International Meals on Wheels

Short of actually traveling to a new country, one way to try and learn about different cuisines involves dining out. In the past few months, I’ve satisfied my curiosity about Korean fried chicken at Koko Wings and ate a wonderful Ukrainian veal goulash at the iconic Veselka restaurant, both in New York City.

An easy trek from Venezuela to Poland

A less expensive, fun, casual alternative can be the growing number of food trucks. Fortune has rewarded me because I learned that several of these traveling smorgasbords park once a week at local craft breweries. That allows me to enjoy a craft beer with an unfamiliar new dish, often dining outdoors. Recently, that was a cochino arepa from Tres Latinas at the Brewery Silvaticus in Amesbury, Mass. The three friends from Caracas, Venezuela told me that they love sharing their cuisine from this food truck, and assert that arepas are NOT tacos. Rather, they’re the “pita breads” of Venezuela and Colombia, pancakes or flatbreads made from cornmeal dough. The cochino arepa that I enjoyed was filled with pulled pork and coleslaw. To top it off, I had a quesillo, Venezuelan flan, for dessert.

Not to be outdone, we went back the following week, this time for Polish cuisine thanks to the Polish Prince Pierogi food truck. Owner Doug Drozdowski told me that he firmly believes that the pierogis, Polish pasta dumplings, should be rolled, stuffed, and pinched by hand. His creations, including the meat pierogis that I enjoyed, are based on his grandmother’s 100-year-old secret dough recipe from Krakow.

I’m lucky to enjoy other local food trucks, as well. Metzy’s Cantina operates a food truck where I’ve enjoyed great fish tacos. The nearby Rusty Can chef-owned barbecue restaurant operates a food truck, and the Sacred Cod offers fantastic fresh fried fish, fish sandwiches, and fried fish tacos with mango salsa.

Mass mobilization

Food trucks are nothing new; the first recorded was actually a wagon driven by Walter Scott who parked his vehicle outside a Providence, R.I. newspaper in 1872 and sold sandwiches, slices of pie, and coffee to hungry journalists. And in 1893, the first hotdog cart in New York sold its first dog on Coney Island. Today, it’s a billion-dollar industry, and almost every city has some food trucks.

The modern food-truck craze took off in Los Angeles in 2008 when the Kogi food truck began offering Mexican fusion food. L.A. also has the Prince of Venice food truck (operated by the grandson of the last king of Italy) offering Italian noodles and sauces. Austin, Texas is the food truck capital of the U.S., and Orlando, Raleigh, and Oklahoma City have the most food trucks per capita. Portland, Oregon has a food truck park; Wharf Miami is a food truck zone; and Chicago recently opened a food truck plaza. Check out Denver in the photo above. Some cities make it easy; some don’t. Boston, for example, requires more than 30 hurdles to be jumped to obtain a permit, and in New York City, there’s a 15-year waitlist for a two-year vending permit. If you want to investigate further, Roaming Hunger will find a food truck for you.

More than cheeseburgers in paradise

One problem with living in New England is that most of the food trucks here close during the colder months. I am happy to report that the best food truck idea I’ve seen is in Hanalei, Hawaii. Thanks to the continuously warm weather and trade winds, the island of Kauai is home to more than 50 food trucks, and Hanalei, located on the North Shore, has a food truck park. Imagine going to one general area where you can sample a whole variety of cuisines. Hanalei’s food trucks feature not only local organic sandwiches and poi, but poke (a Hawaiian raw fish salad similar to ceviche), tacos and quesadillas, authentic Indian food, and Brazilian specialties. One truck, Tiki Tzatziki, offers the Hawaiian version of Greek food – lamb, chicken, and veggie gyros together with fresh local fruits and vegetables. It’s one-stop shopping for new menu ideas. And let’s not forget shave ice, a much-loved Hawaiian dessert featuring ice shavings covered with flavored fruit syrups.

Thanks to www.ckbk.com, the online cookbook resource with more than 600 searchable cookbooks, I can easily find a recipe for the new dishes I discover. I might be tempted to check out a Polish or Venezuelan cookbook to see what might tempt my fancy.

What about you? Do you have a favorite food truck? To comment, please click on “Read in Browser” or on the headline to view the blog on the website. You can log in and comment at the end of the blog to share your thoughts and start a discussion.

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