Three food items on the menu. Three items in my container. And I still had hands to eat!

May 5, 2012: Click to read the updated tip-list for food events!

I love being able to sample a ton of foods and Food Truck Eats Part 1 was a great opportunity to indulge. In fact, it was the best food-fest in a long time; you can read my account of the first one to see who was there and what I got to eat. Part 2 of 3 is up this Saturday (August 20, 2011) and the event will once again take place in the Distillery District. Judging by the activity around this one, it may just be even busier than last time. Thankfully, the layout looks like it will help de-centralize all the vendors, making line-ups and crowd-control more manageable. If you’re thinking about going, let me impart ten tips to make the most of your day…

  1. Arrive early. Or at the very least, on time. The last time I showed up 15 minutes before start-time and did quite well; late-comers had slim pickings.
  2. Don’t wait in line. Because I chose vendors with short lines, I never waited more than 15 minutes for anything. And I ate at nearly all the major vendors.
  3. Bring a container. Don’t be stuck in a quandary when you realize that you have only two hands and want three items or more.
  4. Bring utensils. And by that, I really mean a pair of chopsticks. You’d be surprised at how much easier some things are to eat with chopsticks. Maybe that’s just me.
  5. Wet Ones. I couldn’t eat the ice cream sandwich with chopsticks. It was also a hot day. The rest of the afternoon was a lot nicer with not-sticky hands.
  6. Tide-To-Go is your friend. And don’t wear white.
  7. Bring some water. Keep hydrated! Especially if you decide to hit the Sake brewery afterwards.
  8. Divide and conquer. Attending with friends? Put your man-power to use by standing in different lines at the same time. Pick a rendez-vous spot to share your haul.
  9. Make a plan. There’s a map. There’s a vendor list. Knowing who and where is half the battle.
  10. Why so serious? Despite the crush, people were really good about being in line forever and sometimes not getting anything. Be one of these people in spirit. Because you should be following tip #2 anyway.

If you’re too busy on Saturday or you just need a pre-FTE taste, they’re doing a mini-event at the Distillery with 5 trucks on Friday 6 am-9 am for Breakfast Television.

BONUS TIP: Arrive early at 10am and donate $10 to Second Harvest and get early access to the trucks between 10am and 11am.

And that’s it! Have fun and let me know how it went for you and if you have any additional tips.