Street Meat

While I’m not like my foodie friend who attends Saturday culinary classes in Manhattan, and whose close confidant is a famous chef, I do know there’s something salty about selling sizzling meat atop a baby stroller. But, I could be wrong.

A couple of weeks ago, as I walked through the Fashion District, my nasal passages were assaulted by a waft of smoke. As I pride myself on my keen sense of smell, I realized that the smoke was attached to the scent of grilled meat. However, what confused me was the fact that there weren’t any restaurants in the vicinity. Then again, as I soon discovered, who needs a traditional restaurant when you have an old baby stroller?

On her carefully designed contraption (a baby stroller converted into a grill), was a feast fit for a king, queen, or just someone spending their day shopping. There they were, on top of her smokin’ stroller--brightly colored peppers and rows of sausages. And, to round out the menu, her friend used a different stroller as a dessert cart to sell fruit and other confections. In a bizarre way, it was like any restaurant with the executive and sous chef working in tandem ... except it was on the street corner and their state-of-the art stove was a stroller.

Normally, I would have kept walking. However, my legs were paralyzed as I stood in awe watching people order their afternoon repast from baby buggies surrounded by wind-blown debris. It was a feeding frenzy like I've never seen.

In any event, here in Los Angeles, every restaurant is subject to a grading system. I’ll assume that “A” is for “all is good”, “B” means “better get your act together”, “C” for “can’t help you if you dine here”, and believe it of not, there’s a “D”—perhaps it means “dine here if you dare OR if you have a death wish”.

With that in mind, where is the health department when it comes to stroller dining? What happens if someone gets street side e-coli? Should the fact that there’s no window from which to hang their health grade render these "restaurateurs" exempt from health standards?

Around the world, selling street meat, and other chow, is quite a common scene. From New York’s hot dogs to Paris’ famed rue des Rosiers in the Marais, street vendors are a quick treat while you’re on your feet. Believe it or not, there’s even an award ceremony—the Vendies. But, even though I’ve enjoyed my share of pretzels, roasted chestnuts, hot dogs, and even kababs purchased from street vendors, I find it astonishing, if not horrifying that selling food from a baby stroller is acceptable. Call me crazy, but is selling food from a place where a baby once vomited, or even worse, sanitary?

When I was a little, my mother taught my twin sisters and me to always try anything at least once as it refines the palate. I look forward to my mother's next visit.