AUSTIN, TX: THIS MUCH I KNOW IS TRUE

1. Austin loves good food.
2. Austin loves good music.
3. Austin loves a festival.
4. Austin is willing to brave huge crowds and loooooong lines to get the good food and free music at said festivals.
5. Austin is the dog-lovin'est town in Texas.
6. Austin is the bike-lovin'est town in Texas.
7. Austin loves anything weird or unusual, which makes it a truly great town for a people-watcher like me.
8. Austin knows how to cut loose and have a good time.
9. Austin knows that when the going gets tough, the tough get creative.
   

"Like my great-grandfather, and like many of the trailer food vendors I know, I took a leap of faith and quit my job to embark on new territory. I had no money and no road map. What I did have was an authentic desire to find a better way...We let go of models of 'work' that weren't working in order to chase dreams. We got creative in a down-economy. We talked to people about life at the farmers' markets. We made lunch. The people who constitute our trailer food communities in Austin are inspiring, risk-taking, rebel entrepreneurs who represent dreams in action." ~ Tiffany Harelik, Trailer Food Diaries

Soon as I saw the very first ad for Austin's first ever Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival, I knew it was going to be a big success. I just had no idea how big! John and I chose to go at an off time, midway between lunch and dinner, figuring it wouldn't be very crowded then. The minute we exited I-35, encountering bumper to bumper traffic, and noticed the hordes of foot traffic on either side of the road, all headed in the same direction, I knew I was sadly mistaken.

Between trying to find a downtown parking lot that wasn't full, hiking from there to Auditorium Shores, standing in lines, taking a few pictures, and hiking back to the car, we invested about three hours in this event. Know how many food trailers we actually made it to? One! And yet, somehow, it was worth it. Does that make me a true Austinite now, as well as a Hill Country Character?

At least it was the one trailer I was most anxious to visit--Gourdough's Big. Fat. Doughnuts. John ordered the Cherry Bomb, and I chose the Flying Pig, which looked kinda scary when it came out, and gave me second thoughts. One bite erased all of my fears, and sent me into a bit of a swoon. Picture a breakfast of pancakes with maple syrup and a side of crispy bacon, then imagine all those flavors swirled together into one perfect donut! I sampled John's Cherry Bomb as well, but it was so sweet it made my teeth hurt.

So. Will I brave the hordes to try again next year? Probably not--unless this turns out to be like childbirth, and we somehow forget the worst parts before the next one rolls around. I will, however, spend a good bit of time perusing my new issue of Trailer Food Diaries magazine, and make more of an effort to seek the trailers out in their usual locations, throughout the year. Perhaps I'll see you there?

P.S. Having some technical difficulties this morning, and can't get any of my photos to download. Will post them later, if I ever get it to work. Many thanks to meetup.com and austineater.com for the images above.