Secrets of the City

Re: Revolution.

I came to realization last night at the Fair that the State Fair is actually much more of a “taste of Minnesota” than the Taste of Minnesota now pretends to be.

Not only are there more locally-owned food vendors present on the fairgrounds, but the pricing is more reasonable and the portions are more of a value than at TOM.

$4 for a root beer? Yeah, that’s a bit extreme … but if you wander around a bit more, you’ll find a better price. Plus, if you buy your soft drink in a State Fair cup, you can get refills for $2 (or $1.50 up near the Food Building).

I certainly didn’t think I overpaid for anything I are or drank yesterday during my 6-hour foray at the Fair. I entered thinking I would suffer from sticker-shock but that certainly was not the case. Then again, I’ve also been to the Fair with enough frequency to know not to buy the first root beer or corn dog or cheese curds I come across.

Btw, Dan the Common Man is completely out of touch with the “common man.”

Here’s what I bought or sampled yesterday:

Corn dog
Cheese curds
Scotch meatballs
Sweet potato fries
Deep-fried dill pickles
Walleye on-a-stick
Minnesota wine sampler
Ginger beer
Lamb skewers
Reuben pretzel
Diet coke

The most expensive item on that list was the wine sampler, for $8. Most of the food items were in the $4-$5 range.

If you want bargain food pricing, shop at Cub for the ingredients and make your won. Five bucks for cheese curds is not any reason to call for a revolution. If it’s too expensive, then don’t buy it.

I had shish-kabob olives, leprachaun legs, and, finally, a potato-chick pea thingy from a Caribbean place. All of it, I think, came to $10. It was quite filling, too.

I hope this H1N1 story won’t keep people from the fair. Heard a guy talking on cell phone saying he was afraid to go now.

Scaredy cats.

Wear a mask if you’re so afraid, Mr. Guy With Cell Phone.

Based on some of the claims about H1N1 it would seem a terrible risk to even hold the State Fair this year.

Based on some of the claims about H1N1 it would seem a terrible risk to even hold the State Fair this year.

What are some of the claims being made about H1N1?

“State health officials warned Monday that 1.5 million Minnesotans may get the flu in coming months, straining the ability of hospitals and clinics to care for them.”

and….

“Depending on the severity of the illness, she said, anywhere from 15,000 to 172,000 people may be hospitalized, and 3,600 to 32,900 could die of influenza — including those with seasonal flu.”

Link

That’s not so much of a “claim” as it is a worse-case possibility, Rat. It’s part of the state health official’s job to crunch frightening numbers like that while dealing with a disease that can spread — and mutate — as quickly as H1N1 can.

If you look back on how the deadly “Spanish Flu” of 1918 ripped through the state, you can understand their concern.

IIRC of the ~120 4H-ers sent home only 4 were confirmed cases; the others were “exhibiting symptoms.” It was a precautionary move; as if everyone in your grade school class was exposed to mono.