It seems like more and mote people go to their local fairs just to eat. The food prices go up every year so I'm wondering exactly how can one afford to pay that outrageous price for one meal? What, if anything, do you have in your mind to get to eat when you're at the fair? I love my deep fried veggies and ranch dressing.
I quit going to fairs years ago for that very reason. I refuse to pay like $8 for a freaking elephant ear, or a bowl of cavatelli. Plus I hate running into people that I don't like at these events - which I almost always do. When I was much younger, my folks would give me like 10-15 dollars, and that was plenty to eat a few things, play some games, and go on a ride or two. Now like $10 of that will barely get you something to eat and a bottled pop. That said, I love the fair fries. I also like to try out all the Italian food vendors to see what their sauces taste like, as well as their pizza, meatballs and sausage.
Eating is one of the few things I do at the fair anymore. The games are a total waste of money and I don't really ride rides much anymore at least not at the fair. I try to eat things that don't have a common taste if not unique items. For example I always eat at the one pizza booth because it's good quality and doesn't taste like pizza from anywhere else. My favorite thing to get at the fair is chicken pot pie. No one else has pot pie like that and the place that it's actually at isn't near here.
I think it's just because of the novelty of it that people justify the splurge. After all, they could spend the same amount of money at a restaurant somewhere. The food would be higher quality at a restaurant so potentially a better deal, but the fair usually only comes once a year, so they indulge on foods that they don't usually get elsewhere.