Start a Love Affair With Street Food

On my bucket list is a world tour for the sole purpose of sampling as many kinds of street foods as possible.

What is Street Food

Street food is ready-to-eat food or drinks sold by a hawker, or vendor, in a street or other public place, such as at a market or fair. They often sell it from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption. Wikipedia

Street Food Heritage

Throughout time, there has always been a vendor selling ready-made bread, cheeses, desserts, and other culinary delights. However, in more recent times, street food vendors have often come from immigrant cultures looking for a means of income or the love of sharing their native cuisine.

Then, fast-food chains populated the streets and independent street food vendors became harder to find, especially where I live in the US. However, in other parts of the world, street food is common and easily found.

What draws me and others to the street food experience? 

• Adventure — who doesn’t like to discover new things?
• Realism — who doesn’t like authenticity?
• Diversity — who doesn’t like something new?
• Reward and escape — who doesn’t like something special and outside their norm?
• Treasure hunting — who doesn’t like the mystery and allure of a new food vendor, food truck, or food stall that may be here today and gone tomorrow?
• Location — who doesn’t love the ethnic, cultural, and touristy areas where you’re likely to find food vendors with magical fare?

The next best thing to a street food world tour

Have you ever noticed that your city or a larger city nearby will have a special event each year called A Taste of (whatever city)

This is an event where 10–40 different restaurants prepare sample portions of their menu foods that you can taste for a reasonable ticket fee.

Be sure to plan for this event. If all the restaurants aren’t serving in one location, then map out the restaurants you want to try and start early when the food will be the freshest.

Bring along your appetite and don’t be scared to try new things. Carry a lightweight bag to keep giveaways, coupons, menus, and other special items offered by the participating restaurants.
And if a miracle happens

If by some miracle you do get to take that world tour of street food, be sure to try these just for me.

1. Lahmacun — Turkish Pizza
2. Zapiekanka — Polish open-faced sandwich
3. Char kway teow — Singapore shrimp and rice dish
4. Suppli — Rome’s deep-fried rice croquette
5. Chilli Crab — Singapore
6. Appam — Sri Lanka bowl-shaped pancake
7. Vada pav — Mumbai’s sandwich
8. Coxinha — Brazil’s chicken and cream cheese croquette
9. Espetada — Madeira’s marinated beef cooked on a stick

If you’re passionate about food, then a love affair with street food sounds ideal, doesn’t it?