Monday, July 16, 2007

Give me the crawfish stuffed with tacos

The city of New Orleans is outlawing one of the staples of the Texas eating scene: the taco truck.

For those of you in the great white North, the taco truck is an urban tradition. In my fair city, every other street has a truck selling tacos or roasted chicken. In fact, they are often not trucks, but actually trailers.

I'm sure this ordinance was racially motivated, but New Orleans will be changing with the influx of Hispanic construction workers. If the former residents have not returned by now, they either prefer their new surroundings to their former cesspool or are in jail in Texas.

I'm not too surprised this happened. Those little taco stands make a lot of money in my area. About four years ago one set up on a wooded lot near my house. Over the next couple of years the owners saved the money they made (the place did wonderfully) and were able to buy the lot and put up a sit down restaurant. They still sell the same tacos out of a window on the side of the building, but the place now can take care of a larger group of customers.

New Orleans can send them back to Texas.