In a pickle about what to serve for a snack?

My sweetie is one of those men who thinks that anything tastes better when it’s fried. So, when we went out with friends a few nights ago he was intrigued when they ordered a plate of fried pickles for the table to share.
I was a bit more tentative. After all, pickles are meant to be held in your hand whole and crunched or sliced and used to add a bit of crispiness to a black bean burger. You might want to add them to a loaf of bread for a different sort of crackle.
But fried?
Surprisingly, they were good. Good enough, in fact, that I came home and made up a batch of my own to share with the rest of the family. There were thumbs up around the coffee table at snack time.
Pickles are really just cucumbers that have been soaked in vinegar. In ancient times, the vegetables were transported from their native India to the Tigris Valley. In the 15th Century, Amerigo Vespucco was a pickle peddler before he headed across the Atlantic in search of a new world. On his voyage, he brought along barrels of pickled vegetables. His crews were spared the ravages of scurvy because of his a understanding of the nutritional benefits of pickles.
So, if you’ve got yourself in a pickle over what kind of snack to make, try frying them.

Fried Pickles

24 dill pickle chips
1 egg, beaten
½ cup corn meal
½ teaspoon ground pepper
Dash of dill
Oil for frying

· Heat the oil over medium high heat.
· Put the egg in a small bowl. Put the corn meal, pepper and dill in another small bowl.
· Dip the pickles, two or three at a time, in the egg and then the corn meal mixture.
· Drop the chips in the oil, two or three at a time, and fry until they are golden brown on both sides.
· Drain in a colander.
· Serve alone or with bleu cheese dressing.