Food Trucks

You've seen them - sitting there on the corner, looking all tasty and smelling all fabulous.  And you think to yourself - how good can the food actually be?  Well, I'm telling you - pretty freakin' good!  Long a staple of thriving metropolises (metropoli?), the food truck is finally making its mark here in Tulsa.  This past Saturday was the Eat Street Tulsa Food Truck Festival, held in the Blue Dome district.  With more than 15 of the best trucks going - there was something to satisfy every palate - Vietnamese, Chinese, Mexican, along with more American fare such as BBQ, hot dogs, and pizza.

We arrived shortly after 6:00pm and the crowd was thick and in a festive mood (helping with the festive mood was the fact that the McNellies Pub Run had recently finished and half the crowd was working on an endorphin / Guinness high).  We started with tacos from Mr. Nice Guys.  They were your standard street tacos filled to the brim with a nice mix of chicken, lettuce, and some pico.  Next we headed to The Pink Tamale.  The tamales were delicious and had a super texture.  Then we found ourselves at Smoke on the Street (affiliated with Smoke on Cherry Street).  Here is where we sampled fried dill pickles and fried pig ears.  I've had fried pickles before and always enjoy them.  The fried pig ears?  Well, that's another story.  I just could not get past the fact that they were pig ears.  Now, let me be clear - the reason I am not a vegetarian is because of the pig - ribs, bacon, pork chops, bacon, pork loin, bacon - but the pig ear was really too much for me.  Tasty, but it messed with my mind.

There has been some resistance to food trucks here in Tulsa.  Many people mistakenly believe that the food quality is sub-par or that the truck conditions may be unsanitary.  But having worked my way through college at a local pizza joint, I will take my chances with the corner hot dog man any day over a fast food meal served at the Golden Arches.  Those places are swimming in grease and I truly believe the wash-your-hands-after-using-the-facilities is taken more as a suggestion than a requirement.  With the food truck - what you see is what you get.  And even better - with the food trucks, you know you are supporting a local business, not some conglomerate based in Illinois.  Food truck vendors most often buy local, shop local, use seasonal ingredients, and the food is usually fresh, not frozen.

So the next time you leave the BOK Center on a Saturday night and pass the hot dog man - get one!!  I guarantee you it will be the best dog you've ever had.