ABSTRACT

Prepared foods, for sale in streets, squares or markets, are ubiquitous around the world and throughout history. This volume is one of the first to provide a comprehensive social science perspective on street food, illustrating its immense cultural diversity and economic significance, both in developing and developed countries. 

Key issues addressed include: policy, regulation and governance of street food and vendors; production and trade patterns ranging from informal subsistence to modern forms of enterprise; the key role played by female vendors; historical roots and cultural meanings of selling and eating food in the street; food safety and nutrition issues. Many chapters provide case studies from specific cities in different regions of the world. These include North America (Atlanta, Philadelphia, Portland, Toronto, Vancouver), Central and South America (Bogota, Buenos Aires, La Paz, Lima, Mexico City, Montevideo, Santiago, Salvador da Bahia), Asia (Bangkok, Dhaka, Penang), Africa (Accra, Abidjan, Bamako, Freetown, Mozambique) and Europe (Amsterdam).

part I|104 pages

Governance

chapter 3|22 pages

Towards fair street food governance in Dhaka

Moving from exploitation and eviction to social recognition and support

chapter 4|15 pages

The taste of precarity

Language, legitimacy, and legality among Mexican street food vendors

chapter 5|19 pages

Street food markets in Amsterdam

Unravelling the original sin of the market trader

part II|44 pages

Subsistence and enterprise

chapter 6|14 pages

Changing food landscapes

Understanding the food truck movement in Atlanta, Georgia, USA

chapter 7|13 pages

Food trucks in the USA

Sustainability, young entrepreneurship, and urban revitalization

chapter 8|15 pages

Street food vending in West African cities

Potential and challenges

part IV|30 pages

Cultural tastes

chapter 11|19 pages

The tastiest food is in the small streets

The politics of flavor and nostalgia in Bangkok