IT'S a classic conditioned response: hear the tinny song of an ice cream truck playing on its infinite loop, and you're suddenly 10 years old again, in your soggy, sandy bathing suit, running for a fruity Bomb Pop or a Fudgsicle.
Food trucks are far from a new phenomenon.
It's only been in the past decade, though, that the menu has changed. It's no longer just Klondike Bars and hot dogs that draw a crowd. These days, lineups form for pulled pork sandwiches, Baja fish tacos, spicy Indian curries and of course, Japadogs.
In 2010, the City of Vancouver launched a pilot program with 17 street food vendors, to assess the popularity of the concept. There are now 99 food cart vendors permitted to operate on Vancouver streets, with 15 new permits to be awarded on May 1. This year, Vancouver will also consider allowing vendors to set up Portland-style "pods," where several food trucks operate in one area together.
Unfortunately, except for the usual hot dog stands, and at farmers markets and
community festivals, North Shore municipalities are slower to get on board the mobile trend.
Still, it's a food fad that has wheels (the opportunities for puns are endless here, aren't they?), and like any good food fad, it spawned a Food Network show. In 2011, Food Network Canada premiered Eat St., a curbside view of North America's street food. Hosted by Canadian comedian James Cunningham, Eat St. tours the continent in search of the most inventive meals served from food truck windows. The series launched with an app, the Eat St. App, which uses GPS to track street fare; and now, it's given rise to a cookbook.
Written by show host Cunningham, Eat St.: Recipes From the Tastiest, Messiest, and Most Irresistible Food Trucks, isn't just a book of recipes, it's a celebration of street food.
The photos are spectacular, and text alongside each of the 125 recipes tells the story of the mobile food vendor who created it, based from as far and wide as Seattle to London, England. Eat St. is $24 and available in bookstores now.
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Yesterday marked the start of Sweet Dreams Dessert Month, an annual partnership between Cactus Restaurants Ltd. and Make-A-Wish B.C.
& Yukon to help grant wishes for children living with life-threatening medial conditions.
Until April 30, Cactus Club will donate partial proceeds from every dessert sale to Make-A-Wish B.C. & Yukon to help make wishes come true for local children.
Cactus Club has partnered with the charity for 13 years.
For more information about Make-A-Wish B.C. & Yukon, visitmakeawishbc.ca. For a list of Cactus Club Cafe locations, visit cactusclubcafe. com. [email protected]
