Of course, to anyone who has ever been to an American state fair, there’s nothing haute cuisine about that. Year after year, we cook up ever more-outrageous ways to clog our arteries. Maybe it’s the Elvis in us all.

Here are a few of the worst we’ve heard of:

• The “Hamdog.” Mulligan’s of Decatur, Georgia, serves this sandwich, consistingof one hot dog wrapped in a beef patty with cheese, which is deep-fried, then topped with chili and onions, and served on a bun. Oh, yeah, there’s afried egg on top.
• The “Krispy Kreme Chicken on a Stick” sandwich. Visitors to the San DiegoState Fair this year pigged out on this raspberry-filled glazed donut, with a fried chicken patty crammed inside. On a stick, of course. (A popular variation adds a slice of Swiss cheese.)
• “Hotdish on a Stick,” a specialty of the Minnesota State Fair, involves alternating meatballs and tater tots. These are deep-fried in batter, then drenched in a cream of mushroom dipping sauce, “giving the thing the appearance of a very drably colored snake that has swallowed three spherical mice,” according to one eyewitness.
• The “Elvis.” This was the King’s favorite meal, a fried peanut-butter-andbanana sandwich. Sometimes he liked it with bacon, thank you very much. We’ve also heard of—but can’t vouch for—the following variations on the deep-fried theme.
• Fried mac-and-cheese on a stick
• Deep-fried Coke
• Peaches with ice cream where the pit was—also battered and fried.

With our national ingenuity dedicated to concocting such gooey, sometimes gravity-defying monstrosities, it’s no wonder Americans are obese.

At least the ChipShop’s owner is not oblivious to the health threats his products pose. “The hospital’s just two blocks that way,” he told a reporter from the Food Network. “If there’s a problem, they’ll be here in a couple of minutes.”