It's not because I'm a prude or anything like that.
I eat tamales sold out of some random lady's trunk at the supermarket parking lot. I eat animal feet and intestines and stomach linings.
So no, I have not waited this long to eat at a nouveau food truck because the idea of eating food made in a truck scared me. It is definitely not that.
I guess I just never thought it was a big deal.
Whereas all the other kids are doing it like it's going out of style, I was never in any kind of rush. I decided to wait until the time was right.
"But DG, evvvvvvveryone is doing it."If everyone were jumping off a bridge, would I do the same? Um, no. If everyone had to follow someone on Twitter just to eat, would I do the same? No. If everyone waited in line for what seemed like an eternity, would I do the same? No, no, no.
No offense to food truck enthusiasts, but this whole gourmet food truck fad is just not my thing. I do not like the idea of having to track down my food only to find out the truck was forced to move. I do not like the idea of having to wait in a line of 35 hipster foodies who somehow found out the truck's new location before I did. Believe it or not, I have better things to do.
Unless of course, the truck was already there waiting for me.
Which is exactly why I gave it up for the
Nom Nom Truck.
He just happened to be catering a gallery event we attended a few weeks ago. We got there and I spotted him from a distance looking all buff decked out in green and yellow hanging out by the sidewalk on South Pasadena's Mission Street. I made the first move. But being my first time, I was a little on the wishy washy side as I pondered everything this hunk of a Vietnamese fusion food truck had to offer.
Did I want a lemongrass chicken taco topped with Vietnamese vegetable accoutrements? Or perhaps a grilled pork taco or tofu taco?
Or would I find pleasure in the truck's banh mi?
"Screw it," I said. It was free, so I had it all.
Foreplay came in the form of canned carbonated beverages and kawaii Asian snacks like Hello Panda cookies, rice crackers and Pocky. Which were also free for the taking that evening. Needless to say, alot of foreplay was had.
Doing the deed with the truck's Grilled Pork Banh Mi wasn't all that it was cracked up to be, especially if 5 bucks is what they charge normally--an astronomical price considering the same can be had at a traditional banh mi shop for half the price. I'll give them credit for very tasty meat--juicy pork with the perfect amount of char--but other than that, the baguette was on the dry side and didn't have as much mayo/butter/soy sauce or whatever *ahem*
lube combo as it should have had.
The tacos, however, did not fail to please the palate and were quite delicious. Warm, fluffy corn tortillas really showed off the truck's nicely done proteins. The lemongrass chicken, grilled pork and tofu were all tender and generous with great flavor. Pickled daikon, carrots and cucumber added a perfect crunchy texture and helped to bring out the flavor of those juicy, charred proteins.
So what did I think about deflowering my nouveau food truck virginity with the Nom Nom Truck? Overall, I'm glad I did it, and there were definitely as many high points as there were low points. Though my first time may be a little skewed from being too
easy--not having to go on the prowl for it, not having to wait a long time, and not having to pay--the experience itself was enough to make me curious about all the fun I could have with all the other trucks out there. But I'm not planning on becoming a total food truck whore anytime in the near future; I'm just not that into chasing them down and waiting around just to get a little nouveau food truck somethin' somethin.' So I think I'll be picky about hooking up...I'll hold my own and maybe play hard to get a little bit. I may have popped that gourmet food truck cherry a little prematurely, but I still want to be in charge of my nouveau food truck consuming body.
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Thanks to a post by the Glutster a while back, my latest road trip to Northern California didn't involve a food pitstop at one of the several usual fast food chain suspects. Located in lovely Buttonwillow, a less-than-bustling town popular amongst Highway 5 road travellers, Tita's Pupuseria was a delicious way to refuel ourselves after refueling our car.
Although standard taco truck fare is available at the truck, why would I get anything but a pupusa from a pupuseria? And I'm so glad I did! The perfectly grilled discs of masa had a slightly crispy exterior, weren't at all overly greasy (a pupusa pet peeve of mine), and gave way to fluffy interiors oozing with delicious pork and cheese in this particular case. A heaping mound of curtido--a tangy and spicy cabbage slaw--and a couple dashes of salsa roja made them that much better. Pupusas filled with loroco, squash, beans, and/or cheese are also available for $2.75 each or around 9 bucks for a combo of two pupusas and a generous side of rice and beans.
Service can be a little slow, but really, what do you expect when your pupusas are made to order? Stretch your legs out, then sit back and relax at one of the picnic tables set up under the shaded canopy and be thankful that you didn't have to endure another roadtrip meal at McJack In The Crack.
