When Fair Pulls In, Diets Go Out the Window

After trudging around the Orange County Fairgrounds a bit, Ken Drennon finally found what he was looking for: Australian battered potatoes covered with gooey cheese on one end and creamy ranch dressing on the other.

This was no time to be worrying about calories.

“No other place sells these,” Drennon, 37, said as he prepared to munch on this unusual deep-fried Down Under delicacy. “I fill up on these once a year until I get sick. And I will get sick.”

Drennon, a resident of Torrance, was among the more than 17,000 who had visited the fair by Saturday afternoon during the first weekend of the 17-day event.

While the fair’s usual collection of rides, games, exhibits and live entertainment kept the crowd occupied, it was the event’s astonishing array of food that seemed to capture everyone’s attention.

“The food is part of the fun,” 55-year-old Jim Tealdo said as he sat with his wife, Flora, and bit into an ear of barbecued corn.

“This is just an appetizer, a little ice-breaker,” Tealdo said. “The smoke from the barbecue gets you hungry even before you’re ready to eat. We’re planning to eat both lunch and dinner here.”

The health-conscious Delano family, also from Garden Grove, fought valiantly not to succumb to the junk-food epidemic that was afflicting most others.

“This place is dangerous,” said Debbie Delano, 44. “I ordered a turkey sandwich and had to tell them to hold everything but the turkey, the lettuce and the bread. I wish there was some fresh fruit around here.”

Her 13-year-old daughter, Devon, sat nearby eating a green salad.

“I just really like salad,” she said, seemingly oblivious to the corn dogs, barbecued ribs, fried chicken, eggrolls and pizza being wolfed down by fair-goers at adjoining tables.

But 24-year-old Ann Dizon of San Diego had no such concerns.

“It feels like we’ve been eating all day,” Dizon said, giggling. “I’ve eaten corn covered with butter, a big cinnamon roll, a hot dog, zucchini and drank two lemonades.”

After sitting at a mechanical foot massager for a few minutes, Dizon gathered her friends and announced, “We still have other foods to conquer.”

But not everyone at the fair was focused on food.

Ray Alvarado, 36, and his 9-year-old son, Ellison, came to go on rides, particularly the Looping Star roller coaster, which features a large loop and other twists and turns.

But seconds after getting off the ride, the Alvarados were unimpressed.

“One a scale on 1 to 10, I’d give it a 6,” the elder Alvarado said. “There was too much jerking around.”

The Lujan family from Santa Ana spent a portion of their time observing the fair’s swine.

“They’re cute,” said 8-year-old Daniel Lujan, at the fair with his twin, Daniel, 4-year-old sister, Vanessa, and parents, Lorraine and Mario.

“We come here every year,” Mario Lujan said, trying to coax his son away from a piglet. “It’s a great place to bring the whole family.”