Hearing RJD2 Play “A Beautiful Mine” (The Mad Men Theme) While Eating Something Called A Jackalope

Hearing RJD2 Play “A Beautiful Mine” (The Mad Men Theme) While Eating Something Called A Jackalope

People had told there’s great food in Austin, and it’s not that I didn’t believe them, it’s just that I knew my trip would be confined to the festival grounds and, well, the last festival I went to was Ultra and they basically had dried out burgers and bland chicken fingers. Not so at Fun Fun Fun Fest. Back in the artist/press area, there’s a trailer for a place called Cazamance. It looks like a real hippie health food kind of place, with a vaguely psychedelic logo of a tree coming out of a house, a selection of employees who wouldn’t necessarily look out of place at Camp Bisco, and stuff about how they approach their food as artwork. Turns out it’s not all empty philosophizing, though: a lot of Cazamance’s food mixes West African elements with more indigenous Mexican or Southwest stylings, and that turns out to be an excellent combination. I keep getting a lamb taco that’s topped with monterey jack cheese, spinach, and tomato relish. A lot of people leave Cazamance’s stand drinking from fresh coconuts.

Next to Cazamance was Frank, which I’m repeatedly told is a well-loved local gourmet hot dog place. Frank has themed hot dogs for each night; the first night it’s the Snoop Dog, priced at $24.20 because it has malt liquor mustard, hemp cheese, and edible 24 karat gold dust, whatever the hell any of that is. On Sunday it’s the Slayer Dog, priced at $6.66 and loaded up with enough spices and habanero so it’s, you know, like hellfire. I got the Jackalope, which is a hot dog made of smoked rabbit, antelope, and pork, and topped with cranberry compote, and sriracha aioli. I mean, all this stuff would be an interesting experience on any given day at any place, but it’s pretty awesome to have access to it in a situation where it’s usually the most basic of the basic. Other festivals: step your game up.