You Pays Your Money

Street food in 2014 is timely (or ‘on-trend’ as the analysts like to say). In a recession (or whatever the government is calling it now) street food feels very affordable. And it makes sense of all those highfalutin concepts that food magazines are bandying around these days – it’s ‘local’ and ‘seasonal’ just because traders tend to grab whatever is cheapest at the market. When they’re charging £6 for a main dish, they are working on very tight margins. So it galls me when people complain (as they do) that street food is too expensive. Have a look at this article from America. Just ask a street food trader about his or her ingredients — and sourcing policy. If they don’t want to answer, move on. If they want to bore you rigid about where they got their coriander, and the butcher that lets them have English rose veal at a decent price, you’ll know you’ve found a keeper. As with all food, it’s worth paying extra to get proper stuff.