Fling Food

I’ve heard a few things about drinks or something at Fling, but I don’t really know what that’s about--the real attraction is the food. The currency is mainly grease, with almost everything served coming out of a deep fryer.

The first thing some friends and I tried was a $7 basket of chicken fingers and fries from a stand in the lower quad. The chicken looked gross, inexplicably and unapologetically stripped of its breading. It ended up tasting alright, though, pretty moist if lacking crunch, but identifiable as white meat and not badly seasoned.

The fries were mainly crumbs. They had basically no resemblance to potato, instead looking and tasting like solidified yellow grease. I don’t know how long they had been sitting there, or how many times they had been dunked in oil, but that’s how they ended up. We had no problem downing them anyway.

Soon after, I got some lemonade from a stand nearby. Its excessive sweetness made it less refreshing than it could have been, but bad lemonade is still good.

Next, it was time for everyone’s favorite: the fried oreo. They were sold exclusively at a stand in the upper quad, with a big sign advertising the showcase item.

The oreos look like spheres of fried dough dusted with powdered sugar. Unlike the chicken, they were executed very well, with a perfect doneness and a sweet, crispy exterior that tasted like more than just grease. Also, they were fresh out of the fryer, which the other fare, by and large, was not.

The first bite into the crunchy outer layer of the fried oreo deflates the sphere. Then, you get to the soft dough, followed by a warm oreo that has lost its hard consistency but maintained its shape and taste. The end result is a combination of powdered sugar, fried dough, chocolate cookie, and vanilla cream, all at once, warm, and in contrasting textures. It’s truly a culinary triumph. (Perhaps this is why fried oreos pop up at places a little fancier than Fling food stands as well, like at the upscale hamburger joint Rare Bar & Grill in Manhattan.)

I guess for once a year, it’s good to eat solid grease, yellow sugar water, and nasty, naked chicken fingers. After all, Fling food is food for a particular mindset. Serve it to me in a fancy restaurant, or even on a regular day, and I’ll likely be disgusted. But when the time is right, and the mood cooperating, Fling food is actually pitch perfect.