream cone, peanut butter and hamburgers.

Not sure it was about a shrinking globe and an expanding universe as much as events dedicated to shrinking our belts and expanding our waistlines—and heartburn.

We just attended the San Diego County Fair Media Event along with other authors of the San Diego Jewish World.  OK, I promised I wouldn’t share what editor Don Harrison ate, and he promised he wouldn’t share what Paula and I ate.  Having said that, here’s some of the tasty offerings we saw—ok, and even tasted a few.

Sweet Corn Ice Cream.  Making its debut here in Del Mar, the ice cream made with fresh cream and sweet corn, is served in a corn husk. That’s right. NOTHING FRIED HERE. Thanks Corn Star Foods.

So much for nothing fried. The Deep Fried SlimFast Bar from Chicken Charlie’s is just what it says. I’ll say no more.

Think you’ve heard it all? Try the Deep Fried Starbucks. No, not a whole lot of coffee in this one. But if you like donut holes with a bit of a coffee bean and whipped cream, fried, then this is for you.

Then of course, there’s the required Fried Peanut Butter Pickle, the (admittedly very tasty) Fresh Fried Chips fried in peanut oil with sprinkled Parmesan cheese—ok, if you like, with gooey bacon cheese sauce – and a Krispy Kreme Triple Cheeseburger, which consists of three Krispy Kreme glazed donuts piled with three beef patties and three slices of cheese.

There’s no fooling around with fried foods though. I looked for the marketing geniuses from Prilosec and Zantac but they were nowhere to be found. “Hey Michael it’s only one night, c’mon chill and taste the fried sweet pork and burritos, the cajun breaded shrimp and jalapeños, the s’mores-stuffed chocolate chip cookie dessert, or the fried brussel sprouts sandwich.”

Though we don’t eat meat, or non-kosher seafood and treif food in general, the crowd that was enjoying these dishes looked like they were savoring each bite they took.  All of the foods we did taste felt more like carry-on luggage I carried for at least another day or so.

We know that fried foods can damage our bodies and brains, clog our arteries and lead to strokes and Alzheimers, cause heart attacks, and when fried in Canola oil (rapeseed oil) one of the top 3 GMO products, it can deprive cells of oxygen causing respiratory distress.  Fried commonly means inflammatory foods that create painful joints, and can lead to arterial plaque that increases blood pressure. When fried in canola oil, the fried food soaks up nearly all of the oil so it’s sort of like drinking the oil right from the jar. Did I mention anything about low-density cholesterol? Fried foods – or nutritional villains – can cause more harm than the taste is often worth.

While fried foods don’t necessarily deserve an entirely bad rap, the next time I go to the fair, I’m loading up on plenty of organic B vitamins, and checking into dandelion root and milk thistle to detox my body. I hear these may help. Then again, insuring that fried foods are fried in olive oil, extra virgin olive-oil, or sunflower oil, may also help. But all things in moderation—I suspect from looking at the mixed research on the bad rap that fried foods get, even the tastiest, greasiest fried foods, eaten at a visit to this year’s San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, won’t kill you. Well, maybe bring your own antacid.

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Dr Michael Mantell, based in San Diego, provides coaching to business leaders, athletes, individuals and families to reach breakthrough levels of success and significance in their professional and personal lives. Mantell may be contacted via michael.mantell@sdjewishworld.com

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