"In 1893, Boston was bustling, especially after the sun went down. 'Night owls of all classes' roamed the streets, wrote the Boston Daily Globe, including
'“workers, idlers, pleasure seekers, spendthrifts, tramps and bums.' At
some point, all of these people would want something to eat. The wealthy
could get their quail on toast at any hour, observed the writer. For
everyone else, there were the night lunch wagons. While they served
inexpensive eats, the wagons themselves could be as fancifully decorated
as music boxes on wheels.
"Though night lunch wagons would eventually be gilded, they had humble origins. According to Richard J.S. Gutman, a diner expert and author of the classic American Diner: Then and Now, it all started with a man with a basket. Walter Scott was a street vendor who sold sandwiches and coffee in Providence, Rhode Island, first from a basket and later from a pushcart. Business was good, so in 1872, he set up shop in a wagon outside a local newspaper office. Scott was a pressman himself, so he knew that journalists wanted quick meals at strange hours."
In a recent commentary, writer Anne Ewbank reflected on the origin of night lunch wagons (the precursors of today's food trucks) and the beauty that enhanced many of them.
To access Ms. Ewbank's complete essay, please visit:
Gastro Obscura: Before Food Trucks, Americans Ate 'Night Lunch' From Beautiful Wagons (13 SEP 18)
"Though night lunch wagons would eventually be gilded, they had humble origins. According to Richard J.S. Gutman, a diner expert and author of the classic American Diner: Then and Now, it all started with a man with a basket. Walter Scott was a street vendor who sold sandwiches and coffee in Providence, Rhode Island, first from a basket and later from a pushcart. Business was good, so in 1872, he set up shop in a wagon outside a local newspaper office. Scott was a pressman himself, so he knew that journalists wanted quick meals at strange hours."
In a recent commentary, writer Anne Ewbank reflected on the origin of night lunch wagons (the precursors of today's food trucks) and the beauty that enhanced many of them.
To access Ms. Ewbank's complete essay, please visit:
Gastro Obscura: Before Food Trucks, Americans Ate 'Night Lunch' From Beautiful Wagons (13 SEP 18)
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