fojol brothers

fojol brothers

(of merlinda, of benethopia)
travelling food truck

what was consumed: from merlinda, chick peas and chicken; from benethopia, beef and collard greens

if my memory serves be correctly, the fojol brothers were the first of the blossoming washington, dc food truck scene. i remember people talking about a bunch of kids who got together and started selling indian food out of a truck (the story i heard was that they were a bunch of georgetown kids who learned how to make some of their favorite indian foods from a roommate/friend's mom. and they were really good at it. so good, in fact, that they took their talents to the public and started selling their wares to interested parties. thus the start of the fojol brothers!) i'd heard that the kids would wear irreverent (in that ironic way) costumes, play music loudly, and wave (almost obnoxiously) as they drove through the washington streets. i was immediately intrigued. most of all, i thought it a great idea and was super excited to partake it their wares myself. sadly, it took almost 4 years (and many other food truck encounters and an expanding fojol brothers fleet) for me to make their acquaintance.

finally, within a 2-day period (and just as i was about to head out of town), i had the joy of trying the food from both the fojol brothers of merlinda (indian) and the fojol brothers of benethopia (ethiopian). while the cuisines of the trucks are different, the idea is the same. you have a few meat options and a few veggie options. you can opt for a dingo bite (i.e., 1-item), a 2-item plate, or a 3-item plate. yay or nay on carbs (rice at merlinda, injera at benethopia). you also have the option for lossipops. in both cases, i opted for the 2-item plate with carbs. and, to make a totally general comment, i enjoyed both of the means immensely. the entrees were cooked well, with a successful inclusion of spices that made my lunch quite delicious. the rice and injera were cooked well and were proper accompaniments to the entrees. yummy.

i also love how, near the fojol brothers' trucks, they have blankets laid (on the grass at the location i was at) down for diners to enjoy the weather during lunch. i think we often get so caught up in our work (myself included) that we often need a reminder to take a break and enjoy the weather, enjoy the sites, enjoy good food, even if it's just for the 15 minutes it takes for you to wolf down your lunch. i will try to keep this in mind.

fojol brothers, keep up the good work. when back in washington, i will be on the lookout for you.

online: http://fojol.com/