As you might guess one of my favorite things about such a scene is the food. Somehow dinner eluded me tonight. Lost in thought as I headed home it occurred to me that I was hungry. Just yesterday I came across a Turkish donar kabob cart that sells a sort of Turkish gyro wrap sort of thing. Spiced lamb and beef roasted on a spit, then shaved onto a very thin flat bread and topped with slices of cucumber, spicy cabbage, onion, and a yet to be identified sauce. "Turkish gyro!", I thought. It was only a few minutes past my house up the street. With this goal in mind I headed in that direction. To my great disappointment the cart was not there. This is the problem with mobile food service. It's never where you want it to be. I mean, can we get an app for iPhone that tracks the worldwide movement of mobile food carts? Or maybe I just need to get the number of the guy that owns the cart. Regardless, my dreams of the prized Turkish gyro came to a swift end. The story wasn't over, however.
Just a few feet away stood a mobile kabob station. Unlike that flaky Turkish gyro cart, you can set your clock by this kabob guy. Night after night he appears sometime after dinner in the same spot. His business consists of a kabob grill, a table spread with skewers of meat, kidneys, liver, lung, tendon, and a few items I've yet to identify, a fan to blow the smoke off to the side, and a table with stools for his customers to sit at. Saved by the kabob guy! Ordering 5 kabobs I sat down and watched with great anticipation as my kabobs got grilled up. First the skewers went on the grill. Then salt, cumin, and chili powder were added. "Do you like it spicy?", the guy asked. "Yes. Please add extra spice", I replied. After a slight pause, having noticed I'd been coughing, the guy kindly added, "You've got a cough. You had better not eat too much spice. I'll put less spice." Though I don't yet completely understand Asian logic about health and what should be eaten when I have to admit I appreciated this complete stranger's gesture of concern. But enough of that. Let's get back to my kabobs. After adding spice, he grabbed a piece of nan in one hand and my kabobs in the other. Then he wrapped the nan around the kabobs, letting the grease and spice soak into the bread after which he added a bit more cumin and chili. This was repeated several times until finally, my late night snack was served up on a metal tray covered in a plastic bag (easier to cover the tray and then dispose of the bag since there is no way to wash dishes). There are few late night snacks that compare. Paying for my kabobs I headed back up my street past fruit sellers, kabob grills, and late night strollers. I see why my friend missed home if his neighborhood was like this one. This is definitely one scene I'll miss when the time comes for me to head back to the States.