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I'd kill for a gyro from Sabrett's again. OMG those were awesome and worth almost worth the trip to NYC alone! Well maybe they weren't THAT good but I tried to eat them as much as I could when I was out there.
I actually like the hot pretzels, but I can't help knowing how dirty those carts are. I think the fact that alot of the guys working the carts seem less than squeaky clean does not help.
True... but you gotta give these guys a break. Not many people could stay squeaky clean standing in the sun on a NYC corner with all the smog/people, etc. You're bound to break a sweat at some point!
Ok. Let me start off by saying that I always eat food from cart. I have no problem. I go every weekend to 53rd and 6th Avenue. But my friends brother is a cop in the city and she told me once they raided the place where they kept the carts and there were rats and mice all over the place running all around the carts.
I don't know if they clean them or no before they start cooking on them, but I am just letting you guys no.
There's a kiosk not far from the subway in my neighborhood that make the best lamb gyros. I even love the white sauce, even though I normally pass on it in restaurants. I've never gotten sick from eating them, but one time I did foolishly ask for extra red sauce one day and found myself having to chug most of a quart of milk to get the burning to stop.
One real reson for the poularity of these vendors is PRICE. Let's face it - tasty food is expensive in NYC. And these guys are conveniently located. So we discard health safety concerns for price, taste, convenience. Whos's to blame us?
It's a tough call in an expensive city. Perhaps we can try to MINIMIZE rather than ELIMINATE? Don't know, that's for sure, but I try to avoid them as much as possible.
I think that cleanliness is all relative, unfortunately. I can recall all too vividly the pictures of rats eating at fast food places after hours, caught by intrepid reporters, no less, not the health inspectors. So, it's not just a cart issue, or cart storage garage issue with regard to vermin infestation.
However, I do recall reading a piece that might have been in New York Magazine that was a day-in-the-life of a food vendor and they did mention a cart shower. So, I would imagine that this would be hot water and would likely have some sort of detergent mixed in it that they use prior to setting out for the day or at both the end of the day and the beginning, but I don't know about that personally. The carts are usually stainless steel, so it's relatively easy to clean and sanitize them, and some carts are in very good condition. Health inspectors do go out and cite carts for violations, but it may be more of a function of too few inspectors to adqueately police the number of carts on the street, something that is true for any restaurant in the city, stationary or mobile.
And, at least for pretzels, they are cooked on a rack that's similar to a grill over charcoal that, when heated with a hot fire, would be safe from which to eat food. I have noticed lately that the guys from whom I have purchased a pretzel on the go, that they handle them either with a piece of foil in which they wrap the pretzel, or the pretzel has been pre-wrapped in the cooking chamber, so some do pay attention to cleanliness.
The main issue of vendor cart food is not a function of the cart oven in wihch the food is cooked, but how the food is handled prior/during cart operation. Poultry, meat, eggs, etc. not stored at proper temperatures and not cooked to the proper internal temperature can be the culprit of food-borne illness moreso than the physical condition of the cart itself.
When I'm in a rush... or waiting for a bus I don't want to miss... then I hit up the halal vendors. I try not to make a habit of it, but I do eat from them.
Ok. Let me start off by saying that I always eat food from cart. I have no problem. I go every weekend to 53rd and 6th Avenue. But my friends brother is a cop in the city and she told me once they raided the place where they kept the carts and there were rats and mice all over the place running all around the carts.
I don't know if they clean them or no before they start cooking on them, but I am just letting you guys no.
Lol... I still eat it and am fine.
eeewwwww!!!! rats and mice?????
nali, this sure isn't music to my ears.
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