Sneaky Stinky Fringe - Quick Review

Just when I thought it was safe to sit on the couch of a Saturday afternoon and focus hard on turning my brain to detritus by flicking through channels of afternoon drivel - The Adelaide Fringe Festival is suddenly upon us! Once again I find myself in a City park aghast at obscene prices on low carb filth and poorly "locally manufactured" European Lager.  The eclectic gathering has its own charm, the sort of charm that squelches between your feet with moistness and smell that slip the hint - It's culture people!  Hot steaming piles of it!  As the Garden of Unearthly Delights expands to absorb more of the Eastern Parkland between North Terrace and Rundle Street the killer is now hard to recognise from the filler when smeared with all the culture. The same could be said for the food outlets: It is difficult to know what is really Fringe Food or what is a opportunistic cash rendering tent devoted to dividing you from your coin and delivering sub par quality and or quantities.  The Ozzie Gozleme, Barbecued Savoury Turkish Pastries has returned and it sits proudly at the middle ground between reasonable price and good quality.  Although it is easy to get disappointed when you see a whopping crescent shape of pastry hit the BBQ hotplate and come to the service your hopes are shattered when the crispy crust is dissected with inevitable cunning.  The Lamb Pastry is a hefty $11 and the Vegie option is equally meaty at $10.  If you take some time to consider the numbers you realise why the Ozzie Gozleme only needs one gig a year!!  Who said the food business was risky? (Only risky on your walk to your car park!)

Another blatant attempt at parting you and your earnings is Squid inc.  The maths is strikingly simple: $10 gets you some very nicely deep fried portions of squid and a few stodgy wedges.  The squid portions were tender and had a pre hot oil dusting of spice that was very subtle, mixed spice or five spice did get a mention - there was no confirmed ingredients.  The name says it all really, Squid Incorporated hints at some fairly serious behaviour, aside from the flashy wordplay...  What's wrong with Calamari Pty. Ltd. (Squid inc. is better) 

Those that lurked at the fringes of our society are the frugal and frisky, cunning and devious, dashing and daring. The labels suit the activity and the activity is well oiled and seemingly honest. However as the pages of Fringe guides become glossier and the fences get higher the muck and culture seem to muddle up in a swill of opportunism not expression and art! Most of the niches fill for a reason here at the Garden of Unearthly Delights and when you wipe away the gathering culture and are rid of the acrid smell we the punter end up looking stupid and gullible.

Giles

If we are all at the fringe, we've progressed no further than where we were before!