Where is the street food in Australia? More to the point, where is it on a rainy winter’s morning on Chalmers Street? I’m not asking for much, just some roasted chestnuts, a cup of homemade savoury broth with a beef ball, or some marinated chicken thigh on a lemongrass stick cooked to order on a screaming hot hibachi plate. Would that be too hard?
Outside of Australia it’s common fare to eat on the way to work if you can’t find the time to sit down to cereal or toast, and I’m not talking about a Bacon & Egg McMuffin. I’m talking about stalls that are open at most hours of the day catering to all tastes. If something doesn’t take your fancy, you walk a little further down the road. Sure, sometimes you need to make the extra effort to walk a certain direction to guarantee you can find such fare, but then you can be eating it while waiting for the bus, right?
Asia has it completely worked out. The street food over there is so brilliant that cookbooks have been written, and restaurants have been set up in the name of Thai, Malaysian and Chinese delicacies. South America, too, has a handle on what people require while waiting for the bus, and even North America has something to offer in the way of life-threatening hotdogs. With a hangover, though, a life-threatening hotdog on every corner is an emergency requirement, especially with Jalapeno Peppers in the condiment section. Europe, even certain countries in Africa, have tastes on offer.
With our amazing multicultural society, especially in the inner west, I don’t think it would be remiss for someone to set up a stall here or there.
I won’t give up. I may even start a campaign, or if times get tougher once the carbon tax comes in I might even start up a stall myself. I have no idea what I’d cook, but I bet people would appreciate it in the rain on a winter’s morning, no matter what it was.
