CART CUISINE

Frank Etheridge


Despite being ignored by Taste of Chicago and excluded from the Zagat Survey, cart-food vendors work the city streets to deliver snacks that are sometimes good, sometimes dangerous and always cheap -- in other words, meeting almost every requirement for summer fun.

City ordinance forbids carts from selling their wares in the Loop, so the vendors are found only in neighborhoods, especially at highly visible intersections that offer plenty of pedestrian traffic. Favorite spots include 18th Street in Pilsen on the blocks between South Blue Island and Racine, the retail glut of Milwaukee-Ashland-Division in Wicker Park, and blocks of North Clark (roughly 3500 North) near the intersection with Ridge. Various parks, schools and Catholic churches on Sunday are safe bets, too.

Offerings vary from vendor to vendor, but can be separated into two main types: the bigger, stationary stands that produce cooked items and the smaller, mobile box-on-wheels offering frozen treats. From the former, we get elotes; for those highbrow gourmets in the dark, we're talking steamed corn on the cob, impaled on a stick then squirted with butter, lathered in mayonnaise (usually left uncooled, exposed to the sun), covered in a cheese that remains undefinable even after some investigation, and, finally, topped with chili powder. Usually available for $1, these corn creations are often sold alongside watermelon and mangoes, sold chopped in a plastic container for $1-1.50. (Whole mangoes are sold for around $1.50.)

A vendor on Ashland between North and Milwaukee also sells jicama, with, which its pear-like texture and celery-like taste, he recommends dousing in salsa, lime juice and salt. Unless you want it to taste like celery, of course.

A lot of carts also sell snow cones, as gloriously crunchy and messy as you remember from childhood. While available in a rainbow of fruit flavors, identification by "fruit" is pointless, as your body's shock while attempting to process the toxic dosage of sugar feels the same regardless of "fruit," thus rendering the taste a blurry, elating experience.

In Pilsen, the cart selection and scope expands. A family sets up shop outside the St. Procopius Catholic Church at 18th and Allport in Pilsen every Sunday, and anxious appetites file out of church and head straight to the comforting shadow of their green tent. For $2.50 (a steal) you get grilled potatoes and carrots with chicken and salsa wrapped in a corn flour tortilla. Condiments, silverware and cold beverages are available, luxuries rarely found at simpler stands. Whole families take the opportunity to relax, commune and spill on their Sunday best.

The smaller, mobile carts tend to offer frozen goodies, ranging from frozen fruit juice and ice creams to brand-name items like Good Humor bars. These vendors call attention to themselves by the incessant ringing of the bells that line the perimeter of the cart. Not quite as charming or musically alluring as the ice cream truck, but just as effective.

The major difference between stationary stands and carts: ownership. The individual running the stand usually owns it, while most of the cart-pushers spend their day hustling for someone else's profit. The self-employed stand owners purchase all their foodstuffs daily (so they say) at fruit markets and grocery stores and prepare everything on-site. Owners of the most elaborate stands quote the cost of their equipment and stand at $1,000, while the standard, wooden-frame variety with shelter are usually available for around $800. The cheapest run about $500.

To ensure return on their investment, stand owners typically work seven days a weeks, most operating from mid-morning until dark. And although nearly all stand owners claim to work the same spot everyday, this is not a guarantee, as you won't always find your favorite guy in your favorite spot.

Ever wonder where in the world the treats come from? The cart-pushers report to the home store every morning and return each night. One such mother-store is Ayutla No. 2 at 5537 North Clark. Vendors gather there at the start and close of each workday (again, most work seven days a week). The inside of the store is typical of any dirty, neglected retail space, the "menu" hand-written on pink poster-board taped on the street front windows.

The relationship the street vendor has with his boss varies greatly. Some rent the carts (around $300 a month) and buy the frozen goods daily and pocket what they earn. Others take the cart and food daily free of charge and work for an hourly wage.

While chowing down or cooling off with treats from a street vendor isn't exactly fine dining, it certainly offers a cheap, fast option. Just be wary of the mayonnaise.

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