Street food is a gastronomic trend characterized by the offer to the public of an artisanal menu that is prepared and sold on the go.
Generally, this service is provided by using food trucks or vans with appliances adapted for food preparation.
Street food is classified as fast food, often no cutlery is needed to enjoy it, and it is much cheaper than dishes offered at restaurants.
In Sydney, people are talking a lot about street food these days and there is even a dedicated publication to this phenomenon with a selection of articles on the vendors here in the city.
Street food or food on the go offers meals that can be consumed immediately at a reasonable cost, there is no need to wait for a free table and tips are not mandatory in this type of service.
Operating costs are low because rental and utility expenses are not included and another advantage of this type of business is that you have the opportunity to attend events to increase sales.
But there are also some disadvantages, for instance fitting the van with the ideal appliances for food preparation can be very expensive and a lack of legal regulations limits business support.
Furthermore, the purchase of products and ingredients must be limited to prevent them from expiring and losing money because food trucks do not have large refrigerators.
But from a customer’s point of view, there are more advantages than disadvantages and this gastronomic trend has made it possible to introduce a cheaper (but still various and genuine) way of eating out on the market.
Here in Sydney, many are the parking areas across the city where one can get street food.
Among the available options we can find the classic ones such as: hot dogs, hamburgers, tacos and other snack foods.
Diners usually enjoy street food on weekends, during festivals or market days.
The ingredients used to make the dishes are usually sustainably grown like the fresh seafood served in some food stands.
In these places you can enjoy dishes with freshly caught crabs, shrimps, lobsters, bluefin tunas and oysters.
Every national event, especially those with fireworks, comes with a ‘parade’ of food trucks and Aussie families enjoy buying different dishes from the trucks and love eating them on blankets on the lawn while watching the show.
This is another positive aspect of street food: variety. When one eats at a restaurant, everyone in your party must choose from the same menu and cuisine, whereas with food trucks anyone can find something to their liking, and all can enjoy eating together without missing out.
The most commonly found trucks in Sydney sell fried food (truly anything! I have seen crusted and fried Mars bars and even ravioli), pizza, burgers, hot dogs, kebabs and Dim Sum but also new ethnic and less common cuisines are finding their spot like Georgian food.
Sometimes these trucks offer healthy fare, other times these foods are highly caloric, sugary or deep fried. In any case, street food is so popular also thanks to the many television shows and food bloggers who praise it.
Last, but not least, the increasing inflation is making it harder and harder, especially for families, to afford a night out dining at a restaurant so street food is a cheaper, yet more social and nicer than delivery food, way to eat out.
Thumps up for street food!
And you? Do you have many street food options in Japan?
