pretty by the bay

I mean, I really hate crowds. I also hate standing in line, so I surprised myself (and my husband) when I decided to attend the SF Street Food Festival. I missed it last year, and next year I’ll have a small child (which will take crowd hatred to a new level), so it was now or never. Turns out this year was the perfect year for me to go, since a street food festival is basically a pregnant woman’s smorgasbord. Where else can you find and eat the following combination of foods?

Lumpia (Filipino eggrolls) courtesy of Lumpia Cart. I follow this gentleman on Twitter, and I’ve been dying to track him down and sample his delicious product. These were filled with pork and fried to a perfect crisp. Corey and I agreed to share everything we consumed at the fair….but I wanted to keep all the lumpia for myself.

Pork and Bean Pupusa (a delicious El Salvadoran treat) from Estrellita’s Snacks. Doughy and crisp at the same time, with a delicious pork, bean and cheese filling.

A ‘Zilla Dog from 4505 Meats. It’s an uncured hot dog topped with kimchee, scallions, a spicy sauce and – yes, you are correct – 4505′s housemade pork rinds. It was the weirdest combination ever, but it worked, especially for someone with mad vinegar cravings (= me!). Mmmmmmm.

Pork and Veggie Ramen from Hapa Ramen. We needed at least one vegetable for lunch…why not seaweed?

And finally, two items purchased and consumed by our friend Dave, who has quite an adventurous palate. First, a “suicide stick” from Global Soul, which appeared to be a tiny flame roasted pepper. The suicide effect was subtle at first, but Dave and his wife Andrea felt the heat soon enough!

Followed by a Scotch Egg from Purple Hibiscus. Hardboiled egg…wrapped in sausage…and fried. Hm. A pork rind-topped hot dog sounds far more appealing to me!

This event was partially sponsored by Pepto Bismol. How’s that for convenience?