Neighborhood Visual Analysis

There is a Bengali food truck in my neighborhood just two blocks away from my home. They specialize in famous Bengali street food such as Fuchka (Pani Puri), Chotpati, and Jhal Muri. This tiny truck in the corner of a busy street is always crowded and packed with customers. This is because their delicious snacks are highly rated and top tier in flavor. They are mainly famous for the way they prepare their Fuchkas. This snack can be described as a crunchy fried chip-like ball, filled with flavored chickpeas, green chili peppers, onion, shredded egg, and topped with cilantro and many spices. It is served with a side of sour and tangy tamarind juice that you pour into the ball before popping it into your mouth. The first bite is a blast of spicy and tangy flavor that immediately satisfies your taste buds. Oftentimes, whenever I request my order to be made extra spicy, my eyes water from the spice. However, I would do it again and again because of how tasteful this cultural snack is.

This truck resides in only two locations in the U.S, both of which are in Queens, NY. Tong has also been featured on the front page of The New York Times newspaper, in which their success was recognized and honored. The workers speak both English and Bangla to better assist the customers residing in these neighborhoods. This truck gives a true touch of Bangladesh here in NYC and it tastes almost as good as they make it back in the original country. Tong cleverly utilized their location to grow their business. Queens consists of a high volume of Bengali population and often times these families are new to America, searching for a place that feels like home. Starting this business in the heart of a Bengali neighborhood could not have been a better choice to flourish their company.

Majors: Journalism, Business, and Culinary

This process was interesting because I got to learn more about a local business in my neighborhood and support them. It’s eye-opening to see how many different views someone can have on a business.