STREET FOODS ~PART 1

There is nothing more memorable for me then attending the feast of Obelisco in Mirebella "the feast of Saint Mary". the third Saturday in September. I recall the statue of the Virgin Mary carried in a church vessel made up of straw being pulled by ox in the middle of the piazza. There is music, spirits and and more importantly the streets are littered with street vendors. I can recall the aromas of grilled meats like sausage and peppers, lamb shanks chicken and veal stew and they are distinct and unique to that region of Italy. You can't help but take in the sweet pungent woody smells of the dried peppers and cured meats. And on tables you will be mesmerized by the abundance of fresh food. There are wheels of farm cheese, plump tomatoes still on the vine,huge olives, walnuts so fresh you can peel the shells off with your hands, big black and green olives, and of course, grappa! On white linen tablecloths a colorful array of grilled vegetables, eggplant, zucchini, and thin slices of cured meats like prosciutto garnished with fresh herbs. Each vendor you pass smiles and beckons you over to taste from their table. I miss the feast but more importantly I miss Passo Di Mirabella, it was birth place, my home and it will always be a part me that I will never forget.
So now when I am in the North End I make it a point to try to got out to the markets almost every weekend .Especially, in the spring and summer months, more importantly, I try to always make one of the feasts. The big one in the North End would be the Saint Anthony feast and I look forward to the street vendors with their push carts, the live entertainment and I never ever pass by the booths selling hot peppers and sausages or as I coined it "S &P sandweech". There is so many vendors selling foods like fried calamari , grilled lamb kabobs and freshly made eggplant parmesan! The variety of street food is only limited to your palette and more importantly the size of your wallet! Oh, I almost forget the array of sweets at the Italian feasts is phenomenal! I can never pass up the homemade cannolis, you can either choose between ricotta cheese or cream cheese filling and I can never decide so I get both one for each hand! Most street food is considered fast food but not all vendors prepare quick snacks, there are fresh fruit and vegetables and healthy alternatives. Now you can find so many vendors selling grilled and steamed foods and compact fine dining. The only issues facing street vendors is hygiene and cleanliness and lack of temperature control and refrigeration. This is a global issue and cross contamination and food safety, yet there is a growing monetary incentives to vendors to provide training and incentives to maintain adequate safety provisions.
There are street vendors all over the globe from South America that serve foods like bunny chow scooped out loaf of bread with curry. Ethiopia has their injera bread and enjoy a variety of street foods like Tbs Wat ( a pungent stew with inera and fried Neeka stalks). China has many small front door vendors such as grilled rice balls and pan fried noodles. India is notorious for street foods and you will find foods like Chaat, which is made up with a variety of ingredients like lemon and pomegranate seed. It can be used for example, to make small crisp pancakes from fried flour called "paprika". Now people in Puerto Rico are known for their vendors and they have a large following in the Caribbean and North America. Puerto Rico is known for their Pinchos ( a kabob of pork, or chicken spiced which is labeled with barbecue sauce and often served with fried bread).
While in Europe, the French you will find common street food like a crepes or baguette bread sandwiches , In Germany it's curry sausage and Currywurst, while their neighbors in Poland street carts and long lines for their of love ice cream.
Although, not all countries prefer street vendors like Spain for example, the people rather sit and eat inside restaurants. Also, in Switzerland they prefer motorized trucks instead of booths or carts for their finger food! And depending what region you are in Canada that have specialist street vending. So french fries with gravy and cheese curds are found throughout Canada but Quebec this street food is extremely popular and there are specialized vendors for that region. We can not forget North America we just love to party and so with Mardi Gras held in New Orleans selling mouth watering creole to so many festivals, feasts and fairs all across this great country, we love street food!. In New England we just ave love our fairs and festivals nothing bigger in Massachusetts than the "Topsfield Fair" in October. There are rides, games, a petting zoo, a couple of fortune tellers and yes, the food! The smell of deep dish apple pie, candy apples, fried dough, hot dogs and even corn of the cob! We enjoy our food and it would not be the same without our street vendors. Let's not forget that street food provides a place for people to gather and experience the many diverse cultural traditions. So for example, if you hop a ferry in places like New York City seek out street vendors selling roasted chestnuts, or their famous New York Cheesecake. Let's face it New York is an economic melting pot and a great place to experience a variety of street food.
So let's forget our neighbors "southwest of the border"  Mexico, they are noted for their street food and they have so many vendors who serve hot foods like graaches, tostada's, tacos their tequila. Never mind their wonderful hospitality. And even further south a continent away South America, Rio di Janeiro vendors sell Mate Gleado (erva mate iced-tea) for those hot days lying on the beach  or biscoitas de polviho (sour manioc flour puffs), for a quick snack! 
There is so much more to the local market places and street vendors. If you allow yourself to be open minded to try new experiences you can not only enjoy the cusine but in the process gain knowledge about a different culture. And who knows, maybe you can adopt a new family tradition in the process!

My next blog will cover more stories and a in depth look on Street Vendors. Fo now I am enjoying that spring is finally her, yeah! 
So did you here that vending machines will be on planes very soon ? What's next, will we see them on the moon?

Finally, I just want to mention to those of us celebrating Passover and Easter have a wonderful holiday!

PS: I will say a special blessing this holiday for my loved ones, our sons and daughters in the military and for the people of Haiti !

Signing off for now,

Chef Sam