It’s Sunday. That means it’s time once again for another edition of culinary no-no’s, and since State Fair is just a few days away, the focus is on a Fair food favorite.
Cream Puffs sold at the State Fair last year: 360,707
Not every one was devoured properly.
If you would prefer not to make a fool of yourself at the Fair, take note. You do NOT eat a Wisconsin State Fair cream puff like you would a Big Mac or Whopper.
Holding the cream puff in both hands and biting down on the pastry and cream is a serious no-no that will lead to cream slipping out of the puff, onto your shirt and onto the floor or cement, and a possible face full of powdered sugar. You will look like one of those ill-informed geeks from Illinois.
Also, avoid using a fork and knife. It might be a tad neater, but it will still be messy and might be difficult to handle.
The proper way to down a cream puff is to assume it’s not a burger but an Oreo cookie. After you’re done admiring that tower of cream and sugar, hold it in both hands and “unscrew,” if you will, the top and bottom puffs. If done skillfully, you now should have two puffs with equal amounts of cream to eat as easily and comfortably with minimal mess as you’d like.
Cream puff veterans would assume this is just common sense, that everyone knows how to eat one of these babies. Not so.
I work at the Fair doing backstage security at the Main Stage. For 11 days, I see a lot of people who have no clue how to handle a cream puff. Some stare at their purchase with a glazed look and you can read their minds: “Now what do I do?”
Just take a gander at all that cream on the floor of the cream puff building. I personally wouldn’t want to waste a single dollop of that phenomenal stuff.
Some of the performers backstage have actually shed their egos and inquired from the working stiffs about the appropriate technique that should be used. Smart move. You don’t want to ruin your performing ensemble before you go onstage.
So, do yourself a favor. If you truly want to enjoy your cream puff, all of it, it’s not a burger. It’s an Oreo cookie.
And one final note. With all due respect to the bakers at the Fair, why would you go to the cream puff building and not buy a cream puff? I know they also bake brownies and cookies, and those are good choices for the kids. But hey, you adults, what’s your excuse? YOU GOTTA DO A CREAM PUFF!
PREVIOUS CULINARY NO-NO’S1) Ketchup on a brat
2) Green peppers on pizza
3) The dirty martini
4) Fruity brats
5) A Bloody Mary after dinner
6) Women “manning” the grill
7) Eating pizza at Festa Italiana, brats at German Fest, or tacos at Fiesta Mexicana. (Be adventurous. You can have those items anytime).
DON’T WANT A BIG INCREASE IN YOUR SCHOOL TAXES? CONTACT FRANKLIN SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS NOW.
