I think you’re correct with the cosmopolitan thing … I’m from an upper midwestern city of 50K and still live in the area, and about all we’ve got are food truck or trailers catering to the mass market – common stuff like run-if-the-mill Mexican tacos, burritos, nachos, and enchiladas; bratwurst/hot dogs; or the occasional Hmong egg roll – there’s not a lot of call for other, more arcane ethnic specialties – no soul food, there’s only one decent slow-cooked BBQ joint,and you can’t even find a decent Philly cheesesteak around here. Not to mention, you mentioned food CARTS, so I immediately thought along the lines of the pushcarts I saw on the streets of NYC the one time I was there as opposed to food trucks or trailers.
They’re referred to as “food carts” here, but they’re actually trailers. Some are mobile but most are parked. There are also food trucks that drive from worksite to worksite, selling sandwiches and soda cans at a 50% markup, but I’m dismissing those.
