I thought this was fun considering the fair was in town. What you see above came from Mexicali, but it would certainly make for excellent fair fare. It Mexicali's version of the candied apple. Instead of tinted sweet syrup or caramel, this giant, juicy, green apple is coated in tamarind candy. The result is a sinful snack that is at once sweet and spicy, yet slightly salty with a fun sour bite.
You can buy these at candy stores in Mexicali. There is a little candy store district that is very near the border, which I like going to every few months (you don't have to go often since candy stores in Mexicali sell mostly in bulk). Even if you've never been, it's pretty easy to get to. Once you enter Mexicali through Calexico's "Old" Port of Entry, you stay right when the road forks. After four or five blocks (I checked on google maps -- it's five but in the dense traffic it would feel like four, I'm sure) you turn a sharp right and you'll see a street lined with brightly painted candy stores. The street is quite short and ends with the "Parque de los Mariachis," a small park that for years has been full of Mariachi groups that congregate at night, waiting to be hired for parties.
Or you could do what we did. When a friend brags that a lady delivers these treats to her office in El Centro every couple of weeks, demand that she buy you one.
-- Rodrigo
