Did you sit around during the holidays wondering what was in store for 2012? I didn’t think so, but there are people who did.
Euro RSCG and CEO/trendspotter Marian Salzman released the top five trends in food for 2012. Publicis Consultants USA also released a dozen food trends to watch for in 2012. Click through for the deets.
How would you improve the food truck of today? A class of USC architecture undergrads recently took up this task, and Curbed LA had the details.
“This semester, Jennifer Siegal of the Office of Mobile Design taught a topic studio for USC architecture undergrads called “Generation Mobile: Exploring the Deployable, ‘Free-Range Cuisine’ Truck Culture.” Her students met chefs, mobile business owners, suppliers, and installation artists, and thought about how to create what Siegal calls an “instant community.” As a final project, the students designed their own trucks. The work will be exhibited at the downtown Border Grill starting Tuesday, December 14.”
In a humanitarian vein, Marcus Cheng’s self-sufficient Mobile Water Truck (above) spreads its wings to collect, filter and store rain water in exterior bladders and delivers it to people in times of crisis and need.
Scott Baik’s Teppenyaki Truck (above) turns the art of food preparation into a communal event to be enjoyed while waiting, lounging or watching sports. It even provides seating and a counter for customers.
Seating for customers seems to be a recurring theme. The flexible skin of Vikki Chan’s Mozzarella Mobile (above) expands and slides open to provide space for tasting and sampling 3 varieties of mozzarella whether to sit and stay or take away.
For some people, the food truck of the future is already here. Last year we showed you the food truck of the future that was invented by a French-Canadian company called MUVBOX. The walls expand and fold out to create stand-up tables and a floor – and it looks like something out of Transformers.
Here’s the video again in case you missed it last year.
XPL Truck (3rd Ave & 52nd St)
There was some pretty funky stuff at the National Vending Show in Chicago. The vending industry takes in $30 billion annually – but you have to wonder how with products like these:
It’s a perfect spring day. Get the best street food in New York from the vendors on the right and the trucks below.
Click image for map 
