Why ketchup and mustard ice cream perfectly captures the CNE

Will I eat ketchup and mustard ice cream again? Probably not. But I appreciate your existence.

The ketchup and mustard soft serve has been hyped for nearly two weeks ahead of the CNE opening on Friday, returning after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic (and in the midst of a workers’ strike). safety inspectors).

More than the attractions, more than the entertainment, in the last decade, food has grabbed the headlines.

When I first tweeted about the existence of ice cream a few weeks ago, people responded with vomiting emojis or “disgusting” comments. (Spoiler alert: It tastes more like vanilla ice cream with a slight hint of seasoning. As another food writer described it in Wednesday’s media preview, it’s like “when you lick some mustard off the corner of your mouth”).

To truly understand food at CNE, one needs to have a certain mindset. The food is supposed to match the over-the-top, flashy, chaotic energy of Midway’s rides, flashing lights, and giant stuffed animals. This food can only exist when served steps from the Polar Express or the Crazy Mouse roller coaster.

“The rules are different for fair food,” says Andrew Galarneau, food editor of The Buffalo News, and a former souvlaki slinger at CNE’s Mr. Greek booth in 2008.

“You are celebrating. This is wasteful eating. You will try things once for the thrill. There are merry-go-rounds and roller coasters, and these are exciting games for the mouth… Why eat food you can get elsewhere for the rest of the year when you have this little window to get weird, freak out, and maybe find a new love? ?”

Remember that the success of last year’s Erie County Fair was the cob bomban American-themed corn on the cob encrusted in blue Takis, red Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and white cotija cheese.

“I would try the ice cream,” says Galarneau. “This is not like developing a long-term relationship with a food product. This is like a short summer fling. Fair food is a sensory reminder of that time of year. You can’t do the same with a souvenir bag.”

Grab ketchup and mustard, two Midway staples. Pair them with the ultimate summer dessert, the soft serve ice cream cone, and you’ve got a treat that epitomizes the season and the junk food flavors (and vibrant colors) of Midway. It’s textbook camp in the sense that it enjoys (pun intended) going against what is perceived to be good taste, as does CNE itself with the music blaring, the fries served in buckets and the haunted house ride.

“People love ketchup and mustard, so why not put them on ice cream?” says Samantha Swift, co-creator of the treat, which costs $10 and comes in options of ketchup, mustard or a swirl of both. “It’s important to us that it’s not only phone-worthy, but also tastes great and can be eaten whole. There is a craving for an experience, something new, something different with flavors you already like but might not think to combine. The infusion of the flavors works very well.”

Introducing a more gourmet flavor, like a swirl of dark chocolate and tart cherry, would feel out of place. Sure, it’s guaranteed to be delicious, but it’s a safe flavor and doesn’t quite match the low-stakes excitement of being on the CNE (despite the 2013 Cronut burger food poisoning incident).

Also, as someone who is continually disappointed by new menu items introduced by North American fast food franchises (Tim Hortons is currently promoting maple bacon breakfast sandwiches… innovative), and is jealous of what is available abroad (McDonald’s in Singapore currently has a laksa burger), the CNE is the city’s annual opportunity to let me go.

“The appeal of the food is that it’s novel food in a novel setting,” says Minnesota-based food writer Doug Mack, who runs the pile of snacks food history newsletter, and once timed his wedding so out-of-state guests could also attend the annual Minnesota State Fair, one of the largest in the U.S. “There are the attractions, the animals, there are a llama costume contest. I go to a place that is different from my everyday experience and food is part of that. I don’t look at food with the same eyes.”

After the pandemic hit, Mack’s parents tried to recreate the fair in their backyard, turning a refrigerator case into a Tunnel of Love ride and recreating some of the snacks. “It was better than nothing, but it didn’t scratch the itch,” says Mack. “He wasn’t walking through a crowd of people, he wasn’t smelling goats or surrounded by spinning lights and running kids. The lack of that sensory overload that makes food just taste better… When you take that food out of its natural environment, it doesn’t taste the same.”

I had the same feeling two years ago when CNE released recipes for rainbow grilled cheese and dessert poutine to make at home. I already felt weird eating a food dye-soaked grilled cheese mid-afternoon in my kitchen at home, something else felt off.

“It’s not something you eat alone. You go (to the fair) with a group. You bring your cousins ​​and neighbors. It’s a collective experience and a lot of food is for sharing, like a giant turkey leg that you can’t finish alone, or if it’s something weird you pass it around to see if someone else likes it,” says Folu. Akinkuotu, author of the Unsnackable Newsletter that highlights snack foods around the world.

Like Mack, Akinkuotu attended the Minnesota State Fair growing up for as long as he can remember. Even though he now lives in Boston, he schedules his summer trips home around it.

“I don’t want to spend $9, $12 on two scoops of some weird type of ice cream, so you share it and try a bunch of things with others,” she says. “One of the iconic things at the Minnesota State Fair is just these big cubes of chocolate chip cookies and the smallest size you can get is a cone of 40 mini cookies. Not being able to share it diminishes the experience.”

Akinkuotu adds that Midway food cannot be judged on the same level as restaurant food because vendors have limited access to equipment, staff are often teenagers working summer jobs in sweltering weather, and they have to sell hundreds of of the same item every day. . “It is quite a difficult challenge to solve. You don’t have a full kitchen, but you still manage to be innovative.”

So when you return to CNE this year, don’t think about the dining experience the way you might when you sit down at a neighborhood restaurant or go to one of the city’s many great desserts. Instead, watch the Zipper’s flashing light bulbs bounce off the paper plate, feel the vibration of the speakers as you bite into a corn dog, and smell how the sweet wisps of cotton candy in the air combine with the scent of corn. steamed on the plate. cob.

The Ex is back after a two-year absence, so why not wake up your taste buds with a sugary, fried blast?

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