Our favorite meal at the fair

You can go one of two ways with this: Either start with your vegetables (deep fried, of course) or just have something light like a bucket of chocolate chip cookies. We recommend sharing the mixed vegetable tray - broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, onions and more - fried up tempura style at the Veggie Patch, located in the Midway near the Ragin Cajun booth.

If you want to go sweet, hit up The Cookies and Milk stand near the turkey shoot for a cup or bucket of freshly made, warm chocolate chip cookies.

And if you just want something salty, Al's fries could always be a great starter.

Carthage's own Pik-N-Pig offers the best entree option at the N.C. State Fair - The Barbecue Sundae. Now, it isn't a traditional ice cream sundae. It is more like a barbecue parfait with layers and layers of goodness. The barbecued pork is topped with a layer of baked beans, then a layer of coleslaw. Just add your favorite sauce on top (we like a mix of both sauces), and you are all set. Served in a convenient 20 oz. plastic cup, you are able to walk and eat quite easily with this blend of sides and meat. Don't be surprised if you end up finishing it, because it is not nearly as heavy as it sounds.

This was a hard decision but we had to go with the breakout star of this year's fair - Ragin Cajun's Deep Fried Bananas Foster served with warm vanilla ice cream. The rum sauce is spot on and the deep fried bananas are crisp on the outside and deliciously gooey on the inside. Big enough to share but you won't want to.