Food trucks are increasingly common in Canada. Lately, I have been hooked as well until I got sick. That greasy burger probably did some damage. Like street vendors, food trucks often serve unhealthy goodies such as hot dogs, burgers, fries and anything you can throw into a deep fat fryer. not have the best food in Canada and going to a fine dining restaurant could cause you a fortune. Food truck seems to be a good alternative for people who are sick of chain fast food restaurants and hope their food to be a little bit 'gourmet'- I mean more refined. Unfortunately Calgary has unpredictable and sometimes unpleasant weather. If the temperature is cold, sales will go down dramatically as chances are people will not line up outdoor for food. Therefore, on average the food standard among food trucks in Calgary is quite mediocre. Also, Calgary is landlocked which means it is difficult to get fresh seafood at an affordable price. That probably explains why I have yet to see a food truck that sells seafood. The food that serves in food trucks are a bit higher than fast food joints as well.
In Asia, people rare see food trucks on the street. Instead, there is a lot of small street vendors. In comparison to North America, they are more diversified than North America. Selling plain hot dog and burgers will not satisfy the customers need. In Hong Kong there are many kinds of street foods. For example, the vendors will put fish balls, satay beef, squid, stuffed peppers into skewers and barbeque or boil them in flavored booth. They taste good and the price is usually right.
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I tend to believe street food are usually tasty but not nutritious for you. From hot dogs, burgers to the items above like deep fried fish ball, sausages, deep fried stuffed peppers as well as the infamous 'stinking tofu'. People will buy it as long as it satisfies their taste bud and look somewhat sanitary. Obviously sanitation could be an issue for street vendors, but I assume that as long as you eat street food once in a blue moon it cannot do much harm to you. Meanwhile I am salivating right now so I must stop writing. Happy eating!
I watch the Food Network Channel on television and see the show called "Eat Street" that depicts many locations that use street vendors. I wish there were more in Calgary. I only know of one downtown. Like you said it is the weather that affects this.
ReplyDeleteI watch "Eat Street" too. There's a few food trucks in Downtown. There's one that has 3 blonds serving "Canadian national dish" poutines called "Dolls and Fries". Another one called "Alley Burger", which is really good and greasy. I actually got sick after eating it. LOL!
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ReplyDeletethe foods on the food trucks are actually really good in Calgary. I’ve eaten at Alley Burger, BlamWich, The Perogy Boyz and Fries & Dolls. They all served different unhealthy things like fries, burgers and perogies but I enjoyed eating them. I sometimes find it hard to find them around the city though. Asia food are also so good too and super cheap!
I have to agree that food trucks are the new trend in Calgary. Before food trucks started getting popular in Calgary there were always hotdog stands in the downtown area. During the winter months you’ll never see them around, but with the sever changes in our weather the winters we’ve had in the past couple of years are more pleasant which makes it easier to wait in line outside. I have to disagree with the comment that food trucks generally only sever unhealthy food. With the current trend of healthier living all sorts of food trucks has started to popup. In Calgary alone the food trucks we have includes gelatos, Mexican, Vietnamese, crepes, Indonesian, shawarma, Italian, burgers, perogies, and fries and smokies. Though the food is served out of a truck there is still a decent standard of quality in these foods.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been to different parts of Asia and I do love the street food they offer but it’s hard to compare what they have in Asia to what we have in Calgary or even to North America. Street food is a norm in Asian countries. It’s a way of life for them. Sanitation may not be high on their priority list because that’s just how they live and what they are a custom to. They can also be more diverse in what they sever because of the access they have to the different ingredients and people being more open minded to what can be served on the streets. But in North America, we have been spoiled in a sort of sense that we have certain expectations of what we considered sanitary because of the standard of living we are use too. Either way, if you’re open to eating on the streets and trying new things you’ll be delighted by the experience of many more flavors whether in Asia or North America.
Hey, great post, and there definitely has been an increase in food trucks in the city. I haven't had the luck of trying any of them yet but I definitely plan too. On the topic of asian food, which might be some of the best food out there, I tend to agree with Lilym although I have never been to Asian I imagine the food there is amazing, it's great here but in Asia, it would probably be ten times better.
ReplyDeleteThe food here really not that great. It's better off knowing how to cook.
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