Oh Big E, you overwhelming state fair/expo/carnival, do you have anything fried I can eat? Why sure dahlin’, we got fried dough, fried pickles, fried mushrooms, fried cahliflawa, fried awreos, fried puhtaytus, fried cawn dawgs, fried mahs bahs, fried clayams, fried shrimp. Awwww yeah. Get a look at that fried dough. That dough is sexy, with it’s air pockets, greasy sheen, and that oooy chewy center. The first couple bites of that doughy goodness definitely makes living in sin feel worth it.

For any unfortunates who are unfamiliar with the Big E in West Springfield, Mass, it honors the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island (oh, you thought New York was part of New England?). The expo boasts food (mostly fried), product exhibitions, animal competitions, state houses, and a carnival, and is also the 8th largest fair in the country. It’s a syrupy concentrate of Americana, straight out of the coffee table books, but east coast style.

My highlights would be: my first bite of fried dough, my first in person glimpse at a horse cock, experiencing a rural interpretation of what “international” means, looking at all the show sheep get gussied up, and the life-sized butter cow in a glass case donated by Cabot which even sports a life-sized artist to be observed “live.” And of course walking through each “state house” where we sampled New Hampshire apple pie and maple candy, Mass staties (oooh, whoops…), Vermont cheddar and flatbreads, Maine blueberry crumble, and Rhode Island crab cakes.

For anyone who has only tasted the dough at San Gennaro’s and appreciates a good carnival, you can’t really beat this one. Of course, you need to get yourself into the mindset when heading out. So remember, you work with your hands for a living, or you clean house. You saved up for the deals. Oh, and the five food groups are fried dough, fudge, pie, pickles, and corn dogs.

Mom comes to stock up on chamois, but it’s also all about never-get-dirty mops, stain removers, magic irons, heating pads, and the like. And for dad, there’s “live” bears, giant looking tractors masquerading as off-roading vehicles, enough cowboy hats to cover you for the year, and hearty, salty, beef jerky. For the kiddies, in addition to games, there’s an endless supply of cream puffs, fudge, chocolate covered everything, pies, crumbles, and corn dogs which conveniently come in small, medium, and deep throat sizes (about a foot). The family as a whole can enjoy sheep sheering, cow milking, horse shows, and animal petting.

It’s on until the 26th. Go. Get chamois and fried dough. You know you have some nostalgia in you.

Photos by Urtica, kristaleigh, pmilg, and martineno.