Weather reporters say that it’s one of the hottest days of the year and people should avoid staying in the sun for too long. Dozens of people stormed the shady areas around the food stands with their famished stomachs shouting orders. It’s lunch time.
For Li and Hussain this isn’t the time to relax and eat like everyone else. The owners of two unique food stands, the Prince of Egypt and the K Food, they are hard at work during this rush hour. To them it’s just a normal day at work and, with the heat from the sun and the grill beating down on them, Li and Hussain are trying to deal out orders as fast as they can.
When asked how they deal with the stress, Li, the owner of K Food, a rare Korean cuisine food stand outside the Baruch College vertical building said, “It’s very hard trying to keep my cool in this sun. I’ve seen other cooks crack under this kind of pressure. For me, it’s different. I like trying to see how fast I can cook under pressure.”
Hussain, the owner of a popular halal food stand, The Prince of Egypt, has a different viewpoint on how he deals with the stress. “I don’t know how I do it, but I do know that rush hour is the time that I make the most money so I 
can’t let people leave because I am too slow,” he said.
This is what Li and Hussain have to deal with every day but there are other commitments they have to make. “The business is very hard and tiring,” Li said. “I wake up every day at 4:30 in the morning so I can get here and set up on time.”
They also must deal with the competition. Around Baruch there are about 16 different food stands but Li and Hussain are holding up very well at the fierce competition.
“Business is going great since I am one of the few halal food trucks in the area. People look forward to either trying something new or getting food they’re accustomed to,” Hassain said.
Li said “There aren’t a lot of Korean places to eat in the area so I am one of a kind. People love coming to me to try my different takes on food.
“I eat at K Foods mostly every day,” said one of Baruch’s rising juniors. “The food reminds me of something my parents would cook, especially that delicious chicken teriyaki.”