Thursday, March 15, 2012

That’s twice now in a single week I’ve bought lunch from a roach coach, and delicious as it’s been, mobile food is just a small part of a larger idea I’ve been experiencing lately. “Roach coach” doesn’t do this place justice, by the way, not by a longshot. It’s a gourmet food truck. A confession: when I first heard the term years ago, I thought the phrase originated from the fact that these vehicles looked like roaches, with their doors fully unfurled. The more mainstream reading only occurred to me recently.

But that’s merely an aside. What’s so engaging about the concept is that quality food can be found through non-traditional channels. It’s this idea that you can hitch your passion to a simple website, a Twitter feed, and a truck to the approbation of the market. I suppose there’s this added appeal, too, of having to find your food, rather than have it waiting at the same brick-and-mortar location. It was nomadic! And delicious.

Along the same lines, I backed my first-ever Kickstarter project on Tuesday. There was an hour left on the timer, and I had to pull the trigger. To be able to help fund an old-school adventure game, then witness its production, warts and all? I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. These were the same guys who made the original Monkey Island, a title which may very well have twisted me during my formative years.

It’s the democratization of development, and it’s thrilling. Like the gourmet food truck, there’s this recalibration of power, an upending of old institutions. A return to the roots. It’s this idea of having your dollar go directly to someone who creates. Have I gone granola? Maybe. Perhaps this post is organic, locally sourced and lovingly baked with only the finest of earth-friendly adjectives.