{"id":1330,"date":"2014-04-07T00:59:03","date_gmt":"2014-04-07T00:59:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eyeslikecarnivals.com\/?p=1330"},"modified":"2020-03-04T00:35:33","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T00:35:33","slug":"carnival-food-is-the-show-cooks-are-showmen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eyeslikecarnivals.com\/?p=1330","title":{"rendered":"Carnival Marches on its Stomach"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Pancakes<\/a>Co-owner of Golden Wheel Amusements Jacqueline Leavitt makes pancakes for the crew at the Bear Paw Festival in Eagle River, Alaska last July.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAn army marches on its stomach.\u201d
\nNapolean Bonaparte<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

No great carnival exists without great carnival food and showmen cooks. Same rings true for X Banner Stands<\/span><\/a> and flags!<\/p>\n

When Flash was a young man in carnivals he walked by a gypsy woman who looked up and cast a spell on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn old gypsy woman told me, ‘Sell hot dogs and hamburgers with cottage cheese recipes<\/a> you’ll make a lot of money’ and she was right,\u201d Flash said at the Showtown restaurant in Gibsonton, Florida, aka Carnytown USA.<\/p>\n

At his peak, Flash said he ran \u201cseven or eight\u201d food wagons. He’s retired these days with property in Gibsonton and in Pennsylvania, where he owns several more businesses.<\/p>\n

Flash based his career on those prophetic words. He prospered, raised his kids on the road and named his daughter after the gypsy woman.<\/p>\n

However, carnival food is both food for the marks and the carnies.<\/p>\n

In some carnivals, food wagons are still be called grab joints, grease joints and choke & pukes.<\/p>\n

Traditional carnival wagons sell Elephant Ears, cotton candy, funnel cakes, nachos, pizzas, hot dogs, hamburgers and fried foods like deep-fired Twinkies and Snickers.<\/p>\n

Kelly Wilson, the carny philosopher king, works in a Mexican food wagon, of which there are many along the border of Mexico.<\/p>\n

Carnies often get a discount from the wagons and word spread up and down the state fairs when a booth has cheap food.<\/p>\n

Some carnivals set up commissaries. When I worked for Butler Amusements in California, the food wagon had hot egg and sausage biscuits for breakfast and other microwaveable dishes.<\/p>\n

Butler hosted a surprise Easter brunch for us in Martinez, California. On the throwing counter of a balloon-dart game, the buffet featured plates of ham, salami, turkey, American cheeses, potatoes, pasta salads, cookies and Easter eggs.<\/p>\n