by Marlena Chertock
I love trying new food. Middle Eastern, Mexican, El Salvadorean, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Greek, Indian, and other types. The new tastes, aromas, atmospheres, cultures—it all appeals to me.
Photo from the Speak Foodish blog.
Last Tuesday at my internship with the IWMF in D.C. I was getting ready for lunch. I remembered the other week a bunch of the women in the office had gone right outside to a food cart. I went online and found the traveling food cart they had raved about—the Fojol Brothers. This food truck travels around Maryland and D.C. during lunch hours, serving hot Indian lunches to hungry office workers. I checked their website and they were right outside of my office. The Fojol Brothers updates its whereabouts on the website or Twitter. I went out to try my first Fojol Brothers meal.
The truck was easy to spot—the Fojol Brothers travel around in a silver and blue van with speakers on the outside, pumping out fun, funky carnival-style music. This all goes along with their Folosophy: bringing a traveling culinary carnival to the public.
When you eat the Fojol Brothers food, you can be assured that you are eating healthy, well-portioned meals. The Fojol Brothers also use recyclable materials in their trays, utensils, napkins and bottles. And a portion of the proceeds are donated to at-risk youth programs in D.C., according to the Fojol Brothers website. “Children are the future, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that they have a fair and equal opportunity in this world,” it is stated on the Fojol Brothers website. Eating a great meal and helping others out at the same time—that is exactly the kind of food that fills me up fully. I seem to flock to social justice programs.
“I want his mustache!” I heard a girl say as she passed by the truck. I walked up to the first window of the truck, and sure enough, the man staring out and asking for my order was wearing a fake mustache. So was the rest of the staff in the truck—the ones cooking the food, handing out the money, taking the orders, even the girl working in the truck wore a thick, white mustache. The Fojol Brothers served me my food in a very friendly, conversational way. They certainly added some comedy to my food and day.
I ordered the Chicken Curry and Spinach and Cheese—you can order two different or two of the same types of food for $6, a very inexpensive meal. The food was given to me on a Styrofoam tray, with a napkin and a spork dug into the rice. I was surprised by how much food I was given for $6—not only did I get my curry and spinach and cheese, but I also had a side of rice with a spicy sauce drizzled on top.
I took the food over to a bench and sat outside in the sun. The food was incredibly spicy—spicier than I had anticipated. I drank a full bottle of water with my meal. My favorite part of the meal was the spinach and cheese—it was smooth, filling and a perfect balance to the spice of the curry.
The Fojol Brother’s fun and friendly way of handing out food made me want to go back again. And their food is something to rave about—cheap, filling, healthy and a nice change from the normal, boring sandwich. I will keep checking their website on the days I intern to see when they’ll be back. I encourage you to check out where they travel and try some of the food for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.