The corn dog batter of unity

A common theme here at the Scaia Institute of Awe-Inspiring Wonderment (patent pending) is we're never done growing. Even the Fletcher family agrees.

The podcast this week looks ahead to the start of the State Fair of Texas. The Fletchers have been serving Corny Dogs there for 84 years, but they had never won at the Big Tex Choice Awards.

Beck Fletcher explains they run a catering business in the off-season. One night, she had a hankering for a fried Oreo, but they had run out of the funnel cake batter they use to fry up Oreos to a golden brown.

"I looked at my daughter, who's fourth generation Corny, and said, 'What's the worst that could happen if we dip the fried Oreo in our Corny Dog mix?'" she explains.

And a dessert Corny Dog was born.

The Fletchers took Best Taste-Sweet for solving a problem: You can now have a Corny Dog for dinner then head right back to the stand for a Corny Dog Dessert. The Chocolate Corny Dog is a chunk of fudge dipped in batter and, instead of mustard, topped with a "drizzle of yellow vanilla icing." It's also served with raspberry compote for dippin'.

The corn batter makes it a health food.

Sticking with innovation and health foods, you might be cutting back on carbs. What if you cut out that unhealthy flour in a tortilla and replaced it with nutritious tater tots and cheese?

Of course, the nacho cheese/tater tot tortilla is then topped with a chopped burger patty and nourishing sauteed onions and jalapenos. Tom Grace explains the dish was delicious enough for "Best Tasting," but the tortilla might also qualify as "Most Creative."

He wound up a finalist for Best Taste--Savory.

The State Fair also introduces visitors from around the world to Texas cuisine. Dickel's Smokehouse had a finalist that aims to help newcomers learn.

From Dickel's: The first taco features a fire-roasted jalapeño stuffed with juicy pineapple pork sausage and melted mozzarella, tucked into a warm blue corn tortilla with rich, charred flavor. The second taco brings the smoke, with tender-sliced brisket wrapped around a roasted jalapeño, layered with melted mozzarella, and served on a heat-kissed yellow corn tortilla finished with crisp purple pickled onion and a drizzle of sweet, smoky barbecue sauce or house made Lone Star Habanero Fuego.

You can enjoy both sausage and brisket. The jalapeno, mozzarella and barbecue sauce can present you with a wonderful marriage of different cultures.

To ensure the fixins were adequately packed into--or wrapped around--the jalapeno, I tried the dish.

It would be fair to say I tried most of the finalists to help you, the consumer, make an informed decision.

For dessert, you can get nutritious Corn Flakes in milkshake form, cheesecake stuffed into a waffle cone... and sometimes more Flan is the answer.

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Last year, we discussed Big Tex' new Sipper category. This year, some mainstays are getting in on the action.

Isaac Rousso has been serving food at the Fair for 20 years and says he enjoys seeing regulars at his stand, some of whom have grown up and started families of their own.

He says his crew keeps a pad in the office all year where they jot down ideas for the next State Fair of Texas, so they were ready to present us with bacon-infused cider.

Many of the sippers will both cool you off and get you drunk on a hot Texas afternoon.

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The winner was Tropical Coco Fresca which comes in pineapple and watermelon flavors, both of which are layered with "agua fresca with chamoy lava Tajin® rim, paired with a scoop of icy coconut snow that melts into a creamy tropical explosion of flavors, sure to keep you cool in the Texas heat."

But the State Fair of Texas is about showmanship. You need to stand out in a busy marketplace.

That brings us to Nacho Man Cody Hays.

He also aims to unite us while also bringing Texas culture to the world. His dish features chicken wings tossed in "zesty taco seasoning, smothered in creamy nacho cheese and piled high with cilantro, green onions, cotija cheese, tomatoes, pickled red onions, and jalapeños."

It's all served on a bed of French fries. Of course.

Everyone needs to find their own way to stand out in a crowded marketplace. For instance, Tom Grace may have won for Burger Chop Tater Tots, but he actually had two finalists. You may not be able to tell from the understated picture below, but his other finalist was made with Cheetos.

Flamin' Crunch Pizza is "hand-tossed, fresh-made pizza dough topped with a jalapeño cheddar queso base and covered with a freshly grated blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheese. After baking to perfection, the pizza is topped with handfuls of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos®, a drizzle of jalapeño queso blanco and house-made buffalo buttermilk ranch dressing, and a hefty sprinkle of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos® dust over the entire pizza!"

Each of these finalists can show us the importance of taking a chance on ourselves. You won't win every battle, but if you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything with hard work ... and a Nacho Man costume ... and bacon.

We are struggling through a period where many of us feel uncertainty or are questioning whether the United States can still be a leader in innovation. The Big Tex Choice Award finalists can show us things that might seem different might actually fit well together. Chicken wings and nachos can coexist; we can dip fudge in Corny Dog batter; we can bring apple cider and bacon together.

Look to the apple cider and bacon, America, and we can draw upon that strength.