Why are you eating that? (and other questions that came up inside the CNE food pavilion)
Why are you eating that? (and other questions that came up inside the CNE food pavilion)
Snacking at the CNE requires a sense of adventure and a stomach of steel. The food seems to get weirder every summer, with vendors competing to produce the most unusual, over-the-top dishes, and 2014 is no exception: options this year include chocolate fried chicken, gooey s’more tacos and cups of coffee mixed with dollops of butter instead of milk or cream. On opening day, we chatted with some brave CNE eaters to see what they had to say for themselves.
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Lara Dumbrique<br /><br /> <strong>Dish:</strong> Thanksgiving Waffle from Fran's ($10)
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- CNE Extreme Eaters
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- “I read about this dish online, and it tastes pretty much exactly like a Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey is moist and full of flavour and the cranberry sauce has whole pieces of cranberries, which I love. But the gravy isn't as thick as I prefer and I found the waffle stuffing a bit dry around the edges.”<br />
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Marielle Francisco<br /><br /> <strong>Dish:</strong> Chocolate Fried Chicken from Coco's Fried Chicken ($12)
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- “I saw it on Twitter and had to try it. It tastes mostly like I thought: the outside tastes like chocolate and the inside tastes like chicken. But I expected it to be a bit sweeter.”<br />
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Petunia Perigo<br /><br /> <strong>Dish:</strong> Bowtie from Spread Nutellerie ($7)
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- “This is pretty serious. It seems like it's a deep-fried pretzel topped with Nutella and whipped cream. Kind of like a glorified funnel cake.”
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Alta Mosley<br /><br /> <strong>Dish:</strong> Banana Chocolate Beavertail ($7)
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- “I'm a Facebook junkie—someone put a picture up about this Beavertail so I thought I had to try it. I'm from Florida, so it's new to me!”
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Huguette Guilmette<br /><br /> <strong>Dish:</strong> Lil Skillet and Fixins from The Iron Skillet ($9)
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- “I'm not really sure what I ordered: something with onion and mushrooms! This is a little heavy on the beef though.”<br />
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Alvin Tran<br /><br /> <strong>Dish:</strong> The Krispy Kreme Donut Burger from Epic Burgers and Waffles ($10)
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- “I had this one last year, so I'm sticking with what I know is delicious. I'm not going to eat it now though, because I'm saving it for a work snack.”<br />
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Anissa Lickrish<br /><br /> <strong>Dish:</strong> Hula Girl Espresso's Caramilk Crowbar ($5), a croissant with a Caramilk bar baked inside.
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- “I'm a fitness instructor—this is for my kids! They love chocolate croissants so I thought this would be a a different take on a classic.”
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Emma Smith<br /><br /> <strong>Dish:</strong> Triple Flavour Slushy ($5)
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- “I thought it would be cool have all three flavours. It's yummy and kind of tastes like fruit!”<br />
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Greg Symons<br /><br /> <strong>Dish:</strong> Spicy Peanut Butter Sriracha Bites from Fran's ($7)
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- “I was intrigued—it was hotter than I expected. The peanut butter gets you first, but then the heat really comes on.”<br />
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Amy Sandhu <br /><br /> <strong>Dish:</strong> Chicken and Waffles from Fran's ($9)
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- “I was going to go for the Thanksgiving Waffles but I got scared off and reverted to plain ol' chicken and waffles, which is one of my favourite foods. I figured at the CNE it would be worth having.”
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- <strong>Names:</strong> Linda Tam and Richard Tam<br /><br /> <strong>Dishes:</strong> S'More Bao and Fish Taco from Far East Taco ($5.50 each)
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- Richard: “I can't compare this to a real s'more, because I've never had one. It tastes a lot like Nutella though, which cuts the sugary marshmallow.”<br />
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Chris Monzon<br /><br /> <strong>Dish:</strong> Brownie Cheesecake Milkshake from Fran's ($7)
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- “It tastes more like a brownie than cheesecake. But it's definitely super sweet.”
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&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/cne-toronto-23-416x624.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_287083" align="aligncenter" width="656"] Click to view gallery (Images: Nick Kozak)[/caption]
Snacking at the CNE requires a sense of adventure and a stomach of steel. The food seems to get weirder every summer, with vendors competing to produce the most unusual, over-the-top dishes, and 2014 is no exception: options this year include chocolate fried chicken, gooey s'more tacos and cups of coffee mixed with dollops of butter instead of milk or cream. On opening day, we chatted with some brave CNE eaters to see what they had to say for themselves.
See all 24 shots »
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The prices of these items are too high for many families and the CNE wonders why attendance is down. A Family of 4 could easily spend $60-$70. A little too much for fast food. $5 Slushies anyone????????????
I preferred the food trucks parked just inside the Princess gates and you could remain outside enjoying the nice weather.
Many years ago in the 1960’s, it was so COOL to get down to the C.N.E. real early, even before the buildings opened. My girlfriend (at that time) used view dogfighting model planes fights at the westend of the grounds or a little league baseball game. Then we would go to the FOOD Building for our breakfast etc. Sometimes we even viewed a (Air Conditioned) Cooking Show. My Mother told me some IDIOT slit her handbag handle and took off with her purse. I was very upset because I was close by without me knowing that my Mother needed assistance ! (Word of the wise – put your money in a very tight pair of jeans in the front pocket with your I.D. as well in the other front pocket). Better to be safe rather sorry that you didn’t take the time to do so. Remember the C.N.E. is a very lovely place to be – but watch out for thieves etc.. They could be standing right beside you and checking you out to steal your wallet etc… Be very wise and careful – Have Fun at the C.N.E. ! – A Concerned Citizen Of Toronto –