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The Canadian National Exhibition presents a massive quandary for foodies: An embarrassment of food and not enough room in the gullet.
Strategy becomes everything, and eating is planned with tactical precision so that must-haves are consumed first.
With 106 stalls in the Food Building and a midway jammed with junk food, it would be nice to know where to go when you are craving the perfect corn dog.
This is when you call in an expert, a guy who knows his way around the Ex with his eyes closed. And that man is Mike Knott.
For 35 years he has worked for the CNE. He loves to eat, and judging by his girth, he's pretty good at it. But his real cred comes with the job: For five years he has been the concessions co-ordinator, which means he's the boss of the Food Building.
Who else would carry a Tide to Go stain stick in a pen holder around his neck?
Knott agreed to give the Star an insider's tour of his favourite stands. He usually grazes on samples – quite a few of them, it seems, since all the booth operators said they see him at least once a day.
He's been barred from Acme Cheesecake after his daughter begged the owners not to feed him.
For those who turn up their noses at the thought of an annual junk-food pig-out at the Ex, there is still lots to choose from in the 52-year-old Food Building.
Knott knows people don't come to the Ex to eat healthy food, but some of those who put in 18-hour days there for three weeks try, in the face of great temptation. Really.
To read about Knott's Food Building favourites, click here.
And to read about some foods-on-a-stick you might want to try, click here.
