Messy but still delicious items at Taste of Edmonton. Photo by Justin Bell /Special to Postmedia

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Some of the best foods are a nightmare to eat. Lobster dinner demands a bib and it’s impossible to maintain your dignity while scarfing down ribs. Sauces coat fingers, forearms and faces, while juices run out onto nearby surfaces. But the juice, as they say, is worth the squeeze. If, like me, you can’t help but get even the cleanest food all over your attire, you can pick up reusable utensils at the festival for a mere two tickets.

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Egg Drop Sandwich, Gentea (Booth 45, 4 tickets)

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A sandwich? Messy? This elevated breakfast sandwich from the bubble tea cafe in Leduc is both delicious and surprisingly unkempt. They provide a cardboard serving box to keep everything together but the sauce generously spread over the top still somehow manages to get everywhere. It’s worth it for a crunchy and creamy sandwich with just the right level of heat. It’s great for breakfast, an amazing dinner food, perfect for those late-night cravings and possibly the best food to take on the walk home after a few adult beverages.

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Dubai Pistachio Covered Strawberry, Choco N’ Dip (Booth 36, 4 tickets)

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Make sure to dig to the bottom of this cup of chocolate covered strawberries to find the absolute best of this dish. Down there you will find pistachio cream mixing with toasted coconuts shavings and … maybe hazelnut? Whatever it is, divine is the only word you can use to describe it. The tiny stick they give you for serving isn’t really up to the challenge with this giant cup of strawberries and delicious toppings, but I never let a little thing like sticky fingers or a moustache full of chocolate sauce keep me from craveable food.

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Yummy Brisket Arepa, Yummy Mami (Booth 16, 4 tickets)

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Juicy, perfectly cooked and spiced meat is piled precariously atop a crunchy and pillowy arepa, all doused in some sort of crema sauce. Cilantro lime, perhaps?  Whatever it is, it will quickly cover your fingers, face, table and clothes. Sounds like a problem until you realize now everywhere you look there’s seconds of this incredible dish. It’s crispy, juicy, soft, salty, savoury and downright delectable, all in equal measures. It’s both simple and messy, as well as possibly the best thing you can pick up this year.

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