Why are halal carts so much more prevalent in nyc than taco carts? [closed]

I expressed surprise to a friend that halal carts are so prevalent in nyc, whereas taco carts seem nearly non-existent, and he confidently told me that this is due to the halal foods being easier to prepare, since he thinks the different halal meats are made with the same seasonings, whereas preparing multiple taco fillings would be a lot more effort.

Is this true? I had assumed it was just some kind of culture / network effect thing in nyc, or that the current halal cart owners already had cornered the market on the licenses needed to operate food stalls.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Thanks.

equipment food-science

Best Answer

I can't speak to food truck demographics in NYC. But I can tell you that the "it's easier because you season everything the same way" argument just doesn't hold water.

First of all, different food items from what I think you're thinking of as a "halal cart" are seasoned very differently. Your friend is probably thinking of the prevalence of cumin in middle-eastern food, but there's a lot more going on than that. If you tried to take the flavorings one uses to make falafel, for instance, and use them to grill chicken, you'll end up with something burnt and underwhelming.

Secondly, one of the primary advantages of most "taco meats" -- in fact, arguably the key to the prevalence of tacos as a street food in Mexico -- is that they can be prepared in bulk, ahead of time. So you only really need to cook one at a time. It's not extra effort.

Finally, the idea that effort is directly proportional to how many "different seasonings" you need is just silly. Most of one's time in food prep is not spent seasoning things, it's spent cooking them. Getting in some variety by using different spices is the easy bit.

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Why does NYC have so many halal carts?

All in all, halal carts began as a means of supporting New York City's Muslim immigrant population. Its popularity allowed for vendors to experiment with common halal cart dishes and even for some, such as The Halal Guys, to turn themselves into a franchise which serves a wider and more diverse population.

Where does halal cart meat come from?

The meat used by some of the halal cart cooks comes from a \u201cGarage\u201d in Long Island City which supplies a large portion of the cooks with their main ingredient. Yet, the meals from each cart are distinct in taste because of the variety of spices and other ingredients used to set one cart apart from the other.

How did halal carts start?

The origin of the halal cart is disputed, but The Halal Guys was one of the first, starting off as a hot dog cart in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, before switching to halal food in the 1990s. As early as 2007, halal carts had already begun displacing hot dog carts as the city's dominant form of street food.

NYC's Best Halal Carts! - New York City Halal Food

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