How could I not go? I have always been a pickle fan. I used to be the little short-round swiftly unloading the pickle and olive tray at Christmas parties. I gave a best friend a big jar of dills for her birthday one year (she too is a fan, don't worry). And I'm pretty sure I wore a pair of pink pickle boxers to a college party once upon a time. Clearly this was my kind of festival.
My solitary goal, (besides the obligatory photo taking), was to indulge in a few of the fried morsels I had eaten only once before at a local fair. Surely a Pickle Festival would have a big vat of these delightful bites. After making a few laps around the parking lot fairgrounds at Broome and Ludlow, I saw pickle pins, pickle t-shirts, pickle history lessons, and even a person in a pickle suit, but I couldn't find anything even resembling a fryer.
I decided to get in line for a pickle-on-a-stick from Horman's Best, based in Glen Cove, New York. It was $1, which, when you consider how many pickles come in a $3 jar of Vlasic, seems outrageous; however, I found it to be a wonderful if not slightly suggestive snack. I'm sure every one of the 25 people enjoying the pickle-on-a-stick at the very same time had the very same thought, but trust me, all blushing was set aside in order to savor the kosher goodness.
I didn't get a chance to try any of the kimchi (Korean pickled vegetables) that was available but I did find a free sample of a peanut butter and pickle sandwich.
Take a moment.
It actually wasn't too bad, but I'm certainly not about to hop in the kitchen and prepare one of these things for my lunch tomorrow. All I wanted was a fried pickle! And that's when I saw a woman walk by with something breaded on a mini paper plate. So I made the rounds once again until I found the Whole Foods stand. I had previously passed by this stand several times because really, what could they have? Turns out they had free fried pickles -- well, one free fried pickle about the size of a nickel next to a blob of spicy mustard. First of all, I prefer ketchup, not mustard, with my pickles, and second, the nickel pickle wasn't that great. At least the mission was accomplished.
The afternoon was redeemed by trying a Fizzy Lizzy all-natural juice spritzer -- one of the very few beverages available to purchase, besides Dixie cups of wine. I had Costa Rican Pineapple and it was a nice, refreshing drink, but I'll admit I just kept thinking it would be a great mixer for Malibu rum. Hey, at least it's all-natural.
It was a really fun day in one of my favorite neighborhoods and even though I knew I wouldn't be the only attendee sporting a little green, I had no idea how many people in the LES own green footwear. I'll need to do some shopping before next year...
