It’s true that the weak US dollar is a huge draw card for travellers, and is surely one of the most significant reasons for a surge in visitors to North America. With improved air services from airlines old and new, streamlined immigration processes and a reputation for the biggest and best of everything on the planet, it really is hard to resist one’s curiosity and pop over to see what all the fuss is about. Well, they say the best way to discover a country is to eat it, and the USA is no exception. ‘A bite of the Big Apple’ is a must, but not nearly adventurous enough for me. So forget about the Italian, Irish, Middle and Far Eastern influences, don’t even think about the European, African or Latin flair; far from the candy coloured food halls serving every staple diet known to man, there are some wonderfully fun and experimental foods available if you look just a little off the beaten track.

Nearly every state has a fair, festival or carnival serving up original, fun and creative cooking and rule breaking gastronomy is certainly a fine reason to sample the States. There are some fanciful ways to supersize your visit, and The State Fair of Texas is as good a place as any to experience everything from Deep Fried Bubble-gum, Ice Cream Burgers or Fried Beer in Pretzels and everything in between. We strongly recommend taking out travel insurance for this as with any other trip, but remember there is no cover available for sampling too many delightful delicacies resulting in ‘Excess baggage’ or simply ‘Having so much fun, you don’t want to go home!’