I usually avoid big food events such as the Annual SF Street Food Festival because of the crowds.
I remember the inaugural Festival last year drew an overwhelming number of attendees, and many reported standing in line for hours for food. “Street food” has since become more common in San Francisco, and there are now multiple places other than the Festival to get it.
But since San Francisco is a foodie town, I didn’t expect the crowds to be smaller this year, especially since the organizers added some top-rated restaurants such as Flour + Water as vendors.
Like last year, this year’s Festival featured tens of vendors selling street food from a variety of cuisines at no more than $8 per serving. People of all stripes across San Francisco came out, and thanks to the Mission District location, the vibe was hip and carefree.
There’s also the feel-food factor since proceeds from the Festival would go to La Cocina, San Francisco’s food entrepreneur incubator and an organization I respect a lot.
Weary of long lines, I wanted to experience the Festival from the other side. I volunteered.
I was assigned to El Huarache Loco, a La Cocina beneficiary specializing in street food from Mexico City. Their stand was immensely popular. When I arrived, the owner’s family and several volunteers were dashing back and forth in the small food preparation area behind the stand to meet the non-stop orders.
El Huarache Loco sold huarache de nopal, a sandal-shaped tortilla topped with cactus salad, sour cream, and queso fresco; taco de alambre, Mexico City-style taco filled with a fajita mixture of bacon and steak; and aqua fresca, a cold fruity drink. (Sorry I didn’t get to take pictures of the food but I'm sure you can google them.)
At first I tried not to get in the way of everyone and helped with random tasks, such as pouring the drinks and replacing the utensils in the serving area. But eventually I was responsible for assembling the tacos and handing out the orders.
This was the first time I worked at a food operation and I was struck by the skilful coordination required to keep things running smoothly. While we managed to get by in our chaotic ways, I saw that Delfina, next to us and one of San Francisco’s most well-known Italian restaurants, was impeccably organized.
Each person on their team had a pre-defined role in the food preparation process so they could process orders efficiently. While we sometimes forgot to include a lime wedge with our taco, you could expect every item you ordered from Delfina to be prepared according to a uniform set of standards, almost like at McDonald’s.
We didn’t have time to think about presentation; their baguette sandwiches were rolled up in dainty wrapping paper imprinted with their logo. All of them wore chef uniforms, and I’m embarrassed to admit this: their hygiene was better too.
Despite our shortcomings, our food was delicious. I tried the vegetarian huarache de nopal; the toppings burst with flavors while the thicker-than-average tortilla had a wonderfully chewy texture. I didn’t taste the meat taco, but the aroma of the meat on the griddle was irresistible. After the aqua fresca ran out, I had their horchata (rice and cinnamon drink), though like the horchata I got elsewhere, it was too sweet for my taste.
Three hours on the frontline went by in a flash because we were so busy. It was an eye-opening experience as I got to interact with a broad swath of San Franciscans and observed how they dressed and spoke. As I had suspected, there was a high percentage of vegetarians: we often received requests for custom-made vegetarian tacos.
By the time I left El Huarache Loco’s stand, the Festival was about to end. I wanted something to eat, but most vendors had long sold out, and the ones that were open had – you probably guessed right – long lines winding around them. How about Humphry Slocombe, the hottest ice cream shop in town around the corner? A line that’s 20+ people deep.
The last thing I wanted to do after a long day was to stand in line. Fortunately the folks behind the upstart food cart Onigilly were peddling their onigiris (Japanese triangular-shaped rice balls). I quickly grabbed a plum onigiri and sat down to enjoy. Its simple flavors made it a great palate cleanser. I was satisfied.
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