Fried dough with sugar goes by several names where I'm from, but I don't think zeppole is one of them. It is usually served at church festivals or carnivals, and I first knew it as "pizza fritta." It is the definition of a guilty pleasure. My grandmother would make fried dough in smaller pieces with sugar, and call them johnny doughs. As she's 93 and legally blind, I thought her johnny dough making days were over, but she surprised us with a batch last month.

Where I live now funnel cake has always been popular. They are large, heavy and delicious. I don't think anyone has ever finished one. It can feed a family of four. Sometimes it seems it gets larger as you eat it, a condition I refer to as the Miracle of the Funnel Cake.

I hear you, DC. I'm getting hungry right now. I swear I 've gained ten pounds just reading this thread.