The first time I heard of Eat the Street, I thought it was a hippie festival for tourists, so I never really paid attention to it.
But then one day, I was confronted with a predicament. Being an aspiring journalist, you have to write, and at that instance, I didn’t have anything to write about. So my mind, as it often does, automatically thought about food. So when one of my friends recommended Eat the Street, I jumped on it, and decided to do a bit more research on it. As I read through its website, I grew more intrigued. So I made plans to go and check it out. The Eat the Street event, which takes place on the last Friday of every month, is a gathering not only for food trucks to get business, but also is a cultural event I which people can get together and enjoy good food. Since the upcoming Eat the Street was on the day before Halloween, it was themed “Dia de los Muertos” meaning “the Day of the Dead.”
Friday came and my Dad picked me up from school at 5:30 pm. The traffic was pretty bad, and, due to the large crowds and the limited parking, it took us around 20 minutes to find parking. By that time, I was in a pretty bad mood and thought to myself that this event better be worth all that stress. And boy, was I surprised. The event was held at the the Old Fisherman’s Wharf lot in Honolulu, and as I walked through the gate, I was at once greeted with the smell of a large variety of foods and drinks, as well as the hustle and bustle of a lot of people. I then set out to complete what felt like one of the most difficult tasks known to man: figuring out what to eat.
As I exited through the gate, I felt a stabbing sensation in my gut. Was it my body and mind yearning to re-enter Eden? Oh wait, it was just a hunger pang.
I recommend taking a walk through the whole event before buying anything because one, there are just so many choices to choose from and two, you might want to buy conservatively. Although the food there is good, it isn’t that cheap. I usually don’t do much to celebrate Halloween. I don’t dress up or go trick or treating or decorate my house, but as I was touring the event, I found myself being drawn by the festive mood engendered by the costumes, music, decoration, and themed food.
After roaming around and checking all the food trucks out, we finally picked out what we wanted to eat. For an appetizer, I ordered from the Paul’s Poppers food truck, which specializes in fried wontons filled with cheese and other flavors. I ordered six poppers, three of them pepperoni pizza flavored and three of them spinach and artichoke flavored. Altogether for five dollars.
Next up were the entrees. For my first one, I bought from the Megaloaders food truck. For $12, I got a very special dish that consisted of half of a hollowed out pineapple filled with fried rice and shrimp. The next entree I ordered was from the Five-O Ribs food truck. I got their smoked ribs plate with three gigantic ribs for another $12. The weather that night was good, as it didn’t rain on us, but the amount of people as well as the cooking made the atmosphere a little hot. So I decided to treat myself to a nice eight dollar 32 oz. pineapple lemonade served in a mason jar from the ‘Nalo made Lemonade truck. My treasures safely packed away, I prepared to leave this godly place, when I was suddenly ensnared by the smell of meat sizzling over a fire. While I made my way to the stall, I saw that they were selling six dollar turkey legs, which immediately reminded me of the ones sold at Disneyland. As I exited through the gate, I felt a stabbing sensation in my gut. Was it my body and mind yearning to re-enter Eden? Oh wait, it was just a hunger pang.
When I arrived home, I eagerly ripped open the bag and took out the food I had been waiting for what seemed like forever to eat. As I dug in, what seemed to be on par with a nuclear explosion of taste detonated in my mouth. Other than the fact that the poppers were a little tough (most likely due to the fact that I waited for the better part of an hour before eating them), the food was exceedingly good. The ribs were meaty and well complemented with, but not drowned in barbecue sauce, the turkey leg was perfectly roasted with not too much fat, the pineapple lemonade was not too sweet, not to tart, but a perfect compromise between the two, and the pineapple fried rice not only looked cool, but had a taste that could rival its appearance.
All in all, I highly recommend this event for the person who is constantly looking for ways to submerse himself in culture, as well as the man who just wants something good to eat. Although it was hard getting there, great food and a welcoming atmosphere make it worth every second. So go with a friend or by yourself, you’re guaranteed to have a great time.
