Out of Season Street Food

Though George Washington had some great, and common sense thoughts, not all of his Rules of Civility pass my taste test. Take number 55: “Eat not in the Streets, nor in the House, out of Season.”

While I champion eating seasonal fruits and vegetables as they are more likely to be from local farms, a plump raspberry popped in my mouth in the dead of winter is just the burst of spring I crave.

To be fair, in George’s day, without refrigeration, smoking or salting were the primary methods to preserve food. While finding a raspberry jam might have been possible, a salted berry… I suppose not.

Reading his No. 55 maxim another way, I wonder if G.W. would frown upon the immense satisfaction I get from eating street food. The food carts in Portland, OR. The vendors in midtown Manhattan. The lunch trucks right here in Richmond. With warmer days not far off, I can’t wait to plunk down on a downtown curb with one of my favorite Boka tacos in hand.

If GW were here today and he ate a Sabretts hot dog, while watching baseball, I suspect he’d pick up a pen and strike out number 55. (Once he removed the giant foam finger from his grease-stained hand.)

What do you eat out of season or out of doors?

You can read more about the “Food that Fueled the American Revolution” in this post by the Smithsonian.

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