The food truck, a rarity in this part of the world just a few years ago, has well and truly come into its own. And it’s fair to say that we have become a tad obsessed with them and other pop-up eateries. The local versions already draw patrons from all over, and now aficionados can indulge in street food from around the world at the Love Food Festival in Al Ain this weekend and Abu Dhabi the next.
You know something has really caught on when it’s the subject of a festival, but what exactly is the allure of food trucks and tents?
Is it because they give city dwellers an opportunity to embrace an outdoors lifestyle: the UAE equivalent of a backyard barbecue? Is there a sense of connecting with a nomadic past when cooking and eating were done in the open? Maybe it’s because meals on wheels combines two of our great passions: food and cars. Or perhaps it’s because there’s a carnival atmosphere and browsing amid the colourful vans and marquees, each with their own unique take on takeaway, is as much fun as actually eating their offerings.
