Street Vendors

New York being the big city that it is has of course plenty of street vendors to go around. If you indulge in their offerings in busy tourist areas, you’ll pay a lot more than in quieter neighborhoods. Regardless though, their food is usually pretty good anywhere. Keep in mind however that if you buy food from a vendor who hasn’t been very busy, you might get food that has been kept warm for a while, so maybe you’d rather pay the extra buck to get something piping hot.

My favorite thing to indulge in are the honey-roasted peanuts. I highly recommend them as a perfect small snack to hold you over while you are shopping or sightseeing. As long as you are not allergic to nuts, you should definitely give these a try.

There are vendors who sell soft drinks, sandwiches, kabobs, gyros and entire plates of meats and sides, such as marinated beef with rice. If you are not sure what to buy, always go with what smells good as you pass buy. If you walk by a vendor and there is no yummy smell emitting from his cart, don’t buy anything there.

As I’ve had the chance to travel a bit, I always like to see what vendors in other cities or countries have to offer.

In Greece we stuffed ourselves with gyros that were only $3 and were the best we’ve ever had. Naturally, it’s Greece. In Austria, as soon as it gets cold outside, you can buy roasted chestnuts, roasted potatoes or hashbrowns smothered in garlic butter. Jeez, I’m drooling at the thought.

In France, we ate nothing but crepes the whole time. Savory (stuffed with cheese and ham) and sweet (Nutella or chestnut paste). In Amsterdam, we had of course the Belgian fries with mayo. Not a good combination in my opinion, but when in Rome….

When my husband went to Taiwan, he said every vendor he came across was selling all sorts of dumplings. You even got to pick the ones you wanted and tell them how to cook it (see below). Choices, choices.

So when you are walking the streets of your hometown or visiting a city, try their local fare and share with us what you found.