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Comment by yummyfajitas | Hacker News Reader

I've never seen a food truck with the engine on while serving. The waffles (with 1 dinges) are $6 and popular among tourists and locals alike, simply because they are really good (i.e., mop the floor with Bobby Flay good http://midtownlunch.com/2010/01/21/wafels-waffles-dinges-on-...).

As for using parking spots to serve food, what do you believe creates a greater consumer surplus? A single commuter parking their car for the day or a food truck servicing hundreds of consumers?

Also, why do you believe the city will cease to function if consumers have more options for lunch?

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Agreed, I pass food trucks most days and from what I've seen they either use a small external generator or have built-in generators that they run while serving. I'm pretty sure I've never seen one that runs their "main" engine.

Small generators rarely have emissions control systems anywhere near as good as the main engine (and it most cases, far worse). They usually have a completely open-loop fuel mixture control: a carburetor set to provide an adequate air/fuel ratio when the fuel tank is half full.

So, saying that only the generator is running isn't a very effective way to argue that these trucks are low-polluting.

While sometimes true, have you looked at some of the more modern portable and inverter generators lately? A Honda EU2000i can run the electrical needs of a typical food truck for an entire shift (~5 hours) on 1 gallon of gas.

Some parking spots that rent to food trucks provide electric too, so no generator running at all. This may be rare in NYC though.

I have seen many that just run off propane and keep their uncooked food on ice during the day. Running off an actual generator is something I have only begun seeing recently.

I didn't know about Wafels and Dinges until today. Are they any better than roasting them at home?

http://m.ny.eater.com/archives/2008/04/fw_wafels_dinge.php

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