A vegetarian's guide to eating at the Indiana State Fair

While the Indiana State Fair has a tendency to top everything from french fries to bloody marys with various meats — usually pulled pork — the good news is this is still Indiana and we are nothing if not corn-fed.

Aside from the deep-fried version of every sweet under the sun, that leaves us vegetarians with the always dependable roasted ear of corn — and little else. This year, though, corn was the star of the show in many of the new food items.

What to order: If you're bored with the traditional ear of corn, do what any good fair-goer does and fry it. The Deep Fried Corn on a Stick at Cantina Louies was lightly battered but that didn't stick well, which worked in its favor. I was left with a tender ear of corn, topped with mayo and parmesan cheese and not mad about it.

• Two vendors added Street Corn Pizza to their menus this year and I can confidently say we should be thinking about corn as a pizza topping more often. The crunch and subtle sweetness works great. I'd go with the version from DG Concession, which has the added benefit of jalapeños to cut through the richness a bit.

What to skip: The Flaming Hot Cheeto Corn in a Cup from Wilson Concessions didn't do it for me. I found myself digging under the crushed Cheetos and nacho cheese for the sweet corn kernels. You're better off with a roasted ear of corn at that point.

• Corn cup concoctions were popular this year. There's also the Cinnamon Crunch Corn, which is buttered sweet corn, topped with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal pieces and cream cheese icing. I didn't try this for reasons that I think should be obvious.

Plus: Black Leaf Vegan, the popular food truck, also has a spot on the north side of the fairgrounds and is the only all-vegan food vendor (and the first in fair history).

• They've brought their staples, like loaded nachos and mac and cheese, and put a special mango-topped burger on the menu for the occasion.
• Other safe options include another fair classic, deep-fried veggies, and the veggie plate — a mix of roasted potatoes, grilled onions and mushrooms — from any of the sirloin tip joints.

Of note: Sadly, the Indiana Hardwood Nachos from Twisted Drinks and Food have bacon in the street corn mix but it isn't listed in the menu description. Skip it if you want to stay meat-free.

The bottom line: Next time, I'm sticking with my go-tos: an ear of corn and a pineapple whip.