Street Vendors: Customers

Buyers appreciate street food for reasons of ethnic taste, nostalgia, and the opportunity to eat quickly obtained, reasonably priced, and flavorful food in a sociable setting. Vendors respond to these needs by offering stools and small tables next to their carts and by presenting food that is ethnic but also satisfies American tastes for the new. Vendors barred from central business districts make up for the loss of business there by selling their wares in neighborhoods and market streets. Peddlers sell sweetened, shaved ice cones across the street from schools or tamales and steamed corn on the cob after Spanish-language mass. Every neighborhood has its own version of the hot dog, and in many cities customers can take their pick, or a mix, of Middle Eastern foods.