QuickTake:

Curious about the fryability of certain foods, Lookout food correspondent Taylor Goebel headed to the Lane County Fair. She tried fried cheesecake, cookie dough, soda (yes, soda), among other belt-loosening bites.

As I clung to a bag of barely eaten deep-fried foods, the sun beating down on me at the Lane County Fair, I briefly questioned my journalistic choices. 

It started with an innocent question: Will it fry?

Fried foods are a staple of county fairs across the country, but I haven’t been to one in at least a decade, which means I haven’t indulged in the fare that makes these nostalgic events worth returning to year after year.

So for my first visit to the Lane County Fair, I decided to seek out the novel and unusual things people decide to coat in batter and throw in a vat of hot oil.

Funnel cake and corn dogs are obvious picks, so I didn’t bother with them. (There are a dizzying number of variations of fried dough and hot dogs, however, from hand-stretched elephant ears and Fri-jos to Pronto Pups and corn dogs dipped in sweet garlic sauce.) The same with Oreos and Twinkies.

Frozen strawberry lemonade, a hydrating palate cleanser for all the fried food at Lane County Fair. Credit: Taylor Goebel / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

I had to walk past all the delicious nonfried fare — pulled pork mac, pad Thai, elote, to name a few. Tragic.

As for all the fried leftovers: My colleagues got dibs, though at least one refused to try the fried soda. 

Deep-fried soda, $7

The inspiration for this story. 

Sinful Treats offers Pepsi and Dr. Pepper. I opted for the latter.

I imagined it was like lava cake, as in, the soda was somehow encased in batter and deep-fried, threatening to spill down your chin at McDonald’s lawsuit-level temps. In reality, it’s basically a slightly soda-flavored funnel cake in a cup. You get little sugary Dr. Pepper bits throughout. Think of it as a fun alternative to your classic fried fair fare.  

Next time, I’ll try the deep-fried coffee.

Fried soda from Sinful Treats. Abel Gonzales Jr., a famous concessionaire known as “Fried Jesus,” introduced fried Coke at the State Fair of Texas in 2006. He was also the first to deep fry butter and beer. Credit: Taylor Goebel / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Cheesecake, $9

I added this to my Sinful Treats tab on a whim, wondering if it was too indulgent to fry, as cheesecake is already a hefty dessert. Frying turned out to be a good call: The batter made the cheesecake more custardy, though it remained cool, a nice contrast to the audibly crunchy shell. Since the cheesecake was made to order, I had time to be thankful I wasn’t on the nearby Kamikaze ride, swinging 360 degrees.

Fried cheesecake from Sinful Treats. Credit: Taylor Goebel / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Is fried cookie dough unusual? No. Was I expecting to see it at the fair? Also no. Is it obvious this Monster Cookie Co. concoction works? Yes, obviously. It’s like eating slightly underdone cookies straight from the oven. This one is for the raw dough community. 

Gooey fried cookie dough from Monster Cookie Co. Credit: Taylor Goebel / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Korean corn dog, $16

This was less to answer, “Will it fry?” and more a question of, “Will it nacho cheese?” After a messy bite, I might skip the sauce next time. You already get enough stretchy melted mozzarella within the crunchy exterior (along with half a dog).

A massive nacho cheese-topped Korean corndog. Credit: Taylor Goebel / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Crab nachos, $17

Subo Sushi owners Colton Sample and Toby Helms brought sushi nachos to their first Lane County Fair. This addition was admittedly a stretch, but the base — Doritos or Cheetos— are both fried, so it counts. Subo uses that as a base to layer on flaky crab (or tuna), spicy mayo, pickled jalapeño, cilantro and a shower of nori strips. It’s a fun “fried” dish, and one I enjoyed.

Crab sushi nachos from Subo Sushi. Credit: Taylor Goebel / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Taylor Goebel covers Lane County's food and drink scene. She has nearly a decade of experience in multimedia journalism, having reported across the Mid-Atlantic on dining, food systems, education, healthcare, local elections, labor and business. She was most recently a food reporter in Washington state, where she documented a fourth-generation fishing family, covered a David vs. Goliath conflict between a national coffee chain and a small Turkish cafe, and had many culinary firsts, from ensaymadas and gilgeori (Korean street) toast to morels and black cod.