I moved to Sunset Park Brooklyn eight months ago as a more or less fluent speaker of Spanish. The draw of the Spanish language is one of the reasons that I like living in this part of town, but feeling brave enough to go to the street food vendors was something I had a hard time with. Where do you begin when all you can see while walking by is a collection of sauces and iced drinks? There is obviously no menu and, even as a Spanish speaker, I did not know where to begin.

A few days ago I finally mustered up the courage to give it a try.  On the corner of 47th Street and 5th Avenue, just outside the video store, is a lady who sells a small, but great selection of goodies. She always seems to be gossiping with a crowd of people, so when she was on her own the other day I seized the opportunity. Her son, the proud little assistant, helped his mom pour sauces and drinks while I chatted her up about the array of foods before me.

There are pastelines, which are chicken and cheese empanada-style pockets. My favorite, however, was what she called a chicharino, a crispy piece of fried pork rind (more brittle than a hard taco) topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese, lots of avocado (!!!) and a choice of chicken or pork. The drinks outside included horchata–a milky nut-based, cinnamon-flavored beverage– and lemonade.  (The collection of cool drinks outside these stands is often referred to as aguas frescas.)

This is the start of something.  Now that I’ve found a cheap option to eat when I don’t feel like cooking, I am determined to try out more food vendors in the area and in other neighborhoods, too. There is so much authentic food out there on our streets and in “these times” we could all do with saving some money!