The story in today's D&C re: downtown food trucks & carts inspired me to do a bit of research on the very popular food cart venues in Madison, WI, where I live now. In the process I came across a story that made me think immediately of the 19th Ward and how these could be used as a way of bringing neighbors together.

Food carts and trucks are a downtown tradition here in Madison, but they are also spread out everywhere around the city. Among many wonderful ideas, there is the "Meet and Eat" -- designed to get neighbors out to meet each other.

For example:

….

2. Madison Meet and Eat
What: City sanctioned gathering of carts. Encourages meeting your neighbors for a night out and dinner.
Where: Three neighborhoods throughout Madison

3. Let’s Eat Out Madison
What: Groups of food carts offering dinner in neighborhoods. Organized by food cart owners.
[location varies depending on day]

4. Carts in the Park
What: Carts serving lunch in Research Park on Wednesdays.
Where: Research Park

Full story here:

See the story here:

https://madisonstreeteats.wordpress.com/tag/lets-eat-out-madison/

….

Most of these do NOT compete with restaurants. They cater to a clientele that doesn't have the time for a sit-down meal, first waiting to be seated, and then waiting to be served by wait staff during busy lunch or dinner hours. And they go places were there are few to NO restaurants as well.

Seems to me it could be a monthly and, eventually (one would hope) weekly tradition to bring food cart/truck owners out to various quadrants in the Ward, perhaps joining with other neighborhoods in Sector 4.