Not every street vendor is a racist bigot who doesn't wash their hands and sleeps in their carts. And to prove it, a 21-year-old pushcart vendor who works his father's coffee and donuts cart did an AMA question-and-answer on Reddit this weekend.
Life As A Street Vendor: Turf Wars, Cops And Hair Nets
Update: 2011 Idiotarod Starting In...Bushwick!
Just a reminder that the 8th annual Idiotarod race is starting at Maria Hernandez Park in Bushwick in less than an hour. Check-in is at 10:53 a.m., and the race start time is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Organizers remind that, "There is NO FOOD THROWING. Do not bring food to throw, it will be taken from you. Please remember to bring a hard copy of your completed application form." [Update Below]
Sad Or Gross? Street Vendors Sleeping In Their Carts
The life of the street cart vendor is understandably hard; if they're not tumbling and tussling with each other for real estate, then they're probably trying to hold it in. Here's another notch for their hardship post: according to the Post, some food vendors have been forced to sleep in their carts, so as to not lose prime spots on the street.
Idiotarod Cart CHAIRY Spotted in Greenpoint!
Since organizers of the Idiotarod this year, Corporation X, were being vague with any details prior to go time, but simultaneously wanted press coverage—our publisher sent them this little note (yes, in all caps): "WE CAN'T COVER YOUR STUPID HIPSTER RACE ON THE SITE IF WE DON'T KNOW WHERE IT IS."
Food Vendor War Turning Brother Against Brother
You knew that the heated competition between street food vendors is getting increasingly acrimonious, but did you know that it's tearing families apart? Over the weekend, a Midtown Lunch reader spotted this sign on 45th Street advertising newcomer Fahima Halal Food, which is declaring its food to be Halal-of-a-lot-better than nearby vendor Kwik Meal.
Pregnant Street Vendor Says Rival Struck Her With Cart
All "halal" broke loose in the Financial District around 6 p.m. Friday when, according to the Post, a street vendor rolled his food cart into a five-months-pregnant rival. The victim, Asmaa Abdelaal, says the incident was sparked by rumors that she'd been unfaithful to her husband; she tells the tabloid she was holding her 7-month-old daughter when the unnamed vendor "started saying terrible things about me, about how my daughter is not from my husband and how I sleep with all kinds of men. And then suddenly he pulled the wooden lever from under his cart and the cart rolled into the street, hitting us." After being knocked to the ground, the 24-year-old chicken-and-rice vendor was taken to New York Downtown Hospital and treated for back and side pain. But other vendors around Cedar Street say Abdelaal was the one at fault. One man, Eman Libelebide, tells the Post, "She wanted to get him in trouble. All the customers come to him. She gives me trouble, too."

