Hail to the Cheeto

This is totally true. Nonetheless, this and this are good and important reads.

Drifting away

I've written a couple of times about food trucks, mostly about Vancouver's attempts to build up their street food scene. They seem to have it sorted out: there's now more than 100 food carts in Van-city.

Here in Toronto, we're not so lucky. There's a number of folks trying to make a go of it, but Toronto being Toronto, they are governed by complex bylaws and a hidebound bureaucracy. By contrast, my hometown of Edmonton seems to have a nice little scene sprouting up. It's nice to see a city that's not exactly known for being on the cutting edge of food trends pull one over on the Centre of the Universe.Which is why I was pretty annoyed to read this, as it highlights some of the attitudes and arguments that are holding street food back here. Colby Cosh at Maclean's pretty much nails my feelings on this story here. The only thing I would add is that I really don't see how a food truck is real competition for bricks and mortar restos. The two models offer up completely different experiences. And, where there is overlap, such as in the grab-and-go lunch market, it should come down to quality. As far as I'm concerned, the state's role should be limited to providing and enforcing health and safety guidelines that everyone must follow, and not concern itself with matters of competition.

N.B.: regular food posting to resume shortly before stopping abruptly again for my summer vacation.

Rakings



"Inside or Outside" by Dadu Shin 

A bracing morning today. I biked to work amid fellow cyclists sporting scarves and sweaters as I shivered at the stop signs in my shorts. The first sign of fall, my favourite season. The run up to winter is going to be a busy time, between moving, school, and oh yes, cooking classes (yes, I'm taking a cooking class; more on that soon). At the same time, I'm hoping to spend more time in my own kitchen and with you, dear reader. Here's a few thoughts to savour for now.