WhipOut!: With Your Split-Pea Fritter Out…
Nothing gets my mouth to watering than the mere smell of my mother frying chicken. From the smell alone, I know what’s to come. I know that she’ll saute mushrooms, add cream of mushroom and milk to make a gravy, soy sauce and add the chicken back into the sauce. Braise for 30 minutes. Maybe some veg to take the Catholic guilt off the shoulders. But, it’s the chicken that counts. I’m a carnivore through and through. Half of my culture’s dishes couldn’t exist without the pig. The older I get, the more of these things I know I shouldn’t eat. The more taboo they become, the more I want them. 
When my dining companion ordered a split-pea fritter, I thought he was insane. None of that grocery co-op nonsense for this gorda. Give me the fried chicken slider and some barbeque fries, and please sign this contract that basically admits that you, WhipOut! food truck, have become my vice dealer.
WhipOut! states that they not only grind, but smoke their meats on board of their one-year-old sky blue (adorned with Whippets of the canine variety) food truck. Barbeque fries, pale and flabby. Fried chicken slider, forgettable. Split-pea fritter..the split-pea fritter should be the headliner. A tiny auburn-colored patty of brown rice, chickpeas, and Middle Eastern-esque flavor uppercuts, garlic aioli, on top of peppery arugula. The texture and flavor of the fritter are very reminiscent of falafel. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if there was a heaping wallop of cumin, coriander, garlic, some herbs and something that gave the fritter its subtle sweetness. And this gorda loves her some falafel. Although it tastes kind of like various things I’ve eaten, I have never eaten anything exactly like this. And I’ve definitely never had a craving for something savory sans animal protein.
Thank you for expanding the horizons, WhipOut! truck. Next time I come along, I hope that you have large split-pea fritters painted on your truck instead of the canines. Truly, these fritters are man’s best friend.
Whip Out!
[Greater Bay Area]
(510) 332-9003
Friday, August 9, 2013, WhipOut! will be parked in front of City Hall.
Off the Grid in Civic Center Plaza, 11am – 2pm [Civic Center]
Whipout! truck photo courtesy of website.
