So Meaty

If there’s any truth to the old adage “You are what you eat,” we gotta admit we’re a little scared of the culinary outlook at the Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition. Sure, there’s the usual stuff -- elephant ears, funnel cake, corn dogs, and turkey legs. You know -- fair fare. But the new additions sound kinda freaky. “We’re offering a roast beef sundae. There’s mashed potatoes, it’s covered in roast beef, and there’s gravy that looks like caramel. And a cherry tomato on top,” says Nancy Chevres, director of marketing. For dessert, try the deep-fried cheesecake! But don’t worry, health nuts. “This year, all foods will be cooked with zero trans fat,” Chevres adds reassuringly. Whew. In that case, pour on some more caramel gravy!

Good times for the ol’ gullet are in store, but there’ll be equal opportunity to burn off the calories. Heck, just watching the Live Shark Encounter (educational and entertaining) should get the heart pumping and the metabolism cranked a little higher. And there’ll be jaw-dropping performances by the Peking acrobats, a cool new show called Rhythms on Ice, the Royal Hanneford Circus (which features mostly people, rather than unhappy animals), and all sorts of fun for the kids, including petting zoos (this is an agricultural expo, after all) and more than 90 rides spread out over 86 acres. There’s so much to see and do! Thankfully the fun continues through April 13. Come on down to the Fair Expo Center. Admission is nine bucks; kids under age five get in free. The fair is open from noon to 10 p.m. today, and the daily Mardi Gras parade takes place at 6:30 every night.
March 28-April 13, 2008