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Certainly the concept of mobile food-vending has long existed without the benefit of architectspeak. Mexican taco trucks have been part of the L.A. landscape for decades. And in recent years, other local food vendors have taken the humble truck concept gourmet. There is the venerated Kogi truck, which dispenses Korean-Mex tacos and makes ample use of Twitter to advertise its location. And other vans, purveying everything from shave ice to Vietnamese sandwiches, have also mushroomed - all despite a controversial citywide edict, put into effect last spring, that requires them to move at least every 30 minutes...
Alex Demyanenko, a television producer and food-truck devotee, says the presence of the truck can build a minisociety in minutes. "It's like a flash mob," he says. "When the truck arrives, people start coming out from every direction - and there's a community atmosphere. People meet other people. Everyone is there to share in the experience of that truck." Case adds that in a sprawling city like Los Angeles, where traffic is permanently gridlocked, being mobile means being able to cultivate a broader fan base. "It breaks down the urban fabric," she says. "We are neighborhood-specific...
Ultimately, however, a truck's success rests on the quality of its product. At Coolhaus, artisanal ice cream from L.A.'s gourmet comfort-food outpost Milk is pressed between soft, fresh-baked cookies and sold under a variety of architectural names - from Tea-dao Ando (a green-tea ice cream in honor of the Japanese architect who built the Pulitzer museum in St. Louis, Mo.) to Orange Julius Shulman (a blood-orange sorbet named after the famed architectural photographer). The sandwiches are traditional in appearance, though in their structure they blend the bold horizontal lines of Koolhaas' Seattle library with...
Following the success of their truck (they have bookings for private parties into 2010), Case and Estreller are now at work developing their next architecturally inspired food project: perhaps an experimental supper club or even a line of Popsicles made to resemble famous buildings. "The name of our umbrella company is Farchitecture," says Estreller, who didn't study architecture but currently works in low-income housing development. "Coolhaus is just one of our projects. There will definitely be other projects." Future Frank Lloyd Wrights may want to take note: perhaps you should study food service instead...
...many travelers to Africa, a safari invariably involves a 4x4 or an overland truck. But a camel safari offers a closer way of connecting with the landscape and its people. You don't actually ride the camels - which, after sitting on one for half an hour, was a blessed relief. Rather, they carry the luggage and provisions, with a mixture of grace and grumpiness, while you trek alongside. (See TIME's Global Adviser for exotic, beautiful and interesting getaways...