Grilled Cheese on Wheels

In Los Angeles food trucks serve everything from tacos, to sushi, to vegetarian fair, but my favorite so far is the Grilled Cheese Truck.

One day when attending an art festival in Beverly Hills I discovered what has to be one of the best mobile food trucks I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating from, The Grilled Cheese Truck. Now grilled cheese is such a basic, common food that you’d never think it would be something you might want to actually go out to eat. This truck however, had the most delicious tasting grilled cheese ever. They offer four varieties of cheese: American, sharp cheddar, double cream brie and Gruyere and you can add everything from bacon to fresh basil to smoked turkey. There are specialty sandwiches like the Cheesy Mac and Rib (macaroni & cheese, sharp cheddar, BBQ pork and caramelized onions) and the Harvest Melt (butternut squash, leeks, balsamic and agave syrups) and for dessert there is the Dessert Melt (banana puree, nutella & marshmallow). The truck is simple heaven for grilled cheese lovers.

For those who follow the Grilled Cheese Truck they’ve posted a calendar as they visit everything from festivals to the annual Los Angeles Grilled Cheese Invitational in April (national grilled cheese month.) They can also be found on Twitter. They regularly serve about 500 sandwiches per day, 300 for lunch alone. While it’s sincerely doubtful if they will serve you a Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich their friendly manner and assembly line style leave a lasting impression of efficiency, smiles and homespun welcome.

While cheese has some health benefits including good teeth, strong bones and relief from hypertension, it also is high in fat and sodium and the addictive opiate quality of cheese can cause cravings that are hard to ignore especially when presented in a gourmet manor. The Grilled Cheese Academy  has recipes galore celebrating this classic sandwich. From ancient Roman times to modern day cheese is a staple that produces smiles, insanity, and relief from hunger. But most of all, as Pinky would say it’s “yummy”!

Paperthin superMan

Fifteen dinner jackets
three rows deep.
Single breasted, double breasted
tuxedo shirt, self de-vested
no tie, bowtie, ascot,
waistcoat,
buttons, cuffs, lapels
different similarities
singularities
personality
in the details.
Monotone.

Superimposed aesthetic achieved
with the smooth nonchalant
attitude and poise of Cary Grant.
Suave finesse,
charm and elegance,
light show personifying
the gentlemanly arts
in black and white movies.

Wrinkled, textured,
black and white
multidimensional
Men
wearing
straight jacketed tuxedos
buckles binding tight.

Mysterious,
masculine,
anonymous
six by six
figure
at rest.

Batman
reclining for a smoke.
Relaxation
after a job well done.
Psychoanalyze
domestication.
Cartoon characters
of caricatures
superimposed on life.

Pinafore’s violent memories,
baby’s bridge,
childhood,
lost in chaos and war.

Tattered tuxedo
broken mold
ripped seams
humanity’s exposed
skin found
in a shopping cart
of sleeves.
Sublimely LA.

Baby blue & pink bows
on grey wool.
Tie die patches.
Tweeds in black & white
but nothing ever is.
Unraveled deconstruction,
tattered Oliver
“Please Sir,
may I have some more?”

Touchable textures
visually tempting.
Tactile.
Unlined thin shells
nappy cotton
heavy linen
paper thin wool.
Juxtaposed
“It hurt but you saved me.”

Biker, boxer, cowboy, spy
laborer,
Levies hanging
ready
work boots
standing stiff nearby.

The characters of man
earned as cubs
badges shaped
by lives spent
earning Superman’s cape
interwoven
in uniforms
of Japanese rice paper.

Greg Lauren had an exhibit called "Alteration" in West Los Angeles of origional artwork that inspires thought, humor and admiration.