Asparagus

This weekend I attended that annual Asparagus Festival in Stockton with my coworkers and it was such a good time.... but you have to like asparagus, hot weather, and the sun. Game on.

First we tested out the Aspararitas, which were good.... not much of a hint of the greenery, but the shards that it did contain inevitably wound up in my teeth. I liked them so much, I had three.

We then moved on to what this place is most noted for - the Fried Asparagus. Now, I know we hype up the 'everything on a stick', but this is a sight to behold. There were three large tents that had hundreds of volunteers dipping the veggies in the frier and the lines to get a basket were long...I think it was worth the wait at least. You could get your own little ranch dressing dip and just sit and enjoy your stalk.

For our dining entertainment, we watched an asparagus eating contest with about 10 contestants. While each had their own strategies, the guy that won the trophy (and hopefully a new gut), ate 8 pounds of asparagus...that's right, eight POUNDS...he did this all in 10 minutes and broke his own record from last year. Way to go Joey... (I bet he didn't smell good today.)

I also had to test out the Tri-tip Asparrito, which was really good. Steak and asparagus rolled into a little tortilla and served hot - why didn't we have these in school?

Next, we moved on to the Asparabeer. Somehow they've made beer that didn't taste so much like asparagus, but the garnish was the best part of it. I mean, how fun is this?!

I'm still full today.