Killing Me Softly with an Elephant Ear

The heat was blinding, and somehow it amplified the sounds of the rides that were slicing through the air, as well as the screaming voices of carnival-goers that chose rides that terrified and excited them. My brother and sister were already pointing to the attractions that they wanted to go to first once we received our ride bracelets, but for me, I was following my nose instead.

The scent of fresh fried bread and cinnamon sugar filled the air along with the fair hot dogs and chili dogs—it permeated the air, drowning out everything else for just a moment. I was jumping up and down with excitement to get the sugary goodness in the form of a giant elephant ear that was bigger than my head. My brother and sister were trying to pull our parents in various directions, but my eyes were glued to the Elephant Ear stand. The fair just wasn’t the fair without the crunchy decadent goodness!

Now I’m 31, walking into the fair, but things have changed… I still smell the amazing fragrances of cinnamon sugar, but now I can’t have it, and the Elephant Ears are just taunting me. Having discovered last August that I had a very annoyingly specific allergy to Candida, I had to remove almost all sugars from my diet, in particular anything not from fruit or honey, as well as most grains. In almost a year, I have done well to change my entire lifestyle, and have lost 80 pounds doing so, but in this moment, watching my family tear at the flaky fry bread, my mouth watering, I consider allowing myself to break the diet.

I ignore the thoughts that remind me how much my stomach will hurt if I take even a nibble, the rest of the world fading out as I’m faced with my summertime addiction. It’s right here, just begging me to take a bite. I even tear off a tiny piece while no one is looking, because I know if they see me, they will remind me as well that I need to be good for my own health. It’s only one bite… the devil on my shoulder whispered mischievously, It won’t hurt to have one little bite…

Well, the devil on my shoulder is a liar. I should’ve known better, but sure enough after only a single delectable bite, my stomach was in anguish... but I couldn't help it as I took another bite, and then another. Mind you, that one perfect bite was like an explosion of flavor in my mouth—the warm bread melting on my tongue as the cinnamon and sugar left a sweet and spicy memory in my mouth. Within 20 minutes, I was in severe pain, my stomach recoiling and fighting back, demanding answers as to why I had so betrayed it with sugar and dough. This is what I endured anytime I consumed yeast or sugar. I ended up having to leave the fair early before everyone else because I’d felt so sick, and yet again, I felt utterly defeated and set apart from everyone else. I wanted to enjoy everything that everyone else could… so I threw myself a brief pity party and then dived into research for a replacement.

Since I’d shifted to the new diet, I had attempted several different ‘sweet’ recipes using sugar replacements, and let me tell you… most of them were pretty awful. To be fair, I’m not a baker, so maybe it is the operator error and not the recipes, but regardless, they never curbed my sweet tooth the way I wished. So, when I saw several recipes for Keto-friendly Elephant Ears that included these sugar replacements, I nearly gagged on the spot. I didn’t want pretend sugar… so I considered what my other options would be. Honey and pure maple are on the list of foods I can actually have, so I decided to try something different. I cooked some on honey on the stove to melt, followed the recipe for the Elephant Ear using deep-fried tortilla shells, and then dipped it in the melted honey and sprinkled the cinnamon on top.

When I tell you that my tongue danced with joy, I’m not kidding. It was as if that one bite had taken me back to childhood carnivals as I ate a fresh Elephant Ear before going on a ride and throwing it up. Maybe it isn’t actually the exact same thing, and maybe others would try it and say they are nothing alike, but I will tell you that for me who has had to change everything within my diet, it gave me a taste of childhood. This will now be a summertime staple for me and my family. So if you, like me, can’t enjoy the normal high-sugar or high-carb goodies that everyone else can this year when you’re out at a fair, go ahead and try a new recipe and see if it too gives you memories of childhood.