I had my first street vendor experience. Every time when we drove by always see people lined up, with smoke and flames flaring up, lighting up people’s faces and the dark night sky. I always wanted to try it, the crowds seem so excited, and the smell is really tempting too. I can see the meat hanging vertically, the vendor slicing off meat to fill each order. That image looks very satisfying and inviting.
Last night, we finally stopped and gave it a try. There are already dozens of cars parked there, not very well lit or marked, as it’s just a large stand on the corner of Highway 101. The only light is the portable lighting around the cooking area. We parked the car, followed the light towards the vendor. There are 3 sections, the meat section where you place your order, the highlight is the vertical meat demo where the vendor directly cuts the pork for you. There’s also steak on a grill, very thin sliced. The second section is taco and quesadilla making. The third section is sauces, toppings and the pay section.
I don’t even know what to order, looked around, it’s purely Spanish speakers. I asked a guy, ” Excuse me, but how do you order? What are the choices?” He got tickled by my honesty, told me there are two choices: beef or pork, and taco or quesadilla. Just follow the line, the vendor behind each section will help. I thanked him, walked back into the line. We got one of each to try out, the taco looks a little small, smaller than the palm of my hand, looks more like a snack than a meal. Quesadilla is more reasonable sized, like a Frisbee size, and with good portions of meat and cheese. As we followed the line to the seasoning section, we just copycatted what others were doing: they scoop the green and red sauce into plastic bags, together with cilantro, cucumber and onion. I gathered both sauces are spicy, but essential for the success of a meal, as they all got a lot. When we had everything the vendor sealed our food and took the payment: $18 for one quesadilla and 2 tacos. We happily headed home with our handpicked authentic Mexican quesadilla and taco.
The excitement made the dinner seems exotic and tastier. It turned out the green chili is reasonably spicy, refreshing; but the red one is flaming hot, beyond my limit. The meat tastes even better with all the seasoning they provided.
The experience speaks louder than food itself though. Like Anthony Bourdain often said, street food is the best of a country and reflects the place’s culture.
Life is a banquet; desert served last: The experience, like the desert, was the real treat that we can take with us, and probably the only one. I’m not sure if this is the best quesadilla, but it certainly served way above and beyond just a quesadilla.