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Which Of These 8 Crazy Fair Foods Would You Eat?

Jillian Peterson
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Which Of These 8 Crazy Fair Foods Would You Eat?

If you ate all your meals exclusively at state fairs, you’d be forgiven for thinking Spam is one of the four major food groups. (Also trending this year: deep-fried nachos, things served in pineapples, cream cheese stuffed things and the word “bomb”.) So while fair-cuisine might make your heart mad, your mouth will totally thank you. Here are some new, not unhealthy at all foods debuting at fairgrounds later this year.

1) Double Barrel Burger

Because 2018 is overrated, the Indiana State Fair (Aug. 5-21) is doing its part to make sure you never see it. Their Double Barrel Burger is constructed of three glazed doughnuts, two cheeseburgers, bacon…and is that mac and cheese we see in there? If you’re still feeling a little too alive after eating this, there’s also deep-fried birthday cake and deep-fried s’mores for dessert.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJEogQcgGZm/

2) Ice Cream Nachos

The Iowa State Fair (Aug. 11-21) is introducing 26 new food items this year including a light little snack involving an ice cream sundae atop a platter of sugared chips. Basically, a deconstructed waffle cone, but with more sugar. We approve.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJLeBOqgjD8/

3) Spam Curds

Among the candied bacon donut sliders and deep-fried nachos being introduced at the Minnesota State Fair this year (Aug. 25-Sept. 5) are Spam Curds. Here, Cheese-flavored Spam is cubed, battered, deep fried and served with a side of–that’s right–ranch.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIxrMPvDgxl

4) Elvis Chicken & Waffle Sandwich

Nobody has more new foods this year than the Wisconsin State Fair (Aug. 4-14). There’s the Mac & Cheese Crusted Pizzas, Chocolate Bacon Donut Burgers, and everything else in between (two pieces of battered-bread, most likely). Because fairs do everything bigger, their version of chicken and waffles includes a homemade peanut butter, banana, bacon waffle that sandwiches a deep-fried, buttermilk-marinated, hand breaded chicken breast drizzled with Sriracha maple syrup. It’s all topped off with powdered sugar and presumably washed down with this epitome of elegance:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIs-4OChsGS

5) French Toast Bacon Bombs

In addition to deep-fried cookie butter, cayenne cotton candy, a lasagne sandwich and a host of other new offerings, the San Diego County Fair (June 3-July 4) brings us French Toast Bacon Bombs, which are basically bites cream cheese-filled dough wrapped in bacon, deep fried and drenched in whipped cream.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHD2aeAh5ZL/

6) Bacon Cheddar Brat Burger

The Orange County Fair (July 15-Aug. 14) will also be serving a bite-sized version of the French Toast Bacon Bomb (and the lasagne sandwich), but the stand-out splurge this year is an insane pretzel bun burger layered with beef, two slices of cheese, sriracha bourbon sauce, bacon, a bacon cheddar brat and…candied pecans? Sure, why not.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BGhgjJkvUpO/

7) Blue Ribbon Chicken Pierogis

The Erie County Fair (Aug. 10-21) is introducing several unique foods this year, and while showing way more restraint than their counterparts (only one item is served stick-side), they have managed to create a dish that incorporates an entire home cooked meal into a single bite: a pierogi filled with roasted chicken, vegetables and mashed potatoes dipped in fried chicken batter and served with country style gravy.

amy-schumer

8) Deep Fried Pulled Pork “Funyun” Dings

Ah, the Texas State Fair (Sept. 30-Oct. 23). Where the calories are as big as the hair (Wait, is that the official motto?). While the big event doesn’t kick off until September 30, organizers are busy rallying people to vote for the dish they want to see at this year’s festivities. In the running: 8 of the most bat-shit crazy carnival foods you’ve ever heard of. Our money is on the Deep Fried Pulled Pork “Funyun” Dings out of pure curiosity. How does one stuff Funyuns with pulled pork, pineapple, cheese and bacon, exactly? (UPDATE: voters have cast their final ballots. The winners are: Best Taste goes to Ruth Hauntz for Fried Jell-O®; Isaac Rousso takes the title of Most Creative for his State Fair Cookie Fries.)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJQZbrsjjsD

[poll id=”6″]

 

7 Fast Food Menu Hacks For Vegetarians and Vegans

Jillian Peterson
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7 Fast Food Menu Hacks For Vegetarians and Vegans

Gone are the days when non-meat eaters had basically two options when dining out: a salad or mixed fruit cup. Each came with a side of sadness. Today, even fast food chains are getting the message that vegetarians and vegans like to eat out once in awhile sans ridicule. Here are 6 chain restaurant menu hacks every herbivore should know about.

1. Olive Garden

The pasta chain takes its dietary restrictions seriously. They’re often happy to substitute meat for vegetables or even more pasta (pre-made ravioli gets tricky, but they’ve been known to accommodate). They even created a list of animal-free dishes they offer. They’re also willing to nix the cheese on any menu selection. As is the rule, just ask. Politely.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BERNRapRD5y/?taken-by=olivegarden

2. Burger King

Little known fact: the burger chain will swap out a regular beef patty for a veggie one on any of their burgers. In fact, their Veggie Whopper is one of the more popular items on their “secret” menu, which comes with all the usual trimmings. The bad news for vegans: what once was a dairy-free patty is no longer. Their fries, however, are.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAtC5D2Synj/

3. Chipotle

Vegetarians have it pretty great when it comes to paying for extra toppings. While additional meat options can add up, the non-carnivores among us should head to Chipotle, where grilled fajita toppings are free of charge, as are beans and rice. There’s also the sofrita option (shredded tofu) that you can add to any taco or burrito. Chipotle will also throw in as much fresh cilantro as you wish, if you’re into that.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BH46hL0h5bt/

4. Taco Bell

A super easy fix for vegans. Order the 7-layer burrito (which is already meatless) and ask them to hold the cheese and sour cream. Add some potatoes, extra guac and your choice of sauce and you’ve got yourself a pretty satisfying meal that won’t make you feel ripped off.

http://www.instagram.com/p/BIoWTUKAEyr/

5. Denny’s

An incredibly smart idea, Denny’s allows diners to Build Your Own Burger. One of the options is a Veggie Patty courtesy of Amy’s Kitchen. Vegans will want to ask for a white sesame seed burger bun instead of the wheat, which contains honey.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHLozJzBqgS/

6. Papa John’s

Like Domino’s thin crust (and many other pizza chain doughs), the original hand-tossed dough at Papa John’s is vegan. Order it without the cheese and top it with tomato sauce and loaded veggies. Add a side of garlic and barbecue dipping sauces and you just made yourself a DIY vegan pie.

http://www.instagram.com/p/BI34KlSB76a

7. Arby’s

A meatless steak fajita flatbread? According to one writer, who was treated to the chain’s impromptu, makeshift vegetarian item, “The peppers on the fajita are fire-roasted, with just a bit of balsamic.” And not much else. It looks like you’ll have to ask them to hold the cheese if you’re vegan. The curly fries are always vegan, as are their French toast sticks.

https://www.instagram.com/p/1tpksytyws/

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Amazing: Watch People Assemble Ikea Furniture On Psychedelics

Taylor Berman
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Amazing: Watch People Assemble Ikea Furniture On Psychedelics

For everyone who isn’t a masochist, assembling Ikea furniture is hell. The best case scenario is you spend two hours cursing and end up with a cheap piece of disposable furniture that you’ll have to throw away the next time you move. But what if you assembled that cabinet set while insanely high on psychedelics?

That’s the question two advertising bros—Hunter Fine and Alex Taylor—asked themselves before developing Hikea, a new YouTube series dedicated to filming New Yorkers who are blitzed out of their minds.

“We knew we had something there and thought it would be a fun social experiment to pair different drugs with different pieces of furniture,” Fine told Fast Co. “Because building Ikea furniture is such a universal rite of passage and a struggle we all know, it seemed naturally relatable to amplify the degree if difficulty with something a little stronger.”

The first clip (above) is titled GIANCARLO & NICOLE + LSD, and it’s just that: A couple named Giancarlo and Nicole take LSD before attempting to build a small cabinet. Their attempt lasts about four hours, before the pair abandons it to go hang out at a nearby playground.

“Oh, wow,” Giancarlo says at one point during the build, staring out a window. “Outside. It’s, uh, like neutrality of any emotion. It is. It’s just there. That’s cool, man. It’s just there.”

The second clip stars a man named Keith, who eats an eighth of mushrooms before trying to put together a small desk. It doesn’t go well.

“I feel like on a shrooming scale I’m somewhere near bananas” he says about 45 minutes into his trip. “I’m able to communicate effectively though my voice and mouth box. But somewhere there’s a grease fire in my thought box. But I retain control.”

Thirty minutes later, the grease fire in his thought box grew too hot, and he lost control. “This is a book of lies,” he says, tossing down the instruction manual. Here’s what happened next, from Fast Co.:

Other than dazing out, the only problematic behavior that’s emerged so far in Hikea’s brief history is that the subject of episode 2, the psilocybin-addled Keith, just wandered off for about a half-hour, worrying the creators a great deal. When he returned, however, he simply drank some orange juice, made a drawer and called it a day.

Keith finished the drawer in five hours, and he only skipped 12 steps from the instructions.

That Feeling When You Discover A Dead Body In Your New House

Taylor Berman
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That Feeling When You Discover A Dead Body In Your New House

A few years ago I flew into Paris and checked into my hotel room, where I found a strange man sleeping on the bed. Jet lagged and confused, I gave a little shout, waking him. He apologized profusely in French as did his girlfriend, the hotel maid, who’d apparently let him in that morning for a little rest. The following story is kind of similar, except instead of a hotel room, it was the bedroom of a newly purchased $430,000 Los Angeles-area home, and instead of a sleeping Frenchman, it was the rotting corpse of an 84-year-old man.

In late June, a person bought a home in Simi Valley, California. A few weeks later, the buyer explored the house and discovered the body of Salvatore Orefice lying in one of the bedrooms, partially covered. The buyer called the police, who contacted Mary Karacas, 75, the home’s previous owner. As it turns out, Orefice was Karacas’ former boyfriend, who she’d killed sometime after the sale. From the Los Angeles Times:

Karacas, 75, told detectives she and Orefice had gotten into an altercation, he said. At some point during the fight, Karacas told detectives, she shot him. She was arrested on suspicion of murder, [Simi Valley police Cmdr. Roy] Jones said.

Orefice and Karacas had 30 days to move out of the home after selling it, Jones said.

It’s not clear how long Orefice’s body had been inside the home. Karacas was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder, according to KTLA. It’s way too late for this thought, but perhaps she should have hired a better real estate staging company?

 

Video: Child’s Intense Motivational Speech Will Make You a Better Person

Taylor Berman
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Video: Child’s Intense Motivational Speech Will Make You a Better Person

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bniI8NUwoRU

This speech by a pint-sized Jamaican fitness expert is an inspiration for all us. In the 80-second clip, Demarjay Smith, 9, rails against settling for mediocrity or giving life anything other than your very best. I’ve watched it three times already this afternoon, and I feel like I could do go do literally anything now. Watch above, and read a transcript below.

“Either you work hard for it, or you don’t work hard for it. Me and my brother, we work hard for our stuff. It don’t come easy. In life, you have to work. You have to want to be the shark of the ocean, or the fish of the ocean. Right now, we want to be the shark—take over everything. Strength, no weakness. You have to have that mindset, so you can come in here and dominate…Keep yourself up, pumped, and ready for any challenge that come.”

This isn’t Smith’s first brush with viral fame. Last year, a video of him and a few friends doing push-ups and other exercises went viral, earning Smith not one but two trips to The Ellen Show. On the first, he raced Usain Bolt; on the second, he attended the NBA All-Star Weekend, where he co-coached the celeb game with Drake and repeatedly owned Kevin Hart. Watch both appearances below.

 

Here Is The Ultimate Secret Menu For Fast Food Foodies

Amy Hansen
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Here Is The Ultimate Secret Menu For Fast Food Foodies

Who doesn’t want to feel like they’re part of a secret club? While joining the Friars is probably not your bag, there’s a far tastier way to feel special. Read on to discover your new favorite fast foods–no weird, secret handshake required!

Dairy Queen – Frozen Hot Chocolate
Reminiscent of a Frappuccino, this frosty hot chocolate drink could potentially send you on a treasure hunt, as most DQ chains only offer it as a seasonal option. Some outlets, however, will be happy to make it for you year-round if you ask. Serendipity at its finest.

https://www.instagram.com/p/i5nf_xOOxG/

Burger King – Frings
Half fries, half onion-rings. You really can have it your way!

https://www.instagram.com/p/0Q-6O_zP6-/

Chick-Fil-A – Blueberry Cheesecake Milkshake
Apparently, all you have to do is ask your very patient server, who hopefully had their coffee this morning, to blend a slice of blueberry cheesecake into your vanilla milkshake and voila! Your daily fruit quota has never tasted so good.

https://www.instagram.com/p/X49qL2BQzf/

Sonic – Pickle-O’s
These “discontinued” deep-fried pickle slices are no longer listed, but their memory lives on in the form of a secret menu item. They’re most popular in the southern states, but since pickles and fry batter are always on hand at Sonic, it’s really no problem to accommodate the request anywhere. Go ‘head and ask.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBlJ-k0SvW1/

Shake Shack – Beer Float
This adult version of the root beer float resides in Las Vegas, for when your sweet tooth has the nerve to interrupt your buzz. It’s a scoop of vanilla custard in the beer of your choice. Delicious? Maybe. Necessary? Absolutely.

https://www.instagram.com/p/0mMPipNE-_/

Taco Bell – The Incredible Hulk
Not to be confused with The Hulk, a bean and cheese burrito loaded with guacamole, this overloaded sibling is a five-layer burrito made with guac instead of the standard nacho cheese sauce. All the green monster with none of the radiation.

http://www.instagram.com/p/eS9WQ9QhNq/

Red Robin – Cure Burger
Initially introduced as a New Year’s Day hangover cure in 2015, this burger — a beef patty topped with bacon, cheese, chili, mushrooms and a sunny-side up egg on a sesame bun — became the chain’s first secret menu item. Death: The ultimate hangover cure.

https://www.instagram.com/p/xa9bLFx06i/

Sonic Youth: How Young Is ‘The Young Pope’ Trying to Be?

Brendan Bures
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Sonic Youth: How Young Is ‘The Young Pope’ Trying to Be?

Look, no one’s denying the premise isn’t silly: Take a super conservative and convoluted world leader and make him young, in all the subversive, bloated meaning of that word. And no one’s denying you must buy it: Establishing a show with an opening shot of a pile of babies—questionably dead or alive—regardless of what’s really going on, sort of demands viewers either accept this unreliable, madhouse world immediately or not. And no one’s even saying this makes any sense: How did Patrick Bateman become the Pope? Would the Catholic Church leaders really give up this power so freely? Did he have to be American?

But all those delirious, demented circumstances is what made any of us curious in the first place. Because in this content overload environment we’re all trapped in, anything approaching normal is just plain boring. It’s not enough. Any of it, but especially a basic power struggle drama where an antihero character unqualified and undeserving sits on the throne. Correction: In these times, that might’ve been too much.

So the Pope’s young, what does that mean? What kind of youthful stereotype are they twisting? Is it generational? What type of ramifications will being young—hip young, plays-it-loose young, temperamental young, silly young, YUNG young—bear on the Papal Palace?

All important questions. Thankfully for you, we have answers. (Quick warning: If it wasn’t obvious, this post will be spoilers heavy.)

Baby Talk

What happened: Lenny Belardo climbed out of, or possibly through, or maybe dove headfirst and swam a few laps in a pile of babies. Some were kicking and some were Casper. Regardless, the Young Pope emerged from this toddler town.

What does this mean: The Young Pope misdirects with its opening shot, kind of going dream-within-a-dream sequence on us. But within this show—three words: Cherry Coke Zero (we’ll get to it)—anything truly is possible. Maybe Belardo read Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal and thought, “Your mans was up to something,” and tried it out. Who knows?

Young Rating: Babies. Birth. Belardo. Can’t get more Young than those three right there.

That Speech

What happened: In a dream, Lenny Belardo envisions delivering a speech that promotes gay marriage, body acceptance, and sexual desires. Archbishops faint, the church loses its mind, young kids in the crowd cheer.

What does this mean: Being the Catholic Church and all, we’re going with repressed sexual desires. But also, a show farcically replacing the Pope with Young Guy, this would be all the joking predictions a viewer could make. Nothing’s more stereotypically young like hip, cool, and above all, sexy.

Young Rating: Millennial blogger. Someone who submitted personal diary entries to Thought Catalog or Elite Daily and demands no one questions their sexual anything.

Cherry Coke Zero

What happened: Presented with an immaculate breakfast buffet, the Pope asserts he only drinks a Cherry Coke Zero for breakfast. A butler offers him a Diet Coke as temporary solution, and the young Pope responds, “It is death to settle for things in life.”

What this means: Dickie Greenleaf gets what he wants. But we should’ve known that already.

Young Rating: Cherry Coke Zero is youthful perfection repackaged for a millennial audience. I was discussing Lenny’s choice, though the description fits both. Judging by Lenny’s age, it’s actually a kind of hip Gen Xer who knows the lingo and keeps up with the pop culture trying to show off to a younger crowd he still gets it.

Smoking

What happened: Lenny Belardo smoked in the Papal Palace. When confronted that smoking is prohibited, the Young Pope asked who created such rules. “John Paul II,” is the reply, which Lenny points out, was the Pope, which is what he is now. As is the case, he makes the rules now.

What this means: As the act of smoking always is, a power move by giving the finger to death.

Young Rating: Gen X, Gen X, Gen X. Moving on.

Not Believing In God

What happened: The Young Pope confesses to Tomasso near episode’s end and declares, “God does not exist.” When this sends poor, gentle Tomasso into hysteria, a quick retraction of “just kidding” is uttered. The look on Lenny’s face tells otherwise.

What this means: This could be the whole dilemma of The Young Pope, exploring the absurdism of faith, and the absurdism of not believing in anything.

Young Rating: Lack of faith, leaning into atheism but not embracing it, serious abandonment issues, never fulling revealing his true position on an issue? No question. Total sucker for a millennial.

Everything About The First Wine & Weed Symposium Debuting This Summer

Amy Hansen
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Everything About The First Wine & Weed Symposium Debuting This Summer

Forget y’alls wine and cheese pairings. The first ever wine and weed symposium is coming to Sonoma this summer.

Okay, so it won’t exactly be a party with everyone getting high on glasses of Chardonnay and pot brownies, but it is definitely a move that will benefit both wine and cannabis producers.

The Wine Industry Network had the bright idea to bring the two industries together, realizing they have a lot in common — both are agriculture-based, heavily regulated and produce a buzz — and should probably figure out a way to work together.

“The wine industry is obviously more celebrated and socially acceptable. But the cannabis market — especially in California — is ready to explode,” says Al Olson, cannabis editor at The Fresh Toast and former wine editor for the San Jose Mercury News.

Instead of fighting for market share, there is great opportunity for the two sectors to collaborate.

“The mature wine industry will be able to reach a broader, younger audience by working in concert with marijuana outfits. The nascent cannabis industry benefits by introducing its product to a sophisticated consumer base.”

The conference will be held August 3 in Santa Rosa, CA and, according to WIN’s press release, will focus on the legalization of cannabis in California and the expected impact and opportunities that this presents to the wine industry.

Topics will include: the newly implemented law, along with experts from both the wine and cannabis industries on regulations, licensing requirements, hospitality, tourism, farming, and other topics of interest.

Guess Which State In The US Has The Best Marijuana Access

Al Olson
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Guess Which State In The US Has The Best Marijuana Access

How epic was 2016 for cannabis? Well, when the number of legal states with marijuana access double in a year, you can consider that a groundbreaking year. Add in another four states with medical marijuana programs, and you start to see a trend that will be tough to reverse — no matter who is the attorney general.

As the nation prepares for a new administration, Canna Law Blog, an influential platform run by a team of 1o cannabis attorneys. posted a ranking of states based on how they treat cannabis and citizens who consume it.

Oregon became a legalized marijuana state in 2014 when voters overwhelmingly supported Measure 91. According to Canna Law Group. it has already surpassed Colorado (No. 2) and Washington (No. 3), the first two states to legalize recreational adult use.

Daniel Shortt, author of the list, explains Oregon’s top ranking:

Determining the top state in this series was not easy. There was significant debate among our cannabis lawyers as to whether California, Colorado, Oregon, or Washington should take top honors. … One of the prime determinants for us was Oregon not having a residency requirement, as we see this as very business friendly and making it much easier for cannabis businesses to secure funding.

Colorado earned its second-place ranking partly based on its influence nationally, according to Shortt:

One could argue that Colorado’s successful legalization has done more for legalization nationwide than that of any other state. One could also make a good argument for Colorado having done more to end the stigma surrounding cannabis than another state.

South Dakota is considered the least cannabis-friendly state. Why? Shortt explains:

Cannabis is totally illegal in South Dakota. It is not available for either recreational or medical use and it has not been decriminalized. And South Dakota has some of the strictest penalties for cannabis possession in the country.

The maximum penalty for selling more than a pound of weed is 25 years in the state penitentiary. Even being caught in possession of a bong or any cannabis paraphernalia can lead to a 30-day stint in prison and a fine of $500.

For a complete list, visit the Canna Law Blog. 

 

Study: Natural Selection Is Steering Humans Away From Education

Brendan Bures
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Study: Natural Selection Is Steering Humans Away From Education

Every preceding generation of humanity loudly proclaims their successors will make society stupider, more selfish, and slip farther away from our core morality. If you don’t at least suspect this, you’re probably a millennial.

But a new report indicates that attitude from ancestors could hold some validity. The Reykjavik genetics firm deCODE found genes linked to people spending more years in education had decreased in Iceland from 1910 to 1975.

Pinpointing gene variants predisposed to educational attainment, scientists examined a database of more than 100,000 Icelanders and discovered a small decline over time. This could indicate natural selection to steer away from organized learning. Perhaps more startling was the effect these genes had on procreation.

Via The Guardian:

Those who carried more “education genes” tended to have fewer children than others. This led the scientists to propose that the genes had become rarer in the population because, for all their qualifications, better educated people had contributed less than others to the Icelandic gene pool.

This report goes in hand with a recent Harvard study by Jonathan Beauchamp who found evidence that humans are still evolving by focusing on the lifetime reproductive success (rLRS) of a small portion of the U.S. populace. (For the record: The scientific community debates whether humans have or have not stopped evolving yet.) Beauchamp reported that natural selection was working very softly against educational attainment.

Via Phys.org

After studying the data, Beauchamp found evidence of evolution in two phenotypes—a slight uptick in the age of first menstruation and a trend toward a lower rLRS for people who had more education—conversely, people with less education had more kids and thus more opportunity to pass on their genes.

Beauchamp did, however, acknowledge the limitations of his small data set and that using this data to indicate future trends could be problematic. The rates of technological advancement, along with various other social progression, could have profound effects.

Natural selection opting away from educational attainment remains a recent development. Kari Stefansson, who led the Icelandic study, warned that if the trend continued for centuries, it could lead to serious implications.

As he told The Guardian: “The cumulative effect over time means this is going to have a dramatic effect on the genetic predisposition to educational attainment, and unless something comes along to counteract that, it could have a profound effect on educational attainment in our society.”

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