By: Tom Kearney | Nov 02, 2011 | #
On The Street
I don’t want to go off on a an overly wordy discourse on the merit of street food, especially since it is kind of self-evident. But I would like to say something praiseworthy about the endeavor. It has got to be one of the most honest ways to engage people. Often street food is providing some kind of thing that is in demand but is absent in brick-and-mortar version from the place where it’s offered. Sometimes it’s ambitious and many times not. There are sanctioned versions and black market versions. What’s interesting here is when you’ve got nothing to lose the results can be idiosyncratic, original and just downright weird.
On a recent outing with a group of Farm fans we explored and shopped Sunset Park’s Chinatown. We were having a great time and at one point a guy started talking to me about whether I had ever heard of homemade Rice Wine or knew where to find it. I didn’t and while intrigued had basically no clue how to acquire that. It must have been five minutes later and I turn around and there he was with a plastic quart container of rose colored liquid. Pretty impressive! We drank some on the street. I’m not saying this to be provocative but it was pretty great. It had a lively acidity, a maderized or oxidative quality that you find in sherry or Madeira, all around a balanced dry wine. I’ve been back since and let’s just say there can be a lot of variation from batch to batch.
In other news; if you happen to be walking down Cortelyou Road anytime soon and are passing by the laundry mat on the corner of E. 16th St., then you might be inclined to have a mexican corn soup served out of a five gallon bucket inside of a shopping cart. I know that sounds brutally unappetizing but it is what it is. It’s a corn soup with mayo, parmesan, fresh lime, and chili. The couple serving it are charming and get crazy amounts of props from people for being out there, and they’re pretty busy.
Good looks to all those who’ll be on the street all winter bangin it out.