PNE 2009 - April Wine

The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE for short) is our version of the annual summer fair. For me as a kid it always meant one thing ... the rides! Playland was my "Disneyland" until I actually went to Disneyland. Then Playland ... well, it sucked.

Later the nostalgia came from the food. Little Donuts, Jimmy's Lunch, BBQ Chicken (cooked by family friend Henry Schultz) and of course, Fischer Scones! Being honest ... well, the food sucks, but in a much less insulting way than the rides did.

The rides all tried to pretend to be big and scary. The lights and loud music all created promises that the Tilt-A-Whirl and the Octopus just can't deliver. The food on the other hand doesn't pretend to be anything other than it is. Tasty, but really really bad for you.

Many years I don't even go to the PNE. We'll be away on family vacation, or the weather won't cooperate. I really don't need much of an excuse to miss it. This year however, I plan on being there at least 4 or 5 nights thanks to an exceptional line-up of free (with your gate admission) entertainment. And, as an added bonus, my wife bought us gate passes for the whole fair for my birthday! Ain't she the greatest?

The plan this year is to try as many new foods and take in as many shows as we can, and share the results with you here. Night 1 was August 24th. The food ... Texas Taters from the "Tender Beef" stand. They advertise apple-wood smoked beef, and even have a "smoker" out front with a pile of apple wood as proof. I'm a doubter ... the fact that I saw staff portioning out pre-sliced beef from plastic bags may prove me right. We were still full from the Canada Line excursion the day before, so I wasn't in any condition to investigate further.

The Texas Taters however, were interesting looking enough to give a go despite the full bellies. The spiral-cut potatoes (do they even grow taters in Texas?) would have benefited from a hotter fry, and they won't ever replace proper frites in my book. But they were definitely fresh (fried while I waited) and were "fun" to eat. And isn't that what fair food is all about?

The entertainment for the night was April Wine. Enjoy.