username; SilhouetteStation
name; Tammi
gender; demigirl (she/they)
prompt;
The fairground is packed. It's not even lunch time, but you find yourself constantly weaving through the crowds and trying to avoid stumbling into a stranger. Overhead, the midmorning sun shines down. At the moment it's not too hot, and you know you'll be thankful for the shaded areas and cold dollar fizzy cans later. Although when it comes to foodies, they seem to be able to eat anything at anytime, whatever the weather. Sometimes you're not sure how they can eat hot fried food in the late afternoon, but their love of food seems to override their body temperature.
You wander through throngs of people, checking out each stall or ride as you do so. There are the usual things, like cotton candy, popcorn, and cinnamon sugar donuts. Fair games offer a variety of prizes, although you've always been skeptical about their authenticity. Darts, ring toss, water gun targets; classic fair games. There are the bigger rides like spinning teacups, the merry-go-round, and Ferris wheel. You hear someone yell from up top; you hope it's because they're having fun.
As it nears lunch time, you find yourself feeling rather peckish, and begin to investigate the different food stalls. Funnel cake, wedges and sour cream, burgers, hot dogs; you're not sure which tickles your fancy. You stand there for a few moments, pondering whether you want something sweet or savory. As you stand there, you notice the more quirky food stalls. Deep fried Oreos, whole turkey legs - and is that alligator? You shudder slightly. Suddenly, you're attention is caught by another food stall.
It's not as big as the others, nor as flashy and crowded, but it's the stalls owner that catches your eye. Really, it would be hard to miss such bright, rainbow-colored hair. The little top hat finishes the look well. You can see them talking animatedly to the people they've just served, looking very excited about what they're saying. The people walk off, looking questioningly down at whatever food they've just been given. Curious, you wander over.
They're busy cleaning something, and you take a moment to look at their menu sign. Rainbow donut kebabs, deep fried cheesecake - what food won't people try to deep fry? - and then at the bottom, in big letters, Ask me about my dessert fries!
"Howdy!"
You look up at the sound of her voice, directed at you. She's leaning on the counter, a smile on her face. The tone of her voice had what you'd call a 'southern charm'.
"What can I help you with?" She asks. You look back at the sign, and curiosity gets the better of you. "Well, I guess I'd like to ask you about your dessert fries."
Her face lights up like it did talking to those earlier customers. They must have asked her the same thing.
"Fantastic!" she says. "They're a real treat, these fries of mine. Made 'em all up by myself, my own invention."
"How'd you get the idea?"
"I found myself thinking one day," she begins, "that sometimes I'm in the mood for something sweet, and something savory, and there wasn't anything to cater to that, no option that gave me both. And I thought to myself, now Tammi, you're a smart lil' thing, why don't you do something about it?"
She starts bustling around while she speaks, seemingly getting the dish ready at the same time. You watch on, intrigued.
"I took two basic elements of flavor - salty and sweet - because they're the two classic flavors that probably shouldn't work, but they do. I started with these-"
She pulls a load of crispy golden waffle fries out from the deep frier. You have to admit, they do look good. She pours them into a paper tray and sprinkles a pinch of salt on before continuing.
"I thought, now what's something unusual that goes with these little guys? And I remembered when I was younger, I used to dip my French fries in my ice cream sundae, and that was pretty darn tasty. But I can't just put soft serve on these, can I? It'd be a melted mess, and I'd be a darn fool for trying. So I played around a little, and found the next best thing."
Proudly, almost triumphantly, she holds up a jar. "Marshmallow fluff!"
If she sees your smile falter as she spoons some onto the fries, she pretends not to notice.
"The soft vanilla flavor really goes nicely with the potato and salt, and helps combat the sweetness of the chocolate fudge sauce." As she says this she picks up a bottle of the sauce and starts squiggling it over, like you see bakers do on cakes.
"But I wasn't done there," she tells you, and you hear the excitement rise in her voice. Inwardly, you're starting to regret asking.
"I wanted a bit of texture as well - can't expect the fries to do all the work, can we? So I added these!" She takes a handful of something and sprinkles it over the top. "Candied bacon bits! Really helps balance out the dish. And then-"
Oh no, not more, you think to yourself.
"To top it all off, I add a little drizzle of this!" She holds up another bottle of sauce, rich amber in color. "My own recipe. Sweet and sour honey maple sauce."
Should you be impressed? Wary? Somewhat disgusted? You're not sure, so you settle on being a mix of the three.
"You wanna try?" Without waiting for an answer she's already placed the tray on the counter and pushed it towards you. You look down at this bizarre concoction. She's...creative, you'll give her that. She's certainly passionate about what she does.
It can't be that bad if she's selling this, right? That's the only comfort you have as you tentatively pick up a fry. Lucky for you, it's got a bit of everything on it. Putting on a brave face, you pop it in your mouth and start to chew.
Your eyes widen. Your body seems to freeze, as though it can't understand what it's eating. More so, it can't understand why it's enjoying it.
The fries - so crisp, salted so perfectly - with the softness of the marshmallow, the fudge sauce mixing with the vanilla, blending with the salt - the caramelized flavor of the bacon, complimenting the chocolate - the tang of the honey maple, certainly both sweet and sour, elevating each element of the dish. Everything together was just-
"Amazing!" you exclaim, and her eager face breaks open into a wide toothy grin. "Amazing!" You repeat. Part of you can't believe you're saying it. Another part can't believe you haven't tried this until now.
Without hesitation you pull out your wallet and pay for the tray on the spot. She seems overjoyed at how much you like the dish, and you can tell the praise really means a lot to her. You spend the afternoon wandering around the grounds, happily snacking on your delicious dessert fries, very much intending to return to the fair tomorrow to buy another serving.
by Schnuffel Bunny » Sun Feb 24, 2019 3:48 pm 
