Food Trucks: A PheNOMenon

I recently paid a visit to San Francisco’s Off the Grid (OTG), my first food truck rally. And in all my years being a dedicated foodie I’d never experienced anything like it.

Nothing says locavore quite like a food truck on the go. Picture it: a steel behemoth parks curbside. The hinged window opens and dinner is served, satisfying the line; palate after grub-hungry palate – food exclusively available to you, in your city and made by average Joes like yourself.

Food Trucks, Man’s Best Friend

Originally food trucks served the blue collar man: construction workers, boat yardman, and factory personnel. They came and went with the lunch hour. That’s changed with the advent of Twitter, a hungry foodie populace, and a dash of cool. Food trucks are now everywhere and can notify of their whereabouts on the go. Even better are food truck rallies! Where as few as three to dozens of trucks meet for a few hours as a community to serve people.

These entrepreneurs of mobile food get creative with festive trucks that celebrate their unique offerings. Here at OTG you can find korean bagel burgers, authentic Colombian cuisine, Greek gyros and Filipino tacos. Nearly all trucks fill the special foods spectrum too, each having a vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free dish on deck. Many shop locally and exclusively organic as well. Every one of these trucks are trying to cement their niche and gain your business. They do this by providing the most original, quality made food that’s affordable.

In contrast you’d be hard pressed to find a mecca of international tastes like you can at OTG or any rally. Imagine driving out to get kosher ribs, then elsewhere to sample a spicy chutney and across town for authentic gelato. Pure hassle, less hunger satisfying.

There’s plenty to be said about the phenomenom. I spent the evening listening to busy 12×8 foot kitchens at work, live music bands and conversing with a few of the couple hundred something patrons. The food of course exceeded expectations.

But don’t just take my word for it, we asked around to see what others enjoy about food trucks:

What’s the best food you’ve had at a truck meet and how far would you drive to get it again?

“In Manhattan there’s a truck called “Ali Baba’s” that has amazing skewers of lamb, chicken and beef, which come with sides of rice and flat bread or hummus. Less than $5, and the spices are truly amazing — best food in NYC. I didn’t have to drive at all..the truck stopped behind the Waldorf, so as soon as you step out, there it was.”
-Deb McAlister

“Tough one. I’d go with Zombie Foodtruck and drive no further than a half hour because I’d definately be too hungry to function after thinking about it for that long.”
-Justin Jay Koch

If you could nom on any food at your local truck meet, what would you eat and why?

” There is a local truck in the Dallas area called “The Bomb” and they serve fried avocados. They serve it with salsa and it is sooooooo good! ”
-Sarah Wiles

“Before I went vegetarian it was Senor Sisig‘s Senor Sisig Burrito. I grew up on Filipino food but never would have thought of having it in a burrito with cilantro sour cream and salsa. How do you change up a food you’ve been eating your whole life? Pretty awesome.”
-Andre Pascual

If you’ve ever attended a big rally like OTG or New York City’s Prospect Park then you know that no single experience is ever the same. So get out and support these local food geniuses. I promise you’ll have a blast while you’re at it!

Have a favorite food truck we should know about? Comment or tweet us @Nommunity