How to survive the Ren Faire.

"It's a marathon, not a sprint," I told Jenny during the first hour we were there, and I believe my own advice is what kept me going all day, grubbing along, never getting uncomfortably full and always ready for more.



The Renaissance Faire in Bristol, Wisconsin, has become a bit of a tradition for Murdo and me. This year was our second annual trip, and we came a little wiser and a little hungrier than last year, when we were still so young, so bright-eyed and curious, so naive. I knew to skip the giant turkey leg this year (it's tempting, but not worth it), to never sit for too long after eating (keep the blood flowing and the food digesting!), and to limit drinks to sassafras (essentially, a cup of root beer for only a dollar).

I don't know what it is about food on sticks, or food in cones, or any food that can be eaten while walking to the next mud show, but it's just fun. I think I enjoyed the fact that I was eating fish and chips out of a paper cone better than the actual fish and chips.



And fish and chips were just the beginning. Throughout the day, between all of us, there were Cornish pasties, Spanish fries, vegetable tempura, ribs, chicken, cheese fritters, crepes with fruit and ice cream, butterfly potatoes, garlic mushrooms, pickles on sticks, beef jerky, and a waffle cone.

I'd say we ran a good race. Slow and steady wins it.