Halal Cart on Wall Street, Dec. 7, 2005

I have no clue what the name of this cart is, or if it even has one, but it used to take the form of a big red (maroon) truck and was parked on Wall Street between Pearl and Water Streets. Now, this cart is located on Pearl and Wall Street and the truck has gone to the big parking lot in the sky.

These guys, usually three, sometimes just two, and occasionally four of them, chop, mix, and plate chicken, lamb and vegetable dishes with your choice of hot sauce or white sauce day in and day out to lines of people that can reach 25 people deep.

That's the way I first found out about it. Long lines of people waiting. So I gave it a whirl, and once the stomach settled down and I'd convinced my colleagues that I would never order the smelly stuff again, you really can enjoy the food.

I order the chicken sandwich ($3) with hot sauce and white sauce and sometimes ask for an extra dollar's worth of chicken and a Ginger Ale or Coke or whatever. Grand total = $5 but you could (and I have) spend just $3 and be satisfied. Comes in handy when you just get sick of paying ATM fees and all you have is a few singles in your wallet.

The food is good but be warned...your office mates will take notice. The brute strength of the food's smell is enough to warn others at the other end of your office to steer clear. I've resorted to eating it only when my office neighbors are out sick or on business travel for fear of embarrasment and dirty looks. But cheap, easy and tasty sometimes prevails.

This also is my first opportunity to use the camera on my new Treo - though my photos may not be a, um, ringing, endorsement for the product. Anyway, enjoy.