Oliver, I think you are right to an extent but your argument falls apart when you propose white people have been eating food out of trucks since they started. In my LA thats a definitive no. Maybe the of one here or there in a slummin' it sort of way, but yeah, no. You think LA Latinos coined "Roach Coach?" Eating off trucks was
The lowest common la food and even second generation Latinos took no pride in eating off of them.
I had a good friend whose family owned a few trucks that parked up and down the Hoover duece corridor. Over years they dealt with robberies, gang extortion and a whole slew of non glamorous things. The food always was secondary to convenience. Any enterprising Latino who was good enough would aspire to open an actual reataraunt and be part of a community - take my man Habanero.
I've been against these cornball trucks from the jump - another example of sideways coopting that helps LA earn it's plastic reputation.
And, no thanks Border Grill truck, you can have your westside 12 taco back and fancy bottled soda.
I don't really give a shit about the food trucks and the "gourmet" flea markets that have popped up like crazy in the last year, but I'm pretty fucking sick of all their media coverage. And honestly I was a fan for a bit but the ratio of price to portion is way off, and now it seems the prices get higher and the portions get smaller. Street food is supposed to be cheap, but motherfuckers are trying to charge bistro prices.
This is getting out of control in Williamsburg, witness the horribly named "Smorgasburg" which draws tens of thousands of people every Saturday.
My favorite place right now is the little sidewalk cart on N 6th, which hardly anybody goes to. Right around the corner is the Korean taco truck where the tacos are half as good and twice as much and there's always a line.
Thes: You obviously have a far longer historical memory than me so I'm not going to disagree with your general read on it. All I'm saying is that since I've been back in LA and before Kogi started this whole shit off, I see white people at taco trucks. I mean, there are a lot of white people in LA. Some of them like taco trucks. It ain't no mystery, god!
As for the media coverage + overabundance, etc.: not to get all free market about it, but the vast majority of trucks will fail (like most businesses) and eventually, what seems new and novel will just seem ordinary and not that newsworthy. What's helped fuel this too has been the uptick of interest in food and eating within new media circles; that's absolutely helped to drive up interest/awareness/hype, etc.
Oh yeah, when we were speaking at UCLA I remember having to borrow from Brendan to cover my 12$ two tvo plate.
Border Grill = coming for that ca$h.
billbradleyYou want BBQ sauce? Get the fuck out of my house. 2,889 Posts
I'm all for these food trucks and the experimentation that is happening. Sure, there is some gentrification going on, but many are serving up gourmet options and not your typical al pastor tacos. I know a lot chefs that with great skills that cannot afford to start their own restaurant. Food trucks are an opportunity for chefs to get their own inspired dishes to the masses without having the overhead of a brick and mortar restaurant. If they can get people to shell out cash and survive doing it, more power to them.
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
billbradley said:
I'm all for these food trucks and the experimentation that is happening. Sure, there is some gentrification going on, but many are serving up gourmet options and not your typical al pastor tacos. I know a lot chefs that with great skills that cannot afford to start their own restaurant. Food trucks are an opportunity for chefs to get their own inspired dishes to the masses without having the overhead of a brick and mortar restaurant. If they can get people to shell out cash and survive doing it, more power to them.
Are you actually riding a fixie while saying that?
billbradleyYou want BBQ sauce? Get the fuck out of my house. 2,889 Posts
HarveyCanal said:
billbradley said:
I'm all for these food trucks and the experimentation that is happening. Sure, there is some gentrification going on, but many are serving up gourmet options and not your typical al pastor tacos. I know a lot chefs that with great skills that cannot afford to start their own restaurant. Food trucks are an opportunity for chefs to get their own inspired dishes to the masses without having the overhead of a brick and mortar restaurant. If they can get people to shell out cash and survive doing it, more power to them.
Are you actually riding a fixie while saying that?
Haha, WTFever. I'm a foodie. I love to cook and I love to eat.
I don't really give a shit about the food trucks and the "gourmet" flea markets that have popped up like crazy in the last year, but I'm pretty fucking sick of all their media coverage. And honestly I was a fan for a bit but the ratio of price to portion is way off, and now it seems the prices get higher and the portions get smaller. Street food is supposed to be cheap, but motherfuckers are trying to charge bistro prices.
This is getting out of control in Williamsburg, witness the horribly named "Smorgasburg" which draws tens of thousands of people every Saturday.
My favorite place right now is the little sidewalk cart on N 6th, which hardly anybody goes to. Right around the corner is the Korean taco truck where the tacos are half as good and twice as much and there's always a line.
And the Hester St Food Fair. Fuck your $4 home made ice pops, and your $9 for five dumplings and a thing of edamame!
The only trucks I mess with are Morelos, which Jonny mentioned on Ave A and 2nd St. Tacos El Dorado on 17th and Church in Flatbush, which somehow remains under the radar, no grub street or serious eats coverage. Yvonne's Jamaica on Wheels on 71st and York in Manhattan, old school and cheap. The dosa guy in Washington Square park, although I haven't been there in ages. And though not carts, the guy who sold tamales out of the igloo at the Chelsae flea (haven't seen him in a minute), and the woman who sells tamales out of the igloo at the Parade Grounds in BK on Friday nights while my kids are at soccer.
The only ones I want to try are the carts under the 7 train along Roosevelt Ave in Queens.
I DIDN'T CROSS TEH BORDER, THE BORDER CRO$$ED MEH!
These fuckers recently started Rollin into Pedro to undermine the established spots.
Basically my point was that trucks were an integral part of the undocumented/transient la labor community. Not even most resident Latinos would eat off them, let alone white people. My boys family trucks, when parked in the USC corridor looked like this
Latino:
La Barca > tacos el unico > taco truck (pecking order)
White:
La Barca > Chano's > murder dogs
From what I've been told, the extent that XIII/M extorted and threatened these poor operators shouldn't be overlooked.
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
billbradley said:
HarveyCanal said:
billbradley said:
I'm all for these food trucks and the experimentation that is happening. Sure, there is some gentrification going on, but many are serving up gourmet options and not your typical al pastor tacos. I know a lot chefs that with great skills that cannot afford to start their own restaurant. Food trucks are an opportunity for chefs to get their own inspired dishes to the masses without having the overhead of a brick and mortar restaurant. If they can get people to shell out cash and survive doing it, more power to them.
Are you actually riding a fixie while saying that?
Haha, WTFever. I'm a foodie. I love to cook and I love to eat.
White:
El chollo > La Barca > Chano's > murder dog's
billbradleyYou want BBQ sauce? Get the fuck out of my house. 2,889 Posts
HarveyCanal said:
...enough to wait in line at Franklin BBQ.
Are you hating on Franklin BBQ too?
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
billbradley said:
HarveyCanal said:
...enough to wait in line at Franklin BBQ.
Are you hating on Franklin BBQ too?
Fuck yes! I know dude has history elsewhere that should make him legit on top of his brisket supposedly being so good, but his clientele (apart from you, my friend) turns my stomach enough to keep me from patronizing his uber-line.
When I was little we used to go to this bomb ass taco truck in East LA when I lived in Highland Park. Yumm.
I have never eaten off one of these nueva trucks. Melrose (my neighborhood) does the truck thing every 1st Thur of the month but i haven't been too interested in trying much. To many people, too much hype.
When I was little we used to go to this bomb ass taco truck in East LA when I lived in Highland Park. Yumm.
I have never eaten off one of these nueva trucks. Melrose (my neighborhood) does the truck thing every 1st Thur of the month but i haven't been too interested in trying much. To many people, too much hype.
I, for one, cannot wait for the next Food Truck Reality Television Show. The Great Food Truck Race program last year had nearly every cliche Reality Television element. There was the confessional booth, the nervous camera close-ups, the host over-repeating the rules every ten minutes, and cute asian girls. The best part was that only one truck on the show had a real competent or trained chef. Plus, did you know the hamburger truck guys liked heavy metal?
Maybe VH1 can put together a bunch of D-list celebrities and and force them to run a food truck, they can have cast members from different backgrounds overcoming their differences over "fusion cuisine" and tense situations on a small hot food truck.
tacos at korilla, the "expensive" ny taco truck, are 8 or 9 bucks... for 3.
well, unless they shrank them just for Memphis...the Korilla tacos are teeny tiny...not even a standard taco sized tortilla. Sucked too.
Yeah i agree, not great, and not really worth the 25 minutes people wait in line here in NY.
I was underwhelmed when I first had them a couple weeks ago, but because I'm a sucker for hype, I gave them one last try this week. The pork and kimchi burrito was way better than the tacos I had, but still kinda ehh. I got no complaints about the price or portions, I just didn't think it was that great.
Fuck yes! I know dude has history elsewhere that should make him legit on top of his brisket supposedly being so good, but his clientele (apart from you, my friend) turns my stomach enough to keep me from patronizing his uber-line.
"I hear the food is great, it's the people I have to eat with I hate." Jesus Christ...
I don't have much to say for LA food trucks (beyond the Grilled Cheese Truck being the truth), but the food carts in Portland are ridiculous. Laugh all you want, but the bulgogi burrito I had at Koi was fucking amazing.
I can understand everyone's point re. race and the glamorization of something that was looked upon as the lowest form of "fast" food you could get at one time, but at the end of the day if it's good I'll eat it. You can patronize both local independent restaurants and fancyschmancy food trucks IMO. They don't have to be mutually exclusive.
Carry on.
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
day said:
HarveyCanal said:
billbradley said:
HarveyCanal said:
...enough to wait in line at Franklin BBQ.
Are you hating on Franklin BBQ too?
Fuck yes! I know dude has history elsewhere that should make him legit on top of his brisket supposedly being so good, but his clientele (apart from you, my friend) turns my stomach enough to keep me from patronizing his uber-line.
"I hear the food is great, it's the people I have to eat with I hate." Jesus Christ...
It's like a 2 hour wait, dude, every day. Sometimes people wait 2 hours only to be greted when they finally reach the counter with a SOLD OUT sign. Even Jesus Christ would say naw to that bs.
Fuck yes! I know dude has history elsewhere that should make him legit on top of his brisket supposedly being so good, but his clientele (apart from you, my friend) turns my stomach enough to keep me from patronizing his uber-line.
"I hear the food is great, it's the people I have to eat with I hate." Jesus Christ...
It's like a 2 hour wait, dude, every day. Sometimes people wait 2 hours only to be greted when they finally reach the counter with a SOLD OUT sign. Even Jesus Christ would say naw to that bs.
The way you made it sound was you didn't want to eat with those people. To paraphrase The Mack "good shit takes longer". I'm willing to wait if it's worth it (and there's beer).
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
Well then, take it that way too. Because what kinda hype-addicted dork waits 2 hours for lunch (maybe)? Plus, these are the exact people gentrifying East Austin. So fuck them in general and fuck standing in line with them for anything.
I, for one, cannot wait for the next Food Truck Reality Television Show.
Maybe VH1 can put together a bunch of D-list celebrities and and force them to run a food truck, they can have cast members from different backgrounds overcoming their differences over "fusion cuisine" and tense situations on a small hot food truck.
this probably deserves it's own thread
but i'll just say this...3-6 mafia, pussy from the sopranos, that bachelor asshole and heidious montag
plus lots of violent behaviour
Well then, take it that way too. Because what kinda hype-addicted dork waits 2 hours for lunch (maybe)? Plus, these are the exact people gentrifying East Austin. So fuck them in general and fuck standing in line with them for anything.
That's more like it.
billbradleyYou want BBQ sauce? Get the fuck out of my house. 2,889 Posts
batmon said:
2 hour wait for FOOD is bullshit.
It doesn't take 2 hours to get food at Franklin BBQ. They do however sellout within 2 hours. I usually get there by 10:30, and they open at 11:00. If you show up after 11:00 the line is too long and with people buying pounds of brisket or full briskets they sell out. Typically 850 pounds in 2 hours.
This is another example of a successful food trailer that has moved to a brick and mortar. Hatt all you want, their BBQ is the best in town and is worth standing in line for 30 minutes once in a while.
Not getting into this whole whitey food truck deal here because I think John detailed Honolulu's food truck history pretty well. Here's two trucks that have transitioned into an actual restaurant joint:
Comments
The lowest common la food and even second generation Latinos took no pride in eating off of them.
I had a good friend whose family owned a few trucks that parked up and down the Hoover duece corridor. Over years they dealt with robberies, gang extortion and a whole slew of non glamorous things. The food always was secondary to convenience. Any enterprising Latino who was good enough would aspire to open an actual reataraunt and be part of a community - take my man Habanero.
I've been against these cornball trucks from the jump - another example of sideways coopting that helps LA earn it's plastic reputation.
And, no thanks Border Grill truck, you can have your westside 12 taco back and fancy bottled soda.
This is getting out of control in Williamsburg, witness the horribly named "Smorgasburg" which draws tens of thousands of people every Saturday.
My favorite place right now is the little sidewalk cart on N 6th, which hardly anybody goes to. Right around the corner is the Korean taco truck where the tacos are half as good and twice as much and there's always a line.
As for the media coverage + overabundance, etc.: not to get all free market about it, but the vast majority of trucks will fail (like most businesses) and eventually, what seems new and novel will just seem ordinary and not that newsworthy. What's helped fuel this too has been the uptick of interest in food and eating within new media circles; that's absolutely helped to drive up interest/awareness/hype, etc.
This too shall pass.
Border Grill = coming for that ca$h.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_the_Spud_(chip_truck)
Are you actually riding a fixie while saying that?
Haha, WTFever. I'm a foodie. I love to cook and I love to eat.
And the Hester St Food Fair. Fuck your $4 home made ice pops, and your $9 for five dumplings and a thing of edamame!
The only trucks I mess with are Morelos, which Jonny mentioned on Ave A and 2nd St. Tacos El Dorado on 17th and Church in Flatbush, which somehow remains under the radar, no grub street or serious eats coverage. Yvonne's Jamaica on Wheels on 71st and York in Manhattan, old school and cheap. The dosa guy in Washington Square park, although I haven't been there in ages. And though not carts, the guy who sold tamales out of the igloo at the Chelsae flea (haven't seen him in a minute), and the woman who sells tamales out of the igloo at the Parade Grounds in BK on Friday nights while my kids are at soccer.
The only ones I want to try are the carts under the 7 train along Roosevelt Ave in Queens.
These fuckers recently started Rollin into Pedro to undermine the established spots.
Basically my point was that trucks were an integral part of the undocumented/transient la labor community. Not even most resident Latinos would eat off them, let alone white people. My boys family trucks, when parked in the USC corridor looked like this
Latino:
La Barca > tacos el unico > taco truck (pecking order)
White:
La Barca > Chano's > murder dogs
From what I've been told, the extent that XIII/M extorted and threatened these poor operators shouldn't be overlooked.
...enough to wait in line at Franklin BBQ.
White:
El chollo > La Barca > Chano's > murder dog's
Are you hating on Franklin BBQ too?
Fuck yes! I know dude has history elsewhere that should make him legit on top of his brisket supposedly being so good, but his clientele (apart from you, my friend) turns my stomach enough to keep me from patronizing his uber-line.
I have never eaten off one of these nueva trucks. Melrose (my neighborhood) does the truck thing every 1st Thur of the month but i haven't been too interested in trying much. To many people, too much hype.
I have never eaten off one of these nueva trucks. Melrose (my neighborhood) does the truck thing every 1st Thur of the month but i haven't been too interested in trying much. To many people, too much hype.
Rilly? First time I've heard someone talmbout they looking forward to kicking it on Roosevelt Avenue. What's good over there?
Maybe VH1 can put together a bunch of D-list celebrities and and force them to run a food truck, they can have cast members from different backgrounds overcoming their differences over "fusion cuisine" and tense situations on a small hot food truck.
Apart from the Mexican, Ecuadorian, and Colombian food carts, there are strip joints and $2 dances to the song of your choice. Holler!
Yeah i agree, not great, and not really worth the 25 minutes people wait in line here in NY.
I was underwhelmed when I first had them a couple weeks ago, but because I'm a sucker for hype, I gave them one last try this week. The pork and kimchi burrito was way better than the tacos I had, but still kinda ehh. I got no complaints about the price or portions, I just didn't think it was that great.
"I hear the food is great, it's the people I have to eat with I hate." Jesus Christ...
I don't have much to say for LA food trucks (beyond the Grilled Cheese Truck being the truth), but the food carts in Portland are ridiculous. Laugh all you want, but the bulgogi burrito I had at Koi was fucking amazing.
I can understand everyone's point re. race and the glamorization of something that was looked upon as the lowest form of "fast" food you could get at one time, but at the end of the day if it's good I'll eat it. You can patronize both local independent restaurants and fancyschmancy food trucks IMO. They don't have to be mutually exclusive.
Carry on.
It's like a 2 hour wait, dude, every day. Sometimes people wait 2 hours only to be greted when they finally reach the counter with a SOLD OUT sign. Even Jesus Christ would say naw to that bs.
The way you made it sound was you didn't want to eat with those people. To paraphrase The Mack "good shit takes longer". I'm willing to wait if it's worth it (and there's beer).
close...
http://gawker.com/5818863/famous-food-is-the-next-reality-television-trainwreck
this probably deserves it's own thread
but i'll just say this...3-6 mafia, pussy from the sopranos, that bachelor asshole and heidious montag
plus lots of violent behaviour
That's more like it.
It doesn't take 2 hours to get food at Franklin BBQ. They do however sellout within 2 hours. I usually get there by 10:30, and they open at 11:00. If you show up after 11:00 the line is too long and with people buying pounds of brisket or full briskets they sell out. Typically 850 pounds in 2 hours.
This is another example of a successful food trailer that has moved to a brick and mortar. Hatt all you want, their BBQ is the best in town and is worth standing in line for 30 minutes once in a while.
http://pacificsoulhawaii.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/jawaiian-irie-jerk-lunch-wagon-honolulu
The Jamaican dude has been around for a minute and is opening a spot in August I think. So good.