StreetFoodJoe.com

Food trucks are becoming more and more popular. They are a different kind of street food because they combine the mobility of the ice cream truck with the amazing taste of the street vendor. Some cities are more blessed with these mobile food wagons than others. The best part is that some of these trucks are incredibly unique. Instead of serving the hotdog or the corndog, these trucks serve specialty foods in unique combinations.

New York is home to several well-known yet creative food trucks. The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck serves caramelized bacon with chocolate ice cream. The Mud Truck serves coffee blended with cherry and cocoa. Schnitzel & Things of course serves schnitzel. And the Van Leeuwen Ice Cream truck serves mountains of ice cream sundaes with gourmet toppings.

Nearby in Cambridge, Massachusetts the Clover Food Lab prepares lavender lemonade and chickpea fritters. Washington, DC is home to several trucks of its own. Sâuçá combines foods from Vietamn, Europe, India, and Latin America. Curbside Cupcakes sells over one thousand cupcakes per day in a variety of flavors. And the Taco Truck drives through Hoboken, New Jersey selling authentic pork tacos.

Now the East Coast is not the only section of the country to enjoy the luxury of the food truck. Boulder, Colorado houses the Comida truck with sweet potato, short rib tacos. Portland, Oregon is home to the Nong’s Khao Man Gai truck where real Thai food is prepared. And Seattle, Washington houses Skillet, a traveling trailer of prime beef burgers with a decadent flare.

California possibly has the most food trucks in any one area, especially the Los Angeles area. Many include the Fox Pizza Bus with wood-fired pizza; Great Balls on Tires of mobile meatballs; the Green Truck with vegan burgers; the Grilled Cheese Truck of gourmet grilled cheese; India Jones with chutney and various meats; and the Lake Street Creamery full of old-style floats.

One street food that is rather unknown as a street food is the ice cream truck. The target for this kind of food is children. Who as a child has not been outside playing and heard the catchy little tune? We have all dashed inside searching for change or begging a parent for a dollar. The ironic part is that chasing down the ice cream truck after it has driven by is half the battle. By the time you have your money in hand, the truck is gone.

The ice cream truck is not just an American street food. It is found all over the world. Some include the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Peru. The style of vans and trucks vary with each country but the idea is the same. Different kinds of ice creams are available from soft serve to popsicles to everything in between. In England ice cream trucks of sell hotdogs and crisps too.

Some American ice cream trucks sell snow cones, candy, soda pop, and other items. Instead of selling ice cream and popsicles from a truck, in both Thailand and Cambodia ice cream is often sold from a motorcycle. No matter the place where the ice cream is sold, the music and the idea behind the ice cream truck is the same. And we all become kids again when we hear it.

Street foods have been around for hundreds of years. Small ventures simply park on the side of the street and sell what they make best. Nearly every country has its own style of street food. Street food is classified as any food that is sold, ready-to-eat right from the purchase. Fairs and markets often have street vendors for the taking. Foods are often regional specialties, but most are fast foods that are eaten with the hands. Different specialties have spanned from one country to another. For instance Chinese and Thai foods are often sold on the streets of the United States. The Food and Agriculture Organization states that 2.5 billion people consume street foods each day. They are fast, simple, and usually taste better than anything in a fast food restaurant, so why not?

Because of the kinds of foods sometimes sold on the streets, they are often associated with junk foods, despite some healthy options. There are also often concerns of cleanliness. Most street food venders do not have refrigeration devices; however these kinds of foods are usually fresher than those at a fast food restaurant because they contain local ingredients. Most governments are making new food safety requirements for vendors for increased safety measures.

Some countries have more elaborate street foods than others. The United States has relatively simple carts in comparison. American choices usually include hotdogs, hamburgers, fries, crepes, pizza, corndogs, egg rolls, sandwiches, tacos, and other melting pot favorites. Other countries combine their local favors and delicacies, such as fried insects. Some street vendors allow you to purchase fresh meats and will cook them on the spot for you. A specific American favorite, that is most often found at the fair, is the fried candy bar. Vendors place a whole candy bar on a stick, dip it in a sweetened batter, and fry it like a corndog. Afterward the candy bar is covered with powdered sugar or drizzled with chocolate sauce. Twinkies and other Hostess snack foods are also commonly fried.

Street food is becoming more and more popular as preservatives and packaged foods become more popular. It is true that street food vendors produce the best food—period. It is fresh, made-to-order, and original. Street foods come in all forms from hamburgers to tacos, but what is sold doesn’t matter. It is all good. There is one thing for sure: it will be creative and amazing. That is why the great city of San Francisco created the Street Food festival in 2010.

The year 2010 marked the maiden voyage of this tasty feast and will carry on into future years. The second annual festival will take place at the end of August. The festival is separated into two parts. La Cocina will be held on the twentieth, for the third year in a row, from eleven to seven on Folsom Street from 26th Street to 22nd Street. La Cocina includes some of the best food from around the bay.

The second half of the festival lasts for two days from the twenty-first to the twenty-second. At the National Street Food Conference vendors gather for culture, politics, economics, and the future of the street food industry. Tickets range from twenty-five dollars to one hundred fifty dollars and can be ordered online.

Each ticket is called a passport and allows you different privileges and surprises. The $150 passport includes $150 worth of street food, three beverages, three secret snacks, and three small bites. All passports can be shared.

Check www.sfstreetfoodfest.com for extra details.