Food carts in Portland, Oregon, are under the gun due to new state wastewater disposal rules, Portland Monthly reported this week. The new rules, which debut next week, have forced some of the city's world-renowned carts to close—temporarily, they hope—while they try to figure out whether and how to comply.
Portland's beloved food carts are largely stationary vending operations that sell food out of spaces they share with other carts. These spaces, known in Portland as "pods," often feature a dizzying array of foods that put most any food court to shame regarding the variety and quality of foods they offer. Visitors to a pod might find a schnitzel cart parked next to other cart vendors selling steamed bao buns, pizzas, empanadas, meats on sticks, and crepes.
