Image courtesy of TorontoFoodTrucks.ca
This Sunday, food fans lined up an hour before the opening of the Food Truck Festival Ontario, in it’s new venue at Downsview Park. The event offered patrons 31 trucks to choose sample size dishes from, all of which were priced at $6 or less. With so many of the trucks popping up across the city it’s obvious that this isn’t just a flash in the van (sorry). So what is it about meals on wheels that get us all hot under the collar?
1. Super convenient
I don’t know about you, but I am sick of lining up around the block for an hour and a half for the hottest restaurants and eateries in Toronto (Uncle Tetsu’s, I’m looking at you). And trying to guess what I’ll feel like eating on Saturday when making the booking at the start of the week to ensure I snag a table, isn’t much better. So before blood sugar dips to dangerous levels and you start to feel ‘hangry’, a well-timed food truck can really tickle your taste buds and satisfy a craving you didn’t even know you had.
2. Unique and interesting food
Trucks tend to veer on the unusual side of things, which means we get to reap the rewards of fusion food and a chef’s vivid imagination. Those of you who have seen Chef, starring Jon Favreau, will know that fancy schmancy restaurants stifle the creativity of seasoned professionals and once unleashed into the glorious world of food trucks they are finally able to start from scratch and create delicious and innovative eats! It’s a great way to ease yourself into new cuisine without committing yourself to an expensive sit down meal that you may not end up liking and sometimes it can encourage us to be more adventurous than we normally would. Or failing that, we can always just grab some good-old fashioned French fries...
3. Reasonably inexpensive
Yes ok, it’s not a fine dining experience and we probably wouldn’t want to spend our anniversary meal at the side of a food truck, but once you cut out the unnecessary overheads like, oh you know, tables and chairs and liquor licenses, truck proprietors are able to get back to whats important—great food at great prices. Plus you don’t need to agonize over how much to tip or smile awkwardly while your waitress gets out her calculator to divide the bill split between 10 of your closest friends.
4. Food envy, be gone
Ever ordered your food, then seen something ten times more delicious waltz right under your nose, only to be delivered to the table next to yours? One of the great things about food trucks is that other patrons will walk past you in the line, food in hand, giving you ample opportunity to smell what’s on offer and assess all options before you make your choice. Plus food trucks are not solitary creatures – where there is one, there will usually be many. So you can have fun window-shopping before you commit to a taco, a curry or gourmet poutine for dinner.
5. Compliments to the chef
More often than not, food trucks will be driven by the chefs who actually make the food, especially when the cooking is prepared on board. So now you can actually give the chef a pat on the back for a job well done which will make all the sweating over a tiny stove worthwhile. In fact, every part of the experience is a lot more immediate – fresh food that was probably bought that day, quick service and face time with the culinary geniuses behind it all. Enjoy!
To learn more about Toronto Food Trucks, visit TorontoFoodTrucks.ca!