Oh Food Trucks, Where Art Thou?

I remember a time when Momofuku was just a hole in the wall--in its early days, when one could walk in and take a seat at the counter, enjoy a plate of savory pork buns and linger over a bowl of brothy noodles before returing, full and happy, to the cacophany of First Avenue. It was conveniently located (literally) around the corner from my apartment. I ate there almost daily for a few of months.

I also remember the day I walked in the door and saw Mario Batali and company seated prominently by the front window with what looked like every item on the menu splayed out before him. He was showy and boisterous and enjoying the audience that could not keep their attention away from the spectacle in bright orange Crocs. The fairy tale that was my perfect neighborhood restaurant had come to an end.

And indeed, the very next week I had to wait for a seat. I was glad for David Chang's success, but so sad that my experience of this "good thing" had come to an end.

It occured to me then that perhaps if it had been harder to find, or if it had taken more effort for the "outsiders" to enjoy the wonders of Momofuku, that my little Eden would not have been so fleeting.

Enter the Food Truck. My father called one a "Roach Coach" when I was a child, so I eschewed them into my early adulthood.

That was before I worked in the industry. Before the Vendy Awards. Before Twitter.

Consider this article from the New York Times Dining Section this past week. There is some work involved on the part of the eater to actually locate these vendors. And once you find the food, you must be willing to eat it standing up, or squatting on a sidewalk, or possibly leaning against a building. You may need to wait in the rain. Or the sweltering heat. This is not food you eat to "be seen," (yes, Mario, I'm referring to you), but food to eat because it is GOOD. The food itself is (literally) fleeting. One must pursue it.

And just because you find it once does not guarantee that it will return to the place where you left it.

Does the chase make the food taste better? Perhaps to some. But for me, good food is worth the effort, especially if it keeps the party crashers at bay.


P.S. If you happen to be in New York this weekend, the 2009 Vendy Awards are this Saturday, September 26 at Queens Museum of Art.