The EX EXcess

The EX - EXcess - CNE Part 2 

ex·cess         ikˈses,ˈekses/
noun1. lack of moderation in an activity, especially eating or drinking. 

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I went back to the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) a second time this summer.  I normally only go once per year but I went for the first time on Food Products Day and to see Rick Springfield the first time and ironically I didn't eat as much food on Food Products Day as I did the second time around.  It ended up being an End of Summer Pig Out session.

My friends and I decided to take advantage of the $6 after 5pm deal and the 4 of us met up at the CNE around the Food Building.  This should give you a hint to our time there.  I was the first one to get there of course.  I am always the first one especially where there is food.  I decided to wander around the food building and find a couple of the things I didn't find the first time I went.  I was looking for the Snow Crab Fries and I found them at the Pull'd vendor.  There was only a couple of people in line so I decided to get some.  The Snow Crab really was the best part of this.  My friends still weren't there so I wondered around some more and found the Poutine balls from the Vienna booth.  Even though I got some fresh out of the fryer they didn't seem to be as hot or gooey as I thought they would be but a nice concept of cheese curds wrapped in mashed potatoes and fried and topped with gravy.  I think these might be cool as poutine pops on a stick without the gravy but maybe a dipping sauce.  I am sure that will come one of these days.




Then 2 of my friends arrived and they wanted to get the Colossal Onion.  I had one the first time I went but said I would share with them.  I have to add that it's the first thing you smell as you head toward the food building so I bet they sold a lot of them.  They really are delicious and the dipping sauce is great too.   Oh I must mention that one of my friends wanted to get something cheap so he got the 99cent Spaghetti which was actually $1.05 and then for some reason just as he was getting to the end of it he dropped it and guess what.. Tomato sauce hit the 3 of us but on his new baby blue shorts the worst  Luckily I wear a lot of black so the tiny drops that I might have been hit with didn't show up.  We took the Colossal Onion outside to finish it and my friend and I picked up some Ice Tea from Coffee time which turned out to be really bad Ice tea that we both regretted picking up.  I actually brought a bottle of water but it was so hot that wednesday they said the hottest day of the summer this year so I needed a lot of hydration and that's why I got the ice tea.  Skip the Ice tea and look for the fresh lemon lemonade that we got in one of the buildings later that night which was so much better.   Anyway my last friend finally showed up at 7pm after texting numerous times that she was on her way before that and we waited for her outside the food building and saved her some of the Colossal Onion.

Finally we started walking around the CNE.  We watched a bit of the Parkour show from outside of the seating areas so we could only see part of it.  Then we moved on to the Arts and Craft building.

Then we walked over to the Midway.  I am so NOT a fan of the rides, spinning around after eating a whole bunch of foods you shouldn't eat and then walking around in the heat is never a good idea but we all agreed to get on the SKY Ride which is the ski lift thing that goes over the midway.  I liked this idea because it's not insanely high and you can sit down and see a view of the whole Exhibition Place.  I took this photo of the Ferris Wheel from the ride.  It's also a great way to get from one end of the Midway to the other end.  It cost about $6 and a couple of lineups to do it though.  But it was fun.

Because of the Sky Ride we ended up close to the Princess Gates so we went into the Enercare building where we got the great lemonade drinks.  By far the only semi healthy thing I had at the CNE that night.  It would be super healthy if they skipped the sugar but I had just enough sugar to make it perfect and super refreshing and hydrating on a hot and steamy night.

The enercare building is a great place to shop for all kinds of things but we just took photos of a bunch of fun things there.

Then it was time for more food as the Enercare building was closing and my friend decided she wanted to shop just as they were trying to get everyone out.  So after waiting for 20 minutes for her to return we finally got out and headed back to the midway.   Then it was time for dessert.

Once again I was on a mission to find one of the new foods this year and it took a little while to find but we headed over to Pickle Pete's to get Deep Fried Cheesecake.   I think this was the most delicious thing I had at the CNE that night.  Imagine a soft plain cheesecake wrapped in a wonton wrapper and deep fried and topped with a chocolate drizzle.  The cheesecake was warm soft and creamy inside and the crunch from the wonton wrapper outside was amazing.  My friends shared a Deep Fried Mars Bar.  I have never had one before but they have had them in years past so I am sure I will try it one day.  Pickled Pete's had all kinds of deep fried stuff including pickles, green beans and there was also chocolate covered bacon and more.  Tucked way at the back of the midway but there was a hefty lineup waiting for deep fried crazy things.

Well that was it for us.  It was FRYDAY on a WEDNESDAY for me.  Everything I ate was deep fried.  I really went on a Pig Out binge and after the Food and Wine Festival and  Toronto Film Festivals I am going back to eating like a normal person and going to try and start to get Organic food delivered every week to cook at home.  Will see how long that lasts before I am back to eating at festivals again.   

The EX is a place of Excess.  You shop, you eat, you eat some more, you eat a whole bunch of things you shouldn't eat,  you spend money on rides, you gamble, you see some shows and you walk a whole lot.    I never eat this many fried foods in one day but the Ex is only for a short time once a year so enjoy it while you can and try and live a little less excessively the rest of the year.  Oh wait.. I forgot Thanksgiving and Christmas is up next.   Well luckily I don't celebrate either of these holidays so I can hopefully get back on track after the summer of food festival excess that I have experienced.

Enjoy the Hot Summer Festivals and stay hydrated and as healthy as you can.