While on a recent trip to NYC, I kept on the lookout for food trucks, food carts, and other mobile operations. While I did see a retail cart selling housewares (that rather surprised me), I continued to find myself snapping photos of the fruit and vegetable carts that were abundant throughout the city.
With all of the controversy over food trucks in Buffalo, maybe it’s time to get back to the basics. The latest news I heard regarding the food truck wars was that The Place To Go is out of commission because the operation is not actually considered a truck because it’s a trailer without a self propelling motor… now I’ve heard everything. I heard that owner Kenny Moriarty was looking for a privately owned lot in a thriving commercial district to conduct business (if you know of anyone with a parking lot looking for a ready-to-go food ‘trailer’).
While The City gets its act together regarding the controversial issue, there are simpler set-ups that would provide Buffalonians with on-the-go produce that is a bit more on the healthier side of the food pyramid. As America combats the obesity issue, there are opportunities to take the junk food battle to the streets. I, for one, would love to see some healthy produce carts stationed at key commercial intersections. With the growing local ‘farm to table’ movement, and the success of the established farmers’ markets, maybe we should be looking to take a chapter from NYC produce carts. This could be considered a citywide healthy initiative.
At least these types of carts would not have to jump through any irregular hoops, unlike the food trucks. And as for the food ‘trailers’… may the force be with you Kenny.