New York Street Food

Airport dining just got a whole lot better!

Several airports have brought in food trucks for a couple of different purposes, and it seems to be catching on.

Some are placing the food trucks in the cell phone waiting area, where people wait for their loved ones to arrive.

Other airports are using them as a welcome mat for arriving travelers.

Still others are bringing them in to feed the multitudes of people working at the airport.

(more…)

Near my hotel (credit: NYSF)

If you read NYSF regularly, you know that we are in Amsterdam this week.

Before we left, we contacted eat-amsterdam.com and dutchgrub.com for some street food recommendations, but they both said it doesn’t exist. Instead, they gave us a few restaurant recommendations.

The first place we went to yesterday was Thaise Snackbar “Bird”. They started out with a small snackbar that has 4 tables and 5 stools at the window. They have since expanded to a full restaurant across the street.

We were told it’s tough to get a table at the small snackbar, but our schedule was off from flying overnight, and we went out for food around 4pm. That was too late for lunch and too early for dinner, so we lucked out with a seat.

Feeling out of sorts from overnight travel, and it being cold and wet, we ordered a hot, spicy soup, tom yam talee, and an appetizer, pangsit.

(credit: NYSF)

(more…)

(credit: Zingerman’s)

From the Zingerman’s website: “While langós is almost unknown over here, in Hungary it’s almost everywhere. There are langós stands all over the country, the same way that hot dog carts cover Manhattan, or falafel stands are all over the Middle East.

Langós is quite simply a flat disc of deep-fried bread dough. Most langós are brushed, right out of the fryer, with a wisp of garlic-flavored water, and then topped with chopped ham, sour cream, and a touch of chopped dill.

Like most fritters, it’s far better eaten just a few minutes after it’s emerged from the fryer. Come in to the Bakeshop on Tuesdays for lunch and get ‘em while they’re hot!”

Zingerman’s, in Ann Arbor, MI has a whole assortment of Hungarian breads and pastries, which you can read about here. Even if you’re not in the area, it makes for interesting reading.

If travel is more your speed, they also have a Hungarian food tour that will head there in October 2013.

For additional information on langós, there’s a bit more on Wikipedia.

Bangkok street food (from The Atlantic)

One of the best ways to learn about and enjoy a local culture is to try the street food. It gets you away from the tourist traps, and brings you in touch with the people who actually live there.

Of course, you can’t just go running nilly-willy up to the first vendor you see. Otherwise you could end up with problems, such as Montezuma’s Revenge. But there are several common sense things you can do to lessen this possibility.

Budget Travel has some advice to help you in this regard.

(more…)