The Grease trucks were a group of food trucks located on the College Avenue Campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. They were known for serving, among other things, "Fat Sandwiches," a sub roll containing a combination of ingredients such as burgers, cheese, chicken fingers, french fries, falafel, and mozzarella sticks. [1]
In August 2004, Maxim Magazine's top sandwich in the nation was awarded to the "Fat Darrell," a sandwich invented by a student named Darrell Butler and commonly served by these trucks. [2] The Grease trucks were an integral part of campus culture, serving as a meeting and hangout spot. The Grease trucks were named the number one post game activity in the country by Sports Illustrated On Campus in 2005, despite being located on the opposite side of the Raritan River from the Rutgers football stadium.
The Grease trucks were removed from their long time location in August 2013, with plans to be relocated throughout the New Brunswick and Piscataway campuses. [3]
Starting in the early 1980s, food trucks licensed by the city of New Brunswick parked along College Avenue, most clustered near Voorhees Mall, where there is a high concentration of classroom buildings on the campus. A few were as far north as Brower Commons, about a quarter mile away (thus competing with eateries in the student center and dining hall). Students and visitors could obtain a quick, hot, inexpensive meal during events and between classes. The trucks became known as "the grease trucks" due to the popularity of the fried foods they served. A nearby Somerset Street greasy spoon restaurant, "Greasy Tony's," closed by eminent domain in the early 1990s to build University Center at Easton Ave, was part of the local popularity of food-related "grease"-based names of the time. [4]
Since fresh food was prepared on the trucks, they required electric power for refrigeration, and therefore either idled or ran gasoline generators. In the early 1990s, in an effort to reduce the noise, pollution and visual blight along College Avenue, as the trucks obstructed the view of Voorhees Mall, the trucks were prohibited from parking along the thoroughfare, and Rutgers provided a corner of a faculty parking lot (#8) across the street. The vendors were put under contract with the university, which provided the trucks with space and electricity. Some trucks were open during the day, and others in the evening, with a couple of hours of overlap around dinner time. The trucks would rotate positions within the lot monthly, so that no one vendor would receive a competitive advantage based on location.
At the time of the move, the university planned for a courtyard setting in the lot with benches and tables to create a friendly, aesthetic environment, but these plans did not come to fruition for nearly twenty years. The Grease trucks, coincidentally located next to Union Street, the home of the majority of Rutgers' fraternity and sorority houses, were originally open 24 hours a day at this location, and shortly after the local bars closed would become a site for many hungry customers and a sort of after party. The parking lot became strewn with garbage, and there were complaints of frequent fighting, noise and public urination. A closing time of 3 A.M. was mandated in 1996 to coincide with the bar closings, and two years later was changed to 2 A.M., when the bar closing time was altered by the city.
In the early 2000s, several trucks were bought out and consolidated to a single fixed food trailer called "The Scarlet Shack" at the center of the remaining trucks, as seen in the photograph above. Features such as phone and internet orders, acceptance of credit cards and the Rutgers University food card (RU Express) were added over the years, as well as an ATM.
In August 2013, the trucks were removed from parking lot #8 where they had been for twenty years to make way for a new building. The university planned to relocate the trucks to various locations on the College Avenue, Busch, Livingston, and Douglass campuses. [5] [6] While some trucks were indeed given locations for a short time thereafter, no such food trucks are to be found anywhere on the Rutgers campuses any longer. Parking Lot #8 is now the location of The Yard, a mixed-use dormitory and retail building, in which R U Hungry? remains, but as a first floor restaurant. [7]
Typical grill fare was available at the grease trucks, but most popular were the "fat" sandwiches composed of permutations of various foods, such as burgers, French fries (in the sandwich), cheesesteak, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, pork rolls, marinara sauce, falafel, gyro meat, bacon, fried eggs, ketchup, mayonnaise, onions, etc. They supposedly originated in the 1970s when a local restaurant served a sandwich called the "Fat Cat" consisting of two cheeseburgers, French fries, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and ketchup, all combined, on a bun. In the 1980s, the Fat Cat became a popular item at the grease trucks. The three other Fat sandwiches sold during the early history of the grease trucks were the "Fat Moon" (chicken fingers, bacon, egg, french fries, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and ketchup), "Fat Koko" (pizza steak, french fries, mozzarella sticks), and "Fat Sam" (cheese steak, grilled chicken, french fries, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and ketchup).
These inexpensive sandwiches (originally only $1 more than a regular hamburger) with the "sides" included within steadily rose in popularity, but the "Fat Cat" would remain the top seller until 1997, when a student named Darrell W. Butler created the "Fat Darrell" consisting of chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, French fries, and marinara sauce. Butler told USA Today , "Like the typical college student, I was pretty much broke. I had been craving chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks and French fries all week long but I knew that I didn't have enough money to buy all three. I talked the guy behind the counter into putting them all onto a piece of bread for me. I guess it sounded like a good idea because the next 10 or so people all asked for the same thing." [8] Shortly after followed the "Fat Romano", created by Rutgers senior Rich Romano, consisting of cheese steak, Taylor Ham, egg, french fries, lettuce and tomatoes. Since the creation of the "Fat Darrell," dozens of additional Fat Sandwich combinations have been composed, mostly by customer suggestions. Many combinations of available ingredients were created, including multiple vegetarian options. Fat sandwiches have become available in many short-order eateries and pizza places in and around New Brunswick. With popularity spreading beyond the region, and with nationwide media recognition, fat sandwich vendors popped up on various college campuses around the country.
The Grease trucks were the featured location in episode 19 of Man v. Food , season 2. Host Adam Richman attempted the "Fat Sandwich Challenge" at the R.U. Hungry? truck, in which eating five fat sandwiches in 45 minutes allows you to name a new sandwich on the menu, but he was able to finish only four and a half in the timeframe.
The Grease trucks were also notable for offering many types of mostly home-made Mediterranean food, such as gyros, falafel, and hummus, on pita bread. Occasionally available were baba ghanouj, stuffed grape leaves, Mujaddara, and spinach pies. These choices came about because many of the vendors had come from Middle Eastern countries such as Lebanon and Egypt. These homemade healthier options were welcome for those not desiring the large number of calories which accompany fried foods. Other commonly available items included eggs, soup, gum, chips, cookies, muffins, and even homemade Rice Krispies Treats. As some trucks were open in the morning, breakfast grill items and bagels were also available.
Sandwiches with colorful names such as the "Fat Balls," "Fat Bitch" and "Fat Philipino" [ sic ]; were deemed offensive by Rutgers, and in 2005 the vendors agreed to change the names on the posted menus (e.g., "Fat Bulls," "Fat Beach" "Fat Philly" etc.) to maintain their contracts to do business on Rutgers property. [9] Some students expressed outrage at the university's censorship, but others defended the logic behind the request for name changes. [10]
Dietitian pundit Marcus Garand has pointed out the Fat Sandwich's general unhealthiness: a "Fat Darrell" for instance, has about 1,718 calories, 143 grams of carbohydrates and 78 grams of fat. Garand stated, "This sandwich is like a nutritionist's worst nightmare. I couldn't figure out a way to make it any unhealthier. ... This is probably the unhealthiest sandwich you could ever devise." [11]
A hamburger, or simply a burger, is a dish consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis with condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish or a "special sauce", often a variation of Thousand Island dressing, and are frequently placed on sesame seed buns. A hamburger patty topped with cheese is called a cheeseburger. Under some definitions, and in some cultures, a burger is considered a sandwich.
A club sandwich or clubhouse sandwich, is a sandwich consisting of bread, sliced cooked poultry, fried bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. It is often cut into quarters or halves and held together by cocktail sticks. Modern versions frequently have two layers which are separated by an additional slice of bread. Sometimes it is sliced diagonally and is called a wedge or wedgie, a term also used for a type of submarine sandwich.
Cheese fries or cheesy chips is a dish consisting of French fries covered in cheese, with the possible addition of various other toppings. Cheese fries are generally served as a lunch or dinner dish. They can be found in fast-food locations, diners, and grills mainly in English speaking countries.
Schnitzel is a thin slice of meat. The meat is usually thinned by pounding with a meat tenderizer. Most commonly, the meat is breaded before frying. Breaded schnitzel is popular in many countries and is made using veal, pork, chicken, mutton, beef, or turkey. Schnitzel originated as wiener schnitzel and is very similar to other breaded meat dishes.
The milanesa is a variation of the Lombard veal Milanese, or the Austrian Wiener schnitzel, where generic types of breaded cutlet preparations are known as a milanesa.
A dip or dip sauce is a common condiment for many types of food. Dips are used to add flavor or texture to a food, such as pita bread, dumplings, crackers, chopped raw vegetables, fruits, seafood, cubed pieces of meat and cheese, potato chips, tortilla chips, falafel, and sometimes even whole sandwiches in the case of jus. Unlike other sauces, instead of applying the sauce to the food, the food is typically placed or dipped into the sauce.
A wrap is a culinary dish made with a soft flatbread rolled around a filling.
The cuisine of New Jersey is derived from the state's long immigrant history and its close proximity to both New York City and Philadelphia. Due to its geographical location, New Jersey can generally be divided by New York City cuisine in the northern and central parts of the state and Philadelphia cuisine in the southern parts. Restaurants in the state often make use of locally grown ingredients such as asparagus, blueberries, cranberries, tomatoes, corn, and peaches. New Jersey is particularly known for its diners, of which there are approximately 525, the most of any state. Various foods invented in the state, such as the pork roll, and salt water taffy, remain popular there today.
The pork tenderloin sandwich, also known as a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich (BPT), contains a breaded and fried cutlet similar to Wiener schnitzel and is popular in the Midwest region of the United States, especially in the states of Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, and Iowa. The sandwich is claimed to have originated at Nick's Kitchen restaurant in Huntington, Indiana, near Fort Wayne.
Uruguayan cuisine is a fusion of cuisines from several European countries, especially of Mediterranean foods from Spain, Italy, Portugal and France. Other influences on the cuisine resulted from immigration from countries such as Germany and Scotland. Uruguayan gastronomy is a result of immigration, rather than local Amerindian cuisine, because of late-19th and early 20th century immigration waves of, mostly, Italians. Spanish influences are abundant: desserts like churros, flan, ensaimadas yoo (Catalan sweet bread), and alfajores were all brought from Spain. There are also various kinds of stews known as guisos or estofados, arroces, and fabada. All of the guisos and traditional pucheros (stews) are also of Spanish origin. Uruguayan preparations of fish, such as dried salt cod (bacalao), calamari, and octopus, originate from the Basque and Galician regions, and also Portugal. Due to its strong Italian tradition, all of the famous Italian pasta dishes are present in Uruguay including ravioli, lasagne, tortellini, fettuccine, and the traditional gnocchi. Although the pasta can be served with many sauces, there is one special sauce that was created by Uruguayans. Caruso sauce is a pasta sauce made from double cream, meat, onions, ham and mushrooms. It is very popular with sorrentinos and agnolotti. Additionally, there is Germanic influence in Uruguayan cuisine as well, particularly in sweet dishes. The pastries known as bizcochos are Germanic in origin: croissants, known as medialunas, are the most popular of these, and can be found in two varieties: butter- and lard-based. Also German in origin are the Berlinese known as bolas de fraile, and the rolls called piononos. The Biscochos were re-christened with local names given the difficult German phonology, and usually Uruguayanized by the addition of a dulce de leche filling. Even dishes like chucrut (sauerkraut) have also made it into mainstream Uruguayan dishes.
The McArabia is a pita bread sandwich available at all McDonald's outlets in Arab countries and Pakistan. It is known as the Grilled Chicken foldover in Singapore, Malaysia and South Africa, as McOriental in Spain, France and Holland, the McTurco in Turkey, Greek Mac in Greece and Cyprus, and as the McKebab in Israel. The sandwich was originally made to meet West Asian tastes.
The McDonald's Deluxe line was a series of sandwiches introduced in the early to mid 1990s and marketed by McDonald's with the intent of capturing the adult fast food consumer market, presented as a more sophisticated burger for adult tastes. The sandwiches sold poorly and the entire line was discontinued on August 18, 2000. The Deluxe series was a marketing disaster and is now considered to be one of the most expensive flops in McDonald's history.
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries. McDonald's traces its origins to a 1940 restaurant in San Bernardino, California, United States. After expanding within the United States, McDonald's became an international corporation in 1967, when it opened a location in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. By the end of the 1970s, McDonald's restaurants existed in five of the Earth's seven continents; an African location came in 1992 in Casablanca, Morocco.
Rutgers University–New Brunswick is one of three regional campuses of Rutgers University, a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. It is located in New Brunswick and Piscataway. It is the oldest campus of the university, the others being in Camden and Newark. The campus is composed of several smaller campuses that are large distances away from each other: College Avenue, Busch, Livingston,Cook, and Douglass, the latter two sometimes referred to as "Cook/Douglass", as they are adjacent to each other. Livingston's nickname is Livvy (Liv-ee). All 4 sub-campuses connect primarily via State Route 18. Rutgers–New Brunswick also includes several buildings in downtown New Brunswick. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". The New Brunswick campuses include 19 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools. The New Brunswick campus is also known as the birthplace of college football.
Regional street food is street food that has commonalities within a region or culture.
The fast-food restaurant chain Burger King was the first major fast food chain to introduce a grilled chicken burger to the marketplace, in 1990, six months before Wendy's and four years before McDonald's. Since then, Burger King, and its Australian franchise Hungry Jack's have offered a variety of grilled chicken burgers, as have Wendy's and McDonald's.
Lumpiang keso is a Filipino deep-fried appetizer consisting of a stick of cheese wrapped in a thin egg crêpe. It is more commonly known as cheese sticks, cheese lumpia, or cheese turon. It is usually served warm and crispy, with a dipping sauce made from a mixture of banana ketchup and mayonnaise. It can also be served with garlic mayonnaise or sweet chili sauce.
The origins of the Fat Sandwiches are murky, but the original, called the Fat Cat, may have been introduced in 1979, according to Darrell Butler, who came up with the Fat Darrell, requesting it from a vendor while a student at Rutgers in the 1990s.