Extra credit

The university is back in session, so the city’s lineup of food trucks are back in formation. Some tips:

• El Wiscorican is a perennial fav, offering a short but very customizable menu. Vegetarian and vegan options are regularly available for those among us who like to keep it light. They’ll ask if you want it spicy – but whatever your expectations are around spice levels, dial it back. The great north is suspicious of the virtues of capsaicin. (I recommend the fried plantains.)
• Saigon Sandwich has one of the best banh mi sandwiches in town, which is pretty wild given that this sandwich is produced by a single person in a box trailer. But with fresh bread and ultra-fresh ingredients, it’s a really good one. Nothing beats a fresh banh mi with good bread and snappy veggies.
• Madison boasts (at least) two great fresh juice trucks – Fresh Cool Drinks and Natural Juice – and you’re as likely to find them at the end of State Street as you are at the Saturday farmers’ markets. They both make excellent juice concoctions on the spot, and sell delicious, fresh vegetable spring rolls packed with fresh, local produce.

Several years ago, many people were weighing the possibility that the Madison food truck economy would struggle to recover after the long shutdown, worried because this scene is one of the things that makes the urban food desert more livable during the workday and supports a great deal of local culture with it. This makes your participation in the little treat economy practically a civic responsibility.