One of the neatest aspects of Xochimilco is being able to order snacks, beer, corn, or complete meals from the other boats, if you’re not afraid of unlicensed Mexican food.
As for food trucks, I don’t usually find them appealing. I went to a “pod” of them as described above, and it was like an outdoor mall food court with really, really slow service and mediocre food.
I see real, mobile food trucks from time to time near different events and venues, and maybe some of them are pretty good, but I don’t really see the appeal. (I’m not shitting on anyone that they appeal to, of course; everyone is different.)
When I was living in San Jose the city passed a law banning food trucks less than x-feet long (I think it was 20). I don’t know what the rationale was and we joked about having to step around the dead bodies strewn nearby the short trucks.
Here in the Phoenix area food trucks in the wild are rare; you usually see them at some sort of event like a street fair where the street is blocked off anyway. In Mesa what you see in the evening a lot are tacos or Sonoran-style hot hot dogs being sold out of a trailer in the corner of a parking lot, presumably with the business owner’s permission.
I’m not in a financial situation to sympathize with restaurant owners or food truck owners. But as someone who has worked in food service, this is hardly an argument for food trucks. You had some cheese “grated by hand,” and you had some bacteria grown on his balls. Bragging about saving this seller $15 on “stupid” food safety, when you actually compromised on half cent plastic gloves and almost all accountability, is disgusting to anyone who associates food with safety and health.
If I was an owner of a restaurant who paid higher taxes to be smack in the middle of downtown adjacent to an open square where they hold festivals and stuff I’d be pissed if a food truck pulled up next to my business.