Can a vegan find happiness at the Minnesota State Fair?

Foods at the Minnesota State Fair from the Minneapolis.Eater.com

The Minnesota State Fair is known for it's crazy deep-fat fried foods and food-on-a-stick. My husband and I went there two years ago when I was still only vegetarian and not vegan. Everything we saw was over-sized, we were still on our Weight Watchers plan and we were aghast at the portions and the decadence of all the foods. We ended up getting milkshakes, back then we were still of the mindset that "milk-does-a-body-good."

I'm from the old-school days when fair food meant cotton candy and popcorn not stuff like deep fat fried candy bars or deep fat fried cheese curds. But many people attend the fair with the express purpose of eating something usual and deep fat fried.

When my father was a teenager he brought his hogs to the fair and won grand champion. Looking over the livestock and visiting machinery hill was a must do. Taking a ride on the midway or attending a rock or country concert are also usually on my list of must dos.

 This year I decided it would be a challenge for me to try to find something vegan to eat.

We thought our vegan food was going to have to be beer and cotton candy. But we weren't even inside of the gate 15 minutes when I spotted a trailer selling pita or "pocket bread" sandwiches. I was hungry and ordered right away.  Mine had some falafel (deep fat fried chick peas) so I guess that was my fried food, but I succeeded in getting something vegan right away. Quite frankly it was kinda of let down because it was so easy.

Success in getting something vegan to eat at the Minnesota State Fair.

Right after I ate my pita sandwich, we headed across the street to the Farmers Union Coffee Shop to see if I could get a soy latte. I could (yeah!). It was a hot day so they asked me if I wanted it iced. I said yes and my husband and I sat in their nice little patio away from the crowded street.

Soy latte at the Farmers Union Coffee Shop on Dan Patch Avenue.