Durham Food Truck Rodeo Recap

Durham Food Truck Rodeo

-->What a sight! 45 food trucks, sound of generators mixing with music, exhaust, grease, people and all, filled up the streets and the pavilion at Durham Farmers Market on Sunday, September 2, 2012. The lines were about 30 minutes long before I got to taste the food (that I gobbled up in a few minutes). The experience was quite different from what I am used to, roaming the outdoor street vendors in Thailand. How hungry people in the triangle are for food on the street, rain or shine! The question is, was it worth it?

I am not an expert on outdoor vendor by any means, but I can tell you, growing up eating from outdoor vendors in Thailand, I found some drastic differences:

Menu Board at Bulkogi Truck

Bulkogi Truck and the Line

1. There was no display of the fresh ingredients. I did not know what goes in my food. All I saw were pretty pictures. It did make me feel like looking at a menu in a fast food joint.
2. There was no display of cooking. All I could see was the window. I am used to seeing a grill, frying pan or a stockpot with the fragrance of the food floating in the air. That's the part when the mouthwatering process entices you to buy...must have food even if you are a mile away!
3. The wait was 30 minutes just to order and another 15 min. before the food arrives. That's way too long. I can go to a restaurant, sit in a comfortable chair, be served and pay the same price. The same can be said to visiting an outdoor festival in Thailand. Thais may be full of patient, but when it comes to food...you better make them quick.
4. The flavors were good. I did see a lot of meat...meat and meat. Is the demand all about meat and grease or is there no food truck that serves a good vegetable dish. Why can't we have both?

Porchetta Truck

Porchetta Menu

I also found good food, which I would not find in Thailand nor many places in the US. North Carolina is known for whole hog, vinegar based BBQ. You will find plenty of that at the Rodeo. The Porchetta and the Bulgoki trucks were an exception, deliciously great finds. I skipped the dumplings and the taco truck since I know where to find authentic Asian dumplings, Hispanic lengua and Chicharron tacos locally. (That's for the next blog.).

A Porchetta Sandwich

Porchetta, an Italian pork roll is made with pork loin wrapped with pork belly and seasoned with herbs, slow roasted, sliced and served on bread as a sandwich. You cannot go wrong with Pork in North Carolina. What pushes it over the top was the fact that it was not a BBQ...but so much more.

Kimchee Hotdog and Spicy Bulkogi

Bulgoki is a Korean marinated BBQ beef/pork taco. Typically it is served with rice, bean paste, and kimchi and wrapped in lettuce leaves. This food truck, however, serves the spicy kimchi bulgoki and kimchi hot dog. The heat ranges from 1 to 10 levels. I found my taste buds satisfied at 9, crunchy and pickle delicious.

The flavor of the food is one note from each truck. A combination of a few trucks at a park can easily make a band. A 45-food trucks rodeo like this one in Durham ought to produce a symphony. Though, all I experienced was the music off tune and a herd of cowboys trying to tame the wild horses. With more practice, I am sure the wait will be less, the aroma will be of food and not exhaust, and the food will show up tasting so good with fresh ingredients from the local farmers market, perfectly arranged and displayed.
It may not be Thailand, but with the global warming in affect and more fine-tuning...we might as well become tropical and rehearse for the perfect rock band!

Cheers,
Teera