Junior Nils Kjos is keeper of one of the oldest traditions at one of Washington University in St. Louis’ oldest traditions. He is a fry cook at the “You Bring It, We’ll Fry It” booth at Thurtene Carnival.
For about three decades, the brothers of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity have deep-fried raw veggies, candy bars, ice cream sandwiches and almost anything carnival revelers want dunked in hot oil.
“Some things work better than others, but you’d be surprised — almost anything can go in a deep fryer,” said Kjos, who is studying English and geophysics. “Probably the weirdest thing I’ve been asked to deep-fry is a funnel cake. I tried to explain, ‘Sir, you know that a funnel cake is already deep-fried? We would literally just be deep-frying deep-fried batter.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, do it.’”
James Byard/WUSTL Photos
St. Louisans are invited to enjoy rides, games and student-produced shows at Thurtene.
The “You Bring It, We’ll Fry It” booth will be one of many serving great food at Thurtene, the oldest and largest student-run carnival in the United States. Some 80,000 students, prospective students, alumni and St. Louisans are expected to enjoy thrill rides, student facades and fun games during the three-day festival. The party kicks off at 4 p.m. Friday, April 11, in the parking lot east of Brookings Hall and runs through Sunday, April 13. Proceeds will benefit Team Activities for Special Kids (T.A.S.K.), which provides athletic and social opportunities for children with special needs.
Kjos expects to serve some 900 visitors a day at the ZBT booth. Visitors can buy food at the booth, which will have an array of standard fair favorites, bring food from another booth or, for that matter, even from their own fridge.
Kjos recommends the deep-fried “chipwich,” vanilla ice cream rolled in chocolate chips and sandwiched between two chocolate-chip cookies.
“Deep-fried Twix, Kit Kat and Snickers are all pretty darn good, but the chipwich is supergood,” Kjos said. “The ice cream stays cold on the inside, but then you have this nice, battery crust of the cookies on the outside. The sweetness really comes out.”
Other culinary highlights at Thurtene include scallion pancakes, pot stickers and aloe drink from the Chinese Students Association; cheese empanadas, Mexican churros and Jarritos from the Association of Latin American Students; and samosas and mango juice from Ashoka. Local fare from Pappy's Smokehouse, Gus’ Pretzels, Ted Drewes and Strange Donuts also will be available.
The process actually is quite simple, said Sebastian Chung, a senior majoring in chemistry. First, members melt store-bought ice cream. Then they shake droplets through a cocktail shaker into a big metal bowl containing a small amount of liquid nitrogen.
“Liquid nitrogen boils at about minus-200 degrees Celsius, so over time, that liquid nitrogen evaporates,” Chung said. "Once it goes, you have your Dippin’ Dots.”
Sadly, the fraternity cannot sell their creamy creation. Pesky food safety regulations forbid public consumption. So Alpha Chi Sigma will sell the manufactured variety.
“We have to stick to the rules, but the only potential risk to eating your own Dippin’ Dots is freezer burn,” Chung said. “You have to give the liquid nitrogen a few moments to evaporate off. Otherwise, it’s painful. I know.”
Thurtene Carnival
When: 4-8 p.m. Friday, April 11; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, April 12; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday, April 13
Where: Washington University in St. Louis (parking lot in front of Brookings Hall, on Skinker Boulevard)
How much: Free; tickets must be purchased for rides and some plays
More info: thurtene.org