Here in Philly, we’re obsessed with our food carts. Don’t let anyone fool you. The best Philly cheesesteak is found on any corner of any Philadelphia street where the humble food cart proprietor (who’s usually an immigrant) makes a feast fit for the gods. Almost everyone here has a favorite food cart, be it Greek, Indian or Italian. Food cart offerings constitute a supplemental staple of almost every Philadephian’s diet. (Okay, fine. Perhaps mostly mine.I’m what you’d call a food cart veteran.)
So I was interested to hear that Helen Sears, a Council Member in Jackson Heights, NY wants to pass a bill that would do away with the food cart in certain busy sections of the town.
“Sears has been very anti-street vendor for a long time,” said Rafael Samanez, executive director of Vamos Unidos, which organized the rally with South Asian group Desis Rising Up and Moving. “She doesn’t understand what our community is about.” His group was angered by an essay titled “The Food Cart Invasion” in the Jackson Heights Beautification Group’s summer newsletter, which is circulating through the community. It accuses the vendors of blocking pedestrian traffic and cutting into the business of local merchants. The essay also encouraged readers to find ways to get rid of them.
[Link.]
Hmm, get rid of them? Besides refusing to patronize them? Wonder what the other ways are. Sears and supporters of the bill say it’s not about race, or anti-immigrant sentiments. So what’s it all about? Jackson Heights Beautification Group’s website says they only want the following:
JHBG supports: high standards; preservation; local pride; diversity; inclusion; cleanliness; greenery; civility; local schools, institutions, and merchants; and anything that enhances Jackson Heights. JHBG opposes: graffiti; litter; crime; pollution; disorder; intolerance; landmark violations; noise; and apathy.
Hmm, food carts certainly fit into diversity/inclusion/merchants. Yeah, not seeing how food carts pertain to the quality-of-life issues mentioned in any of these. As I understand it, landmark violations relate only to existing structures. And I can’t see food carts contributing to the vague listings of ‘crime,’ ‘pollution’ and ‘disorder.’
“I called for a vendor-free zone because the area has become overly dense with vending carts that impeded traffic and threaten public safety,” Sears said. “Many of the carts are operated illegally, and residents and small businesses have long taken issue with them.”
Opponents of the food carts want them to move away from busy streets. But if food cart vendors move, how will customers find them? And New York has been cracking down on vendors with illegal licenses with the help of the Street Vendors Project, an advocacy group for food cart vendors. Is the extra legislation really necessary?
…Sami Noor, 41, of Flushing, doesn’t buy that argument. “I have killed myself building this business,” said Noor, adding he works 11- and 12-hour days at his legal halal food cart on 73rd St. and Broadway. “Now I have to work another six years to build a business and someone will say you [must] move because you’re hurting my business?” “That’s not an option in my mind,” he said.
I couldn’t find a copy of the aforementioned essay, but I’d love to hear more about how food carts are destroying the economy from New Yorkers or any other food cart patrons. I would think food carts were an asset to the community and a testament to its diverse population, not the peril its opponents perceive. I guess that when it comes to empty cash registers, it’s easier to blame food carts than the economy.
Well I feel cart vendors are an essential part of any city downtown. I can’t remember how many times a sausage vendor has saved me from starving in downtown Toronto while I was in college. Eventually, they become a part of the fabric of the city. Hell, many of them even contribute to the surrounding community. One of the hotdog vendors near our library used to donate some of his earnings towards a scholarship fund at our university, even though he isn’t exactly livin’the dream or anything.
Maybe the vendors didn’t pony up on enough contributions for this politician, either that or restauranteurs or other competitors affected by street-cart vendors did.
Everyone knows that it is a scientific fact that the best food in the world is any pizza slice / hot-dog / shwarma and or falafel and or gyro served between 2am and 6am from any food cart vendor after a night of excessive dancing and carousing.
i agree with the concern over pedestrian traffic (in certain cases) but the “worry” over local merchants is bullshit, since street vendors are about as local as one can get. the thing is, with many vendors, people will go out of their way to frequent the vendor, even if they have moved a few blocks. on the other hand, i cannot imagine an nyc that isn’t peppered with an average of one vendor per block.
phillygrrl – welcome! when i lived in philly, food carts really were a staple (at least in my college days). penn actually did have the vendor carts moved from spruce street (busy) to a little plaza a few blocks away. prob. because it was in a campus setting, this didn;t change much – people still trekked out there, and because of the food court scenario, you got to discver vendors that you previously hadn’t frequented.
What do the Indian food vendors sell in Philly? Up here in Maine, we don’t have new fangled things like “street vendors”…. heck we don’t even have sidewalks…
I have been missing chaat a lot, do the food vendors in Philly sell gol guppe and all that? (yummmmmm). If so, maybe I need to plan a trip. 😉 It’s cheaper than going to India, after all. 😛
Okay…almost everything you say about food cart food is on the money…EXCEPT, that is, for, that nonsense about cheesesteaks. Now, that’s the kind of romanticized hyperbole that would make any native Philly-delphian cheestake lover shrink. Unless you’ve ever wolfed down the cheesesteak offerings at John’s Roast Pork (http://www.johnsroastpork.com/), or the one from that place on Torresdale Ave with the un-PC name, you’ve simply not eaten a Philly Cheesesteak. The choice grade, thinly sliced rib-eye meat, along with the consummately perfect, doughy sarcophagus is, in fact, more truly representative of your aforementioned,
Although cart produced cheestakes are okay (and, in my prime – pun intended – I’ve sampled most cart offerings in CC), they lean more toward the tourist-trappy, less-than-gastronomically-satisfying, versions one can get at either Pat’s and/or Geno’s.
You’re larger point, however, supporting the desirability – nay, the necessity – of food carts in the overall design and heartbeat of large, urban centers, is thoroughly reasoned and subsequently valid. Those who don’t agree with this point, should be condemned to a life time of Swanson Frozen Dinner consumption.
That will be terrible. I remember making a trip to NY(I live in France) exclusively to find the dosa man. Really, for me the attraction of big cities is the diversity in menus and food delivery styles.
i lived in nyc from late seventies to mid nineties and this hullabaloo is not new. in tough economic times the street vendors are an easy target for the small biz owners who perceive them as a threat. i think that fear is bs especially for food vendors. i can see not wanting a sock vendor in front of your sock store, but it’s different with food. street food has a glorious history world wide. increase crackdowns on unlicensed vendors (if you must…) but leave them alone. they work really hard to make a pretty measly living, with start up costs which are more than most would think.
Hi LinZi,
Truth is, I haven’t actually frequented a vendor selling desi food in Philadelphia. The majority of the vendors I happen to go to are desi, but they cater more to the hot-dog/cheesesteak clients. I believe Temple University, the campus where I first discovered food carts, had an Indian food cart vendor, but I never went there. *Blush. Anyone else from Philly go to desi food cart places?
I defer to the expert 🙂 But in a pinch, a cart will do just fine. Speaking of which, all this talk about food is making me hungry…
I have a friend who insisted on going to NYC to visit a food cart specifically for its katthi rolls. And speaking of which, Twitter is so helpful in case food carts have to roam around.
The idea that vendors are taking away business from the local establishments does sound a bit silly. I’ve seen some food trucks charge the same amount, and sometimes more, as a local gastropub. If people were looking to save money in a struggling economy, they’d go to the cheaper place, right?
Probably says something about the food, and the people in the truck. I’ve yet to find a restaurant in Philly that can emulate the amazing Falafel food truck guy by Logan Square. Christos is the king.
A few years ago when I lived in Philly, there used to be a food cart run by ex-Yugoslavs near 38th and Sansom, that made French crepes, coated them with Nutella, filled with strawberries and bananas. They did a roaring business. I never saw a desi food cart myself. Why the same idea couldn’t be done with dosas, for example, I never understood.
PS: Welcome phillygrrl 🙂 Have enjoyed your comments here and look forward to your posts.
as a temple alum, let me say that i did go to the Indian food truck and it was crappy and over priced. however the other trucks on the campus were a staple of my diet for 4 years and provided me with some of the best food on campus, we had pizzas (high quality), Gyros, Burritos, Crepes, etc. we now even have an Organic truck running on bio fuel.
if they want to curtail traffic and control any resulting garbage they should create outdoor food courts where vendors can setup, provide some built in picnic tables and trash cans.
In L.A. the food carts have valet parking.
I find it so strange that people want to get rid of venders. My grandfather is personally offended by their (and billboard’s) existence. It never made much sense to me. I would think that people would have more important things to do than screw with my ability to get cheap quick and tasty lunches.
Some people will never be satisfied until they strip cities of all personality to the point that they are all super-sanitized and safe for boring citizens everywhere.
I’m also not sure how much business the carts really take away from other proprieters. When I don’t buy lunch from a truck, I pack it. So if there are no trucks, I just pack my lunch everyday. I’m not suddenly going to be going to new restuarants.
Here is the link to the original article, “Food Cart Invasion”:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/orlick/3618383692/sizes/l/in/set-72157603574490592/
Thanks, Jackson Heights Observer!
May be the ‘Beautification Group’ favours a strip mall with the usual suspects plus crappy desi / chinese fare in a ‘clean’ food court. About the only decent food I’ve found in a food court was in a mall called Global Mall in the Atlanta area (mainly desi and some caribbean fare) – a little no-frills place called Krishna Vilas had great dosas and pesarattu (an Andhra specialty). And a place run by a non-desi Trini couple in Delray Beach that had excellent goat curry. Now food courts are cropping up in malls in India… often with the same usual suspects. Sigh!
Why does the topic always have to go back to dosas I don’t know 😉 Actually the galette (crepe is sweet and galette is the savory) tastes exactly like a dosa. And if you have it with ratatouille, it tastes just like masala dosa. Maybe the common ingredient in both is butter/ghee 😉
This same misguided ‘beautication’ movement is taking root in various Indian cities (Delhi, for one) – they’re trying to get rid of food carts and streetside vendors, and urging customers to visit ‘hygienic’ establishments in malls and such. While I will fully agree that there are many carts that do serve up foods that have been visited by flies in dishes rinsed in murky waters, most, especially these days, take the necessary steps to prevent contamination. Even more so in India than here, why make it so hard for poor immigrants, urban laborers, etc. to have access to freshly prepared, quick, and inexpensive food?
I will bet you most of the people who get behind this sort of thing either live in suburbs or cloistered walled gardens where they go from house-to-car-to-office-to-car-to-house. Therefore we should pave over the city and turn it into a safe-zone for day-trippers and tourists instead of a nice place to live with decent public spaces and local character.
L.A. has this new place to be seen at – Street
When i read about the $15 vadas i couldn’t help thinking of the answer to this pair of hostel questions – Why does the cook wear a singlet? How do you think the rolls so many batata vadas at a time?
“Why does the topic always have to go back to dosas I don’t know ;)”
Because dosas are delicious!
I like food carts. In the DC area,during the early 90s, there were a lot of cappuccino coffee carts. I thought Starbucks drove them out of business but somebody told me it was something to do with rules about buying gasoline or something that made no sense. Anyway, there are hardly any good food carts in DC, and you’d think there would be with all the tourists and international workers. But all you get are those trucks that seel gelationous hot dogs, soft pretzels (best bet), or ice creams with the price jacked up 5x. I wish some of those Philly Pakistanis would trundle on down here.
http://twitter.com/dosatruck/ if you are in L.A.
Yes, indeed! Gotta love the dosa! Thanks for the LA dosa truck Twitter feed, sarcastician.
Other ideas for potential desi food truckers: (i) chole-bhature rollups. (ii) tandoori roti-chicken wraps. I’ve eaten these latter at Iranian fast-food places, and they’re delicious. The filling consists of boneless tandoori chicken breast pieces plus diced green lettuce (not iceberg) plus (raita-like) cucumber plus tomato in a yogurty sauce. The roti should be thick enough not to leak – ordinary pita bread won’t do. Chole-bhature roll-ups might also leak and will need careful eaters.
On the other point, dosas are rice crepes! By innovating around the
aciditypH and viscosity of the batter, the temperature of the frier, etc. (usual fast food R&D) the dosa may be made more roll-up-able so that you can take it to go. Needless to add, the sambar is completely, er, dispensed with in this formulation.Other ideas for potential desi food truckers: (i) chole-bhature rollups. (ii) tandoori roti-chicken wraps.
I do not know about the entire US of A, however, in Portland, and Bay area, I have eaten Indian food from street-side trucks. You name it, and they serve.
Even in Baton Rouge, there was (or probably still is) a tiny hole in the wall (not exactly a truck) that served Indian food
“The filling consists of boneless tandoori chicken breast pieces plus diced green lettuce (not iceberg) plus (raita-like) cucumber plus tomato in a yogurty sauce.”
Sounds like Khan Chacha’s in Delhi…. not that I tried…. i’m veg. But I hear it is the most delicious roll-up thingies in all of delhi!
Perhaps Philly should follow the example of Malaysia, arguably the world’s greatest destination for street-food. While Malaysia not only tolerates hawkers in car parks and sidewalks, there are a multitude of established “hawker centres”, which are spaces set up specifically for food vendors. These are usually small and each one may only have a handful of vendor stalls set up in each, but the hawker centres are the heart and soul of the Malaysian culinary heritage, and an institution of which Malaysians are justly proud.
The food carts I’ve frequented are by Drexel, Upenn and a few by Temple. Drexel foodcarts are a necessity. There are practically no cheap food places around Drexel beyond the cafeteria and the foodcarts. The Drexel foodcarts have the typical mystery meat Gyro concoctions wrapped in a semi-stale wrap. The same goes for the falafel & sandwiches. It’s cheap & filling. The carts often serve breakfast including eggs. I can’t recall a desi cart.
Upenn has a few carts around, but you’re missing out on some decent cheap restaurants if you frequent the foodcarts. There’s the stylish Pod restaurant, a great Thai place, 2 tolerable Indian restaurants, Quodoba Mexican grill, Cosi, etc. They used to have a diverse food court on Walnut but in the past year they halved it in size cutting out the Chinese and Desi places. There’s a decent falafel joint inside currently. Sansom street has a few upscale restaurants.
Temple has similar carts to Drexel, except you don’t want to go there after dark. Temple also has few restaurant choices beyond carts.
Okay, Elite-Irony. Forget grad school. Maybe I should just open up a food cart.
phillygrrl, a special recipe just for you 🙂
Loved this piece–wanna give a special shout out to Fojol Bros for bringing desi food cart (food truck?) cuisine to DC!
@lamy: Have you tried Fojol Bros in DC before? Their issue is one of not having a permanent space or regular schedule–you need to follow them on Twitter in order to find their food truck!
DC does have a foodcart scene, but only between K street and the Hill, only on weekdays, only at lunchtime. Nothing like Philly or NYC it seems.
Elite-Irony, not sure how much of a recipe that is 🙂 But I enjoyed it, thank you. I think I’ll stick with the craisin, almond mixture I generally go with :p
There is a Magic Curry Kart in San Francisco. Judging by the pictures, it’s more of a Thai-style or some other curry. I am hoping to try a crème brûlée one of these days.
(A crème brûlée from the street cart, I meant to say.)
Creme brulee from a food cart??? Now that I’ve gotta try…
Phillygrrl:
I was in Penn for grad school, and here’s some info:
The Mexican food stall on Spruce b/w 37th and 38th sells channa kulchha – yes, they call it channa kulcha! The kulcha some variant of a thick-ish pita bread – nowhere close to authentic. But the channa is pretty good – spicy, and very, very desi. This is from a stall run by two Mexican ladies!!
The Indian store on 42nd and Chestnut (Rice & Spice) has a little restaurant inside it. It’s run by a Punjabi family. They make incredibly yummy stuffed parathas – alu, gobi, mooli. Be prepared to wait for at least half an hour before being served. Every time I’ve been there, it’s full of Indian undergrad kids. I unfortunately discovered it 3 months before I graduated, else I would have spent more time there!
Following up on my ealrier post:
There’s also a desi truck on 38th and Walnut next to Pottruck gym across from Hunstman Hall. The food sucks ass. No self-respecting desi I know eats there.
“This is from a stall run by two Mexican ladies!! “
My desi friends who tried Mexican food for the first time really loved it…. I suppose the Mexican ladies must dig desi food too?
Hi Lin, Loving those suggestions. Definitely going to try some of them out.
I remember when this opened (and I think my parents know the family who owns it). They didn’t use to serve fast food, glad they expanded their offerings. But my favorite around Penn is the International Food Store’s samosas.
we love our food cart at 54 and 6th ave nyc! the best!