Photos by Caitlin Abrams
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A table at the Ball Park Cafe, where we stack new beers and new foods to try.
Day One of the Minnesota State Fair is a special one for food media across this corn-laden state. For our food team, the goal is clear: Try all of the new foods in just one day, no matter how many and how far we must meander. From sunup to sundown that third Thursday in August, we eat, walk, drink, and judge to help you put your best dollar forward in the short 12 days of happiness that are The Great Minnesota Get-Together.
We are often asked, “How do you do it?” and, “Can I come along?” So, we thought we’d give you a little insight into the how-tos and whys of this ultimate stretch of competitive eating from our own Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, who churns out her top-five-new-foods list; Stephanie March, who anchors the Get It/Skip It/Your Call guide; and photographer Caitlin Abrams, who snacks and snaps it all as we go.
On Pre-Gaming
Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl: “This is my 25th year Eating It All—that’s right, I started in 1997. It’s all about the preparation. I’ll spend one or two days in advance walking in circles through the fairgrounds, talking to everyone I’ve known for decades and seeing what I can see. Then I feed all the intel I gather to Steph, make my own walking-route plan, and barely sleep the night before. On opening day, I get there with the sun—absolutely filled to the brim with adrenaline, pens and fork at the ready. I’d be lost and overwhelmed without the days of advance prep. For me, preparation is also what lets the magic happen spontaneously—I have such a comprehensively researched plan going into the day, I’m exceptionally alert to anything I don’t expect.”
Caitlin Abrams: “Make sure to wear comfortable clothes that breathe as the weather warms up throughout the day and stretch as you eat! I also carry a lot of gear, so I like to wear a T-shirt to protect my shoulders.”
Stephanie March: “I pack my backpack the night before and set my intentions: You can eat more! You will walk farther! People are depending on you! Don’t look a Red Bull Slushie in the eye! Ignore the cheese curds; they are not your friend today! Also: Have a checklist, lip balm, spork, and a few pens.”
On Gut Space
CA: “Have a lot of water and lighter veggie-focused meals the days leading up to the fair. Save the salads for the days after the fair when you’re still recovering.”
DMG: “I eat enough to decide if something is delightful, newsworthy, lovely—and if not, so very sorry, but it goes plonk into the nearest trash. My biggest fair mistake ever was agreeing to eat a deep-fried candy bar (new that year) on camera for some television show. The first take, they had some technical problem. The second take, I sneezed powdered sugar everywhere. The third take stuck, but let me tell you: Never start your day with three deep-friend candy bars if you want to feel good.”
SM: “Oh, the folly of the early-morning good bite. You chase it because you are hungry and excited and IT’S THE FAIR! But then a creeping memory of the 3 p.m. drag and bloat starts to hum in your brain, and suddenly it’s not the corn waffle that you’re full of, but regret. Travel with young men, particularly sons and husbands, who have capacity and willingness to bat cleanup.”
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The multitudes of fairgoers wondering what to eat first.
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Drew Wood and Steph March eating and judging.
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A small portion of the beers sipped on day one.
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Photo courtesy of MSP Mag
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Caitlin Abrams takes her best shot of a new food in the West End Market.
On the Sport of it All
DMG: “I move too fast to even think about it. I run—I mean, truly—in sneakers, sprinting along from booth to booth; time is that important. Every once in a while, people want to come with me. No, never. It’s simply not possible. I can’t wait for a normal person walking at a normal pace or wanting to enjoy any of the niceties of life, like admiring a horse tricked out in silver-bedecked saddles. Run. Run! Then I type, type! I don’t need anyone looking at me and asking questions while I write. To me, the State Fair is like a very peculiar decathlon. No long jump and high jump; instead: planning, running, eating, tweeting, judging, eating when full, judging when full, eating when fullest, judging when fullest, typing!”
CA: “It always helps to have an extra person along to hold your stuff or stand in line for you so you can take a time-out at one of the French Meadow tables in the shade.”
On Our Beverage Strategy
SM: “Other media outlets sample new beers on a day other than Day One. That makes too much sense for us—we do it all in one day. Take a bite, have a sip, feel the feels. Truthfully, with all the crazy amped-up beers acting like milkshakes and mini donuts, it’s like eating anyway. Plus, when you get to 4:30 in the afternoon and have a sugar coma, it’s always nice to also have a pickle beer to cut into your slaphappiness.”
“The hardest part is knowing these places only have 12 days to win at this food.”
–Stephanie March
On Judging
DMG: “I use the exact same criteria that I use for any kind of restaurant food: Does it catch your attention? Is it well executed? Is it so delicious that you want to grab strangers and say, ‘Hey, did you try this? You have to try this. It’s so good.’ Judging is subjective, but after 25 years, I figure fairgoers want to know what I think, through my particular lens and history, which is why I drop the list of my top five on day one. People who have followed me over many years typically know where their tastes and mine align. I’ll live-tweet (@deardara), and sometimes folks reply, ‘I know you didn’t like that one, but it looks perfect for me.’ Judging is subjective, sure, but people are subjective.”
SM: “The hardest part is knowing these places only have 12 days to win at this food. We can’t afford to go back and redo this eating on day six, so it’s rough when we have to judge harshly, but that’s the game. Nothing about this is normal: The stakes are high, the volume is massive, and it’s hot. I truly believe—unless it’s a ceviche and sauerkraut milkshake—that there will be a fan type for each new bite. I like to think that instead of judgment, we are serving a slice of guidance, with a pickle and snark topping and a side of context to dip it in.”
Follow the food team on Thursday, August 24, for all their day-one eating adventures at the Minnesota State Fair. Sign up for our 12 Days of the State Fair newsletter for daily updates, plus get State Fair texts and tips from Stephanie March.
