The good news: I got to go to the Big E this year!
The bad news: I only went for a few hours on a weeknight and it was disappointing.
When I arrived in Connecticut about 10 days ago, I was seriously pumped for the fair this year. For obvious (Covid) reasons, I couldn't come out for my usual autumn visit, and the Big E was cancelled anyway. This year, everything seemed as if things were more or less back to normal! A friend of mine got me some free tickets and I was already planning my visit.
But, as so often happens, fate had other plans.
My only real opportunity was on a weeknight, last week. I went with my friend & her boyfriend, and we didn't get there til nearly 7 PM. As is custom for me, I wanted my first stop to the Maine baked potato, but alas - they were already closed!
No big deal, I thought -- I'll just come back this weekend and try again.
But that didn't happen. It's tough coming in from out of town, trying to make plans with a bunch of different people who want to see you, wanting to accommodate as many people as you can -- and in the end most of the plans fall through or didn't go as expected. Did I mention how exhausting it is, too? I'm so not used to all this social activity and going out every day, it's been a bit of a shock to my system. I work from home and most days I don't even leave the house. 99% of my social interaction is with my partner, who I might only cross paths with on certain days, due to our different schedules. Sigh. So, yeah, exhausting.
So instead of going back to the fair on Saturday (my birthday) like I had planned, I opted for staying in town and taking it easy doing local stuff, rather than put myself through the stress of an entire day at a very busy event. As it turns out, the Big E broke an all-time attendance record that day, so I'm glad I skipped it.
Anyway. I didn't get the chance to do all that much while I was there, and thus it goes without saying that I also didn't get to try out much, re: food -- BUT I was able to try two new things I had been excited about: the pumpkin cream puff and a particular bread pudding that had been getting a lot of hype.
Sadly, the pumpkin cream puff was a huge disappointment. I was kinda shocked. It didn't have enough pumpkin or pumpkin spice, and wasn't sweet enough. The regular cream puff isn't overly sweet, but the pumpkin version is more or less bland. Wicked bummer. I did get an original flavor cream puff, and there's no comparison: Original reigns supreme.
Next up: This fantastic, unassuming-looking bread pudding from Noujaim's Bistro, whose Lebanese food stand was located in the CT building.
When I was reading up on must-try foods at this year's fair, this came up on practically every list,
each time with rave reviews. I didn't even go out of my way for it, but
fortunately we stumbled across it while going through the state
buildings. It was fantastic - the flavor and texture were both outstanding, not too sweet, rich custardy creamy goodness with a decadent, caramel-esque sauce with hints of cardamom. I have to say it's one of the best tasting fair foods I've ever had. Makes me want to pay a visit to their main restaurant!
Other than that? We didn't do a whole hell of a lot -- browsed through the craft commons area, and checked out the state buildings. Lots of stuff seemed to be missing this year (notably, Cold Hollow, an apple pie and cider merchant in the Vermont building). But, after a tough year & a half due to the pandemic, I suppose that's to be expected.
I barely took any pics, partly because I thought we'd be back. But that's okay.
I was able get my soaps from Amy's All Natural this year (Massachusetts building), so I don't feel too unfulfilled. I still have a few bars of the ones I buy annually, so I bought new scents this time.
Annnnnnnd that is pretty much it for this year's Big E adventure!
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