01 April 2008

What I Learned at Coney This Weekend


I can order Mozzarepa, "A combination of sweet ground corn and Mozzarella cheese."

This slightly horrifying-sounding treat is apparently a variation on the Columbian arepa. The "sweet ground corn" are probably better described as cornmeal cakes. So the thing is sort of like a grilled-cheese sandwich, only different.

At amusements parks and street fairs, you can order food you can't get anywhere else, and wouldn't even think of eating anywhere else. Corn dogs, foot-long hot dogs, funnel cakes, candy apples, cotton candy, sno-cones. Every food is a carnival act, a stunt, a gimmick. The food must be part of the fun. No prosaic snacks. Deep-fried this and caramel-dipped that and frozen the other. Food shaped like clouds, and snowballs and rockets. Coney Island food.

3 comments:

Mona said...

i tried one of these last summer, on my annual summer trek to the coney. was EXTREMELY disappointed. the woman did not understand me when i asked, can you GRILL IT? it was borderline inedible. nothing like the ladies who make them for the avenue street fairs during the summer. now why is that i wonder?

Anonymous said...

Coney Island food IS an adventure. I'm fond of the guy who makes deep-fried Oreos to order.

Unknown said...

I think I'll pass on the Coney mozzarepas; the Salvadorean pupusas which contain cheese only(meat also available if you desire)are far superior and most also offer that delicious spicy cabbage salad in jars to garnish...truly a taste experience.
And for those of you shy of the pickled cabbage, they are just as good with red or green picante sauce, or even plain old american Heinz 57 Ketchup!!!