Taco trucks have been changing the landscape of famously foody New Orleans ever since new
Latin immigrants began arriving to participate in the rebuilding effort. Then late last month Jefferson Parish, saying "they're on wheels for a purpose," passed a ban on the trucks. On Saturday the L.A. Times went in on the story and found lots of reasons to suspect the ban is rooted in old-fashioned racial discrimination:
To advocates of reclaiming the old ways, new establishments that do not build upon the city's reputation, and may not even be permanent, represent a barrier to progress. As New Orleans City Council President Oliver Thomas recently put it in an interview with the Times-Picayune, "How do the tacos help gumbo?"
Yet many New Orleanians welcome anyone willing to repopulate the city — and surprising numbers are eagerly munching tongue and cow's head tacos, broadening their palates in a city where the civic pastime is eating and talking about where to eat next.
A professor in the piece notes that "white Southerners" are now as likely as daylaborers to eat lunch at a taco truck. Makes sense: New Orleans has always been open to absorbing new foods and new cultures, so fittingly, local blogs are mostly critical of the ban, even this business blog.
* The Times-Picayune has an update on the ban enforcement. Commenters are not pleased. The Washington Post publishes a dispatch on the topic as well. And now I'm craving some carnitas.