Social justice in food trucks’ history

I’m reading Food Trucks, Cultural Identity, and Social Justice edited by Julian Agyeman, Caitlin Matthews, and Hannah Sobel. It evaluates the history of food trucks, with case studies that show the different approaches to regulate food trucks. Food trucks have been facing complex regulations and discrimination since the mid-1900s. I’ll talk about how hard it is to grow a food truck business in the past decades. 

From tacos to Vietnamese noodles, from hot dogs to Korean barbeque, food trucks reflect diverse cultures and cuisines representing a mixed ethnicity. In 2008, growing up in a Korean-American family, Chef Choi, the food truck pioneer, rented a truck and started selling Mexican tacos stuffed with Korean BBQ meat in Los Angeles. His Seoul Taco Truck got so popular that he opened more trucks and eventually his own restaurants in other cities. Choi showed the world that Korean food doesn’t only exist in Koreatown and that tacos can be something special.

However, before Chef Choi, it took a long time for food truck vendors to be recognized and roam freely on the streets. Most vendors are first-generation immigrants, Latinas, Asian Americans, working class people. According to the book, since the rise of street vending, policies had been targeting minority groups. Racial profiling was common in New York, where police could easily arrest vendors, their children, and tow their trucks. A 2011 New York Supreme Court ruling upheld a regulation that says “no peddler, vendor, hawker or huckster shall park a vehicle at a metered parking space for purposes of displaying, selling, storing or offering merchandise for sale from the vehicle.” The judge ruled that this regulation was applied to food trucks because the terms merchandise and food are interchangeable.

Most vendors have long been fighting for flexible regulations on food trucks. Starting in the 2000s, they formed food truck associations in response to promoting fairer regulations and an encouraging environment, but police still held the power to ticket and tow trucks. Although vendors tried to adapt to the changing regulations, reform didn’t show much improvement to protect vendors’ rights. Some food trucks park at lots on private sites. Others only use trucks for private catering events or turn to work at restaurants. Vendors who remained in the industry continued getting more tickets. Many food trucks ended up closing their business.

Over the decades, the main issue voiced by vendors is about strict and burdensome regulations, which could eliminate vending instead of protecting the industry. Fees to get permits are expensive. Vendors need to get many licenses. Types of products sold are strictly supervised, and time and location regulations leave almost no room for owners to freely serve customers on the streets. These complex regulations make it impossible for vendors to earn profits while legally running their trucks. Some policies might support one type of vending, but discourages others that are not within the category. Overly specific regulations can also limit the variety of activities in public space.

Some cities outside of the US took new approaches to support the unique street vending culture. Vancouver, for example, elaborates its selection process to make sure vendors have the potential to succeed. Applicants were required to offer a creative menu that offers food other than hot dogs or pre-packaged snacks. The city sought innovative business plans to select the most qualified vendors. A taste test was even held to determine who could receive a permit. These efforts show that the city cares about helping street vendors.

However, the authors raise a good point saying that the focus on promoting creativity, spontaneity, vitality, and professionalism can imply that other forms of vending are marginal and non-creative, thus excluding especially immigrant and working-class vendors who lack capital and resources to operate fancy trucks.

Based on the examples I mentioned above, we can see that policies in each city demonstrate downsides that fail to effectively support street vending. Boston also has strict and complex regulations on food trucks. It might be hard to truly appreciate vendors if the city simply focuses on complaints from one party and sticks to existing regulations. Vendors should have the power to decide where and how to serve customers.

My project about food trucks in Boston will reach out to voices and stories of food truck owners. Follow this blog and see more updates on this interesting culture!