Be the Boss of Your Floss
I love carnival people. You know who I'm talking about. The
twenty-something bristly guy with the mirrored sunglasses and "Three Wolf
Moon" T-shirt, listening to the Scorpions on a single speaker Panasonic tape
player. He doesn't even need to take the cigarette out of his mouth while
he masterfully controls the Tilt-a-Whirl with a flick of his tattooed wrist.
It is this guy I admire. Why? Well, aside from his obvious awesomeness and
super cool perma-scowl, you can bet your bottom dollar he knows how to make
Cotton Candy like a master. An art form practiced by hard-living,
hard-working, independent carnival and circus folks around the world.
Whether you call it Cotton Candy like we do here in the US, or "Candy Floss"
(UK, Canada), "Fairy Floss" (Australia), or even "Buddhi Ka Baal" (India),
this fluffy confectionary has been the gold standard for fairs, carnivals,
festivals and parades since machine-spun Cotton Candy was developed in 1897.
While the process for making Cotton Candy is fairly simple, mastery of this
delectable art form takes time. A couple hours, at least. Though, the
ancient carnival secrets of true cotton candy mastery are kept in strictest
confidence, requiring years of intense study to somehow make seven cents of
sugar turn into $5 a bag in pure profits. That is sugar alchemy, my friend,
and we should all stand in awe. So, if you are one of the many event
attendees who enjoy watching the cotton candy process, and marvel in the
sweet magic of the craft, you should stop reading now, 'cause we're going to
tear the cover off the cotton candy mystery and tell you how its made.
You've been warned.
When extremely finely ground sugar (with food coloring and artificial
flavorings added) is put in the top of a cotton candy machine, it begins to
heat. In just a few minutes, it has liquefied from the heat inside the
spinning head, throwing the hot, liquid gold through tiny holes (or the
"ribbon") on the machine head. When the molten sugar comes in contact with
the cooler air outside the spinning machine head, it instantly cools and
forms spider web-like sugar wisps which begin to collect along the inside
wall of the "bowl". At which time, a paper cone is generally rolled slowly
along the inside wall of the bowl, allowing the spun sugar to collect on the
cone. There are many techniques to achieving this, but all end up making a
big serving of that fill-your-cheeks sugary, "now THIS is a festival!"
goodness that is Cotton Candy. So, the next time you wait with a $5 bill
in your hand while a rough-looking character spins up some Buddhi Ka Baal
for you, take the opportunity to sincerely thank him for taking time to
learn the ancient art of Cotton Candy. And maybe, just maybe, you will see
him smile.
