Why yes, that is the smell of fried food in the air…
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.