Well, worry no more, this post will serve to save you the utter embarrassment of being the awkward hesitating, oh-so-hungry-new-to-the-carts patron, or in geek speak, “f00d c4rt n00b”.
Photos by Bettie Newell
Step 1) Assess the surroundings:
Look around at which carts other people are lining up to purchase food and stereotype the crap out of them. Just kidding, kind of. Make sure that the cart that you are buying your food from is frequented by someone that you could imagine having good taste in food.
Next, make an assessment on the overall effort the food cart owner has put into creating a quality food establishment (this will save you a lot of time/money/pain in trying out a lame food cart and being sadly disappointed). Take a look at the outside of the cart.
Do you see lots of dirt? Buckets of raw chicken marinating in the sun? Rat traps? These are characterized as bad signs. Do you see a spotless kitchen, clearly displayed business license and health inspection report and clearly written signs or do you see menu items crossed out haphazardly with a sharpie or chicken scratch written on an old cardboard box? Do you see a friendly patron who greets you as you walk by, offering information and advice, or a grumpy greasy guy scratching his sweaty neck before grabbing the next head of lettuce to slice?
The great thing about food carts is you can essentially look right into the kitchen where you food is prepared, so they can be more informative than eating in restaurants where the kitchen is tucked away.
Step 2) Stalk what others are eating in a non-creepy way.
Try not to look like this guy if possible
This is easier said than done, but it’s a necessary hoop that everyone new to the food carts must jump through in order to find something new and delectable. It’s really helpful to approach friendly looking people and ask them what they are eating and where they got it if you can’t make the connection on your own. Some of the best food cart finds are discovered simply by walking around and paying attention to what hip, trendy foodie-looking people are munching on during their lunch break.
Step 3) Ask Questions
This may seem fairly obvious, but many people think that they are smart enough to figure out on their own what to order and where. Don’t be afraid to ask the food cart employees what the best dishes are, where they source their ingredients from, how long they have been there, how business is going, and if they can give you a discount and/or free meal if you write a blog post for them for your business class at Portland State.
This often leads to a wealth of information, such as learning that your food cart doesn’t even know that free range chicken exists, or thinks that the word “organic” means that organs are involved in the meat mixture they are using (totally made that one up, I know, I’m hilarious).
Step 4) Be Adventurous and Try Out New Carts!
If a cart passes your assessment, looks tasty, clean and smells heavenly, then the food is probably going to be pretty awesome…and if it’s not, you’re only out 5 or 6 bucks. If you read a bunch of stellar reviews about a street cart from a country whose cuisine you have never tried, give it a whirl…the people reviewing probably know what they are talking about. Enjoy the unique-ness of the Portland food cart scene and spend some time gloating about how much more awesome Portland is than Seattle because of it.
Check out these other cool sources for food cart info:
Sunset Magazine's Top 10 Portland Food Carts
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