Читать книгу Eating Across America - Daymon Patterson - Страница 9

Once you slide this door back, you have just enough room for perhaps two or three people at best to work in what looks to be a small kitchen area, equipped with a grill(s), storage space, and their respective inventory to ensure they can get several hungry souls through their lunch breaks.

Now, I will not say that every food truck experience will be a good one. If those working the grill have no understanding of what it takes to prepare an amazing dish, your money and time will be quickly wasted. But let me tell you right now, should you have the patience to wait after you order that Lobster Roll, that Philly Style Cheesesteak, that free-range chicken sandwich, or a stuffed potato that could challenge a half loaf of bread in size, you will quickly be taken to foodie heaven. That initial bite and the burst of flavor alone will remind you that the wait was truly worth it!

The convenience of a food truck is that it moves about from place to place. If you can pinpoint a schedule by checking their websites and/or social media platforms, it is a short ride (depending on where you are) to take on something that may be new for you. Perhaps you never thought a food truck would be a great source to get something worthwhile, but let me tell you, most trucks that I have come across in my travels and at local events serve up the type of delightful selections that would challenge a few 4-star restaurants right now!

Never count out the underdog in the big game, for they too keep many tricks and treats up their sleeves that keep the locals and those abroad coming back for more. And customers tell their friends DAILY about their overall experiences.

The operational costs of a food truck are not cheap, and so to ensure they can continue to service the community, you will notice that not all foods prepared for you will ever challenge that of something found on a dollar menu. So, expect to pay a little more for what you crave, but more often than not, it is truly worth it.

Your pockets are light and payday is not necessarily around the corner, but your stomach has been talking to you all morning on your way to work. Let’s explore a few cheap eats at local Mom & Pop spots. These venues can help curb your hunger with a price point that can and will satisfy you just as much as their menu.

It is no secret that you can find some amazing dishes at any Mom and Pop establishment. The local diners are filled with items that will have you sitting back with a smile, and the feel of being home amongst family is found at many of these locations.

Are you craving fluffy buttermilk pancakes, two eggs fried hard (lightly salted), and some hash browns with a coffee all for under $6.00? Well, if you are dining at one of these local locations, that is exactly what you will receive for that price point.

I simply love searching for restaurants that are clean once I step inside, mixed with a friendly atmosphere and a team that knows how to make you feel like you are part of their family. Again, to me that overall experience does more in terms of making me return and speaking highly of the place than a location that serves up quality food but lacks personality.

We all know great locations to visit, when it comes to food that sets your soul free for a low price. In today’s society, where we are ripping and running around just to meet deadlines and make ends meet, that mental vacation to finally sit and enjoy a good meal becomes that little place of peace and relaxation that we all need at times.

When I think about it, we tend to feel as if we won the lotto when fed a meal to fit queens and kings. To then see a tab for it all with the total so low, your tip for great service can match the bill itself, should you be so generous.

Yet maybe you do not have an hour to spare and the next fifteen minutes need to be your fifteen minutes to pick up a quick bite and get right back to the hustle! So, you find yourself at the local QSR (Quick Service Restaurant), better known as fast food. By now this is nothing new to you; you have been here a million times before and unless they are offering something new on the menu, it is your go-to. It may be your #6, and unless they drop the ball in the kitchen, you know that the #6 will be your boost to get you through the rest of the day until dinner.

That double patty is seasoned to near perfection and topped with three partially broken strips of extra crispy bacon. The patties and bacon are gracefully complemented by some processed cheese that has an unbinding flavor of happiness, and there is something about that portion of grease that drips from the patties after your first bite that makes you recall your youth. Happier than a child in a candy store when your parents would pull into a McDonalds and get that Happy Meal for you, all so you can tear through the French fries, gobble down a few nuggets and land somewhere at the toy as you sip away at your orange drink.

These are the feelings that come rushing in as you sit in your car on your lunch break, perhaps dreading the very thought of going back to work. But, time waits for no one and bills must be paid! After scarfing down the delights of your fast food, which promises guaranteed satisfaction to a point, you are back on the job!

Now some people bring their own lunch to work, but when that time is not in your favor, the one thing that you can count on is the fact that at nearly every block or so, you will find a fast food location that is more than willing to assist your hunger. Each menu has been divided into specialty groups to choose from with a price point that is respectable for most QSR locations. At times, you can even catch a deal where you can receive a two-for-one special, that is when your eyes widen to match the smile upon your face. Who does not like two chicken sandwiches for the price of one at their favorite fast food establishment?

Fast food in general has been the resting home for the working woman and man for years. They have reached a large number of households, helping families get through another grueling and challenging workday. For the most part, you will always find something on the menu from salads to burgers that will fit the moment, and most importantly, fit your budget and get you over the hump.

AN ODE TO FOOD, FAMILY, FRIENDS AND HOME COOKING

When it comes to food, I am the all-around guy that has mastered the arts of determination, dedication and disasters! When I say disasters, let us just say that I am not one who should ever be in the kitchen telling someone HOW to cook, let alone cooking myself. It wasn’t long ago when I tried my hand at making dough from scratch for some pepperoni bagel bites. I had everything necessary from the mixing bowl to the instant yeast to make my dough rise to the occasion.

Perhaps I did not mix the yeast in the water properly, but it looked close enough to the image that I had seen on YouTube and so I continued trying to make the dough. Things seemed to go smooth until it was time to remove the dough from the bowl and place it in my mixer, at which point my sticky bun dough did not settle the right way and I had the nastiest looking super dough balls that one could imagine.

After the time spent to remove all my sticky dough from the mixer and every single part that the dough had stuck to, I tried to ride that horse once again. The second time was a better attempt, but again, as with anything, practice makes perfect. I always like to say that food is the universal language, and over the years in my travels I have met and dined with a number of interesting minds.

My family is close knit and come Thanksgiving, you will find yourself surrounded by wisdom right on down to the young ones in the family. We will all be sharing what we are truly thankful for as the scent of the cinnamon escapes from the candied yams or the subtle calling of being down south graces the table with its presence within the greens, cornbread, ham, black eyed peas, baked macaroni and cheese and chicken.

You are in for quite a treat when the family is full of stories, but what is most important is the time spent and the time shared with those who you have not seen for a while. Have you noticed that good food is often part of the foundation within a good family? You can be at a family cookout and everyone knows to ask who made what. We all have our favorite foods prepared by various family members. So you look for that person at these functions and ask where their famous meal is located, for people simply love to be connected to good food at the end of the day.

What stands out about a home cooked meal is that you can actually taste the LOVE and preparation in these dishes. My Aunt Lisa is known for just about all of her dishes at our family gatherings, but I look for her Collard Greens. She makes them with a nice little kick, and when I speak of a kick I am talking about the spice level. Nothing too crazy, but among the pork fat saltiness broken down to a softer level for the chew and soaked within some tasty juices that help her collards maintain moisture, you are always in for a special treat with every bite.

My mother has held me down for YEARS when it comes to food from the heart. She is as hard a working woman as any. But, when I was young, after a long day on the job, my mother would come home tired as can be but still make time to stay up in a hot kitchen and whip up some of her BBQ Ribs. More times than not you would think they were smoked on a grill the way that meat would fall off the bone. It was often pointless to pick them up with your hands unless you wanted to sit there and suck on the bone. She did not stop there, her baked macaroni and cheese is what held it all together. At first sight, you would see the crusted top of bread crumbs. The moment you cracked a spoon into that pan and took a scoop, you were pulling on cheese for days with steam exploding from each scoop as if a volcano was about to erupt!

Her sweet potato pie is always a sweet bite of delight. Remove that slice and catch the aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg about to dance around upon your taste buds, as the sweet and rich bite reminded you of everything right with life. She always used just the right amount of sugar so as not to make her sweet potato pie too sweet. There is no taking just one slice. Once you finish the piece in your hand, you run back in hopes something is left from a family that has just experienced the same sensational taste.