Deep Fry It Thanks!

I'm a massive dag.

My American friends don't use this term and hence I've had to get used to explaining it over the years. There's no good equivalent that I've found. I try with words like "geeky", "dorky", "frumpy" and "a loveable loser" but none really summarise it completely.

According to aussieslang.com it's "bits of manure that stick to the long wool around a sheep's bottom forming small dangling balls. Also a term for a funny person, nerd, goof, loser. In this respect it can have either an endearing or disparaging meaning, although is usually used for a likable fellow". So I guess that can pretty much sum me up (minus the bits of manure hanging round my bum).

Therefore my weekends aren't all doing the Gossip Girl thing in swanky bars and funky shops.

I also like to spend great deal of time eating.

Luckily I've found some daggy friends who like the same. They're from Hawaii, my former homeland for a brief fourteen months before I moved to NYC. So together we like exploring Manhattan, the outer boroughs and other exciting places on the East Coast.

Earlier this year, pretty much as soon as the sun came out and we could shed our outer layers, we hit up Coney Island. We caught the D train out to the end of Brooklyn so we could dip our toes in the Atlantic, scream our lungs out on the weary old coasters and pay $2 in a side alley to see the world's largest rat. It repulsed me. I was also suitable entertained by it.

But perhaps the highlight of our day trip to Coney Island was the side van we came across selling deep fried everything! Not just the usual American carnival goodies of corndogs and funnel cake. No, this was deep fried twinkies, deep fried oreos, deep fried snickers bars, deep fried reece's cups, deep fried ringdings, deep fried cupcakes, deep fried poptarts, deep fried pickles, deep fried coke...ok you're getting the picture.

I've no doubt the average person would have been curious. And probably given in and tried one of the above. Or split a fried oreo with a friend. Not me. And I'm pleased to say, not my pals either.

With the sounds of rollercoasters creaking and kids screaming in the background we tried one of pretty much everything. A deep fried buffet. As the Hawaiians say "hey brah, das my kine o buffet". Well, at least the Hawaiians would say that if they were into all things greasy. And heart-attack inducing.

The fun was not without casualties. My bowel suffered badly in the following 24 hours. But memories of the warm sugary-salty-chocolatey-caramely-peanuty-crispy-battered DF snickers made the ordeal worth it.

After the buffet we went out to dinner. (Hey don't judge - that'd just been a snack!) I did, however, have a salad. You know, a good American salad with bacon, chicken, cheese, avocado and ranch. Plenty of ranch. Mmmm... :)

Did I mention I loves me food?