HOW TO MAKE HAY FOR THAT DEAD GIFT HORSE

it's old news, simply by definition, because i found it in the travel section of the february 27th new york times, which got skimmed yesterday for the pile getting too tall. (i'm waiting until i get my harlem mansion to commit to hoarding whole hog.) then a web searched confirmed that vancouver's municipal food cart restrictions had been the talk of the street food blogs since january.

the true north might not be as free as it sings. portland, despite its strict land use statutes and urban growth boundary, lets cart pods grow wherever they pop up. lupe of la jarochita, the best mexican cart in portland (or maybe just downtown: tranny tacos on fremont and vancouver has lately been throwing some knockout punches), just opened up a second cart, la jarochita 2, on the the same block as her original. la jarochita 2 serves only vegetarian items.

in vancouver, however, the opening of new carts is limited and controlled by the city council. in 2010, the city awarded ten new openings by lottery. this year, fifteen new carts will be chosen by a board comprised of foodies and bloggers overseen by vancouver coastal health. according to the blurb in the times, licenses will be granted based on criteria that include, "nutritional content; use of local and fair-trade foods; and diversity of options." the food at la jarochita is spectacular, but the best tasting of it is probably the worst for you, and i doubt that any of its ingredients are locally sourced, even the ones that go into its vegetarian options. who knows if la jarochita 2 would pass muster with the coastal health board. is vancouver making a play to take over the vanguard of cascadian cultural cool by melding its street food scene with the locavore mania so often used to both tout and lambaste portland?

methinks it's rather just another example of that lefty bureaucracy that those socialists are always trying to push. public health care is a nice perk, but for what social sacrifice? is a lead like that really what we need at the seat of our great, free and independent new empire? it looks like it's the rose city versus the city of glass in a smirking, self-righteous battle for the hearts and minds of the citizens of cascadia. which way are you leaning seatlle? do you even have food there?