Ah, is there a more American thing to do than plunging food into hot oil and cooking it? Sure, you may associate it more with state fair-type operations, but on an LSU gameday you're bound to see plenty of basket fryers, maybe even a big propane-powered stand-alone unit like this one.
To say nothing of when the holidays come around and we start talking about whole turkeys. But for now, one of the most basic, and one of the more exotic deep-fried items.
No. 3 Fried Fish
Simple. Elegant. Catfish, trout, what have you. Filets are usually the way to go, but you might even see a whole fish or two thrown around, bones and all. Make a po-boy, or just a platter with some fries and hushpuppies (yeah, we'll see them later).
No. 14 Fried Pork Loin
Pork loins are great, no matter how you want to cook them, but you know what's always great? Season it (an injected marinade is great here), bread it and fry that sucker in hot fat. You may never eat a more tender slice of pork loin.