YEEEHAAAAW!

Calgary Stampede
1410 Olympic Way SE
calgarystampede.com

Stampede 2010 is here in Calgary and after a week of trying to get people to come with me with no avail, I decided to venture to the cowboy western fest on my own... To try out all the "delicious" foods.

First up, was the pulled pork parfait. I took me a good 45 minutes to find the place, walking around aimlessly like hobo through the grounds. Finally decided to ask the guest services people for directions. Turns out it was only a couple of booths away, sure felt stupid after that! Barbeque pulled pork filled the plastic cup and topped with a scoop of mashed potatoes with gravy drizzled on top. The pork was tender with a hint of smokiness. For $7.50, I would say it was worth every penny. All seven hundred and fifty of them. Not that I paid with pennies. A solid 8 out of 10. I was glad I got there when I did because as I was leaving the line was about 10-15 long.



I had wandered by the waffle on a stick booth whilst searching for the pulled pork parfait. Upon chowing down the parfait, I went back over the booth to get my waffles. By comparison, the waffle place was hurtin for business. As I slowly strolled up to the window, the cashier literally jumped me. Seriously, I don't even know what I want to get yet. But luckily, there was only 4 things. Waffle on a stick, waffle in non stick form, strawberry on waffles and banana chocolate on waffles. I opted for the waffle on a stick. It was a little disappointing. I got half a strawberry, a small slice of banana, one regular sized marshmallow, a half waffle with whipped cream and sprinkles on a stick that was far too short and a price that was far too high. $6? Are you kidding me? Totally not worth it. The stupid thing was difficult to hold as there was not enough stick so I ended up sitting down at a table and ate each piece individually. Lame. 5 out of 10.



At this point, I was probably maybe 75% full. So I had to be pretty picky with my remaining selections. I wanted to stay for the rest of the day but as the dark clouds started to roll in, that would seem highly unlikely. Stopped by the mini donut place for a bag of the original mini donuts. 13 for $3.50. Pretty good deal but considering I was by myself, that was probably 12 too many. The heart stopping (not in a good way), artery clogging deep fried donuts were coated with sugary goodness. Om nom nom nom indeed. Unfortunately, I ate about 6 or 7 before throwing the rest of them out (Sorry Steph...). I can hear all you hippies out there screaming "Think of the children"! But you know what? The children deserves better. I'll drop off a box of fruit loops at the food bank. 9 out of 10 on taste alone.



To finish things off, I got a "freshly squeezed" lemonade from Lemon Heaven. Very refreshing. Would have been better if the weather was hotter but delicious nonetheless. For a mere $3, this was a much needed drink to wash down all that other stuff. 8 out of 10.



I definitely would have liked to have stayed longer as I was only there for 2 and a half hours. There was quite a few things that I wanted to try but couldn't... Maybe next year... Hopefully I can round up a few people to go with me then...