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What I Learned from the County Fair

Last night was the first time in the nine years I’ve lived here that I went to the San Diego County Fair. I have to say, it was incredible. I mean, it was unbelievable. It’s hard to put it into words… opulence, flashing lights, fried everything… ridiculous. I looked at it as a spectacle, and I had an amazing time.

The fair draws thousands of people every night from across the county. I know I drove half an hour to get there. It’s such a success, so, they must be doing something right! Here are a few lessons learned from my trip to the fair.

  • Extravagance will never go out of style. The fair reminded me so much of Las Vegas… everything is larger than life, from the food, to the shows, to the prices… everything is bigger at the fair. People love feeling like they’re on vacation and that they deserve to pamper themselves. That’s OK, if it’s once in a while… it’s those people who go to the fair twice a week that I’m concerned about!
  • People are scared to stand out, or they love to stand in lines. From the lines at food vendors to the parking lot lanes, I can’t tell you how many times my friend and I found a short (or even non-existent) line for the same thing. People are afraid to venture out and learn for themselves what to do. They like to be doing what everyone else is doing. When we stood in line for ice cream, we turned around and found twenty people in what was previously a four person line. I mean, I know I’m cool and all, but that’s a little much!
  • I’ll do anything once. I tried deep fried oreos, brownie, and ice cream dipped in chocolate and rolled in oreos. Are you kidding me?? Hearing about all the deep fried stuff before I went always confused me… but when I was there, it was a given that I had to at least give some deep fried food a try. I think it’s that way for most people. If something (like deep fried food) is normalized, everyone will give it a try. It’s getting over the hump of making something extraordinary ordinary that’s the challenge.

Although I’m pretty sure I will never go again, I had a great time at the fair and am so glad I went. It was unlike anything else I’ve ever done!

OK, I need to amend my last bullet. I’ll do almost anything once – I won’t do deep fried butter!!

-N.C.