What does the Civil War and Food Trucks Have in Common?

For an upcoming story, I spent yesterday in Atlanta, touring the Cyclorama and sampling a few food trucks.  Adjacent to Zoo Atlanta, the main attraction in the Historic Grant Park is the breathtaking four-story oil panting and 30 foot diorama.  After a 14 minute video, narrated by James Earl Jones, guests are ushered into a sweeping panorama of the Battle of Atlanta, fought on July 22, 1864, during Sherman's March to the Sea.  When we asked one student group why they were touring the museum, they said "Gone With the Wind is our summer project, and the Cyclorama really brings her words to life."  Complete with one image looking strikingly familiar to Captain Rhett Butler, the panoramic painting shows fierce fighting and certainly puts Margaret Mitchell's descriptions to fruition.  We also got footage of artifacts displayed in the building's Civil War Museum and shot stand-ups in front of the Texas, a veteran of the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862.  

After visiting the Cyclorama, Clark Gable said the only thing needed to
make it better was a representation of him.
However, I'm not so sure  this is what he had in mind. 

Then, we made our way to Inman Park at Stove Works for a tasty tale about street food on wheels.  Yumbii is Atlanta's first and finest food truck, offering an authentic, gourmet fusion of world flavors with a street food twist.  Dubbed "Far Out Food" for its scrumptious blend of Korean, Mexican, and Southern flavors, the hospitable food truck manager gave us awesome soundbites and delicious, free samples of their top dishes.  I had a generous helping of sesame fries with salad, and I must say the would-have-been $3 price tag is well worth it.  Paired with a freezing bottled water and salad, it was the tastiest grub off a food truck I've ever had.  

Our next vendor was The King of Pops.  


Move over ice-cream truck, there's a new sweet treat in town.  And with its handmade popsicles, unconventional flavors, and cute cart guys, all I'm saying is that if I lived in ATL, I'd certainly be stopping by their stand quite often.  

Lastly, we interviewed the WOW! Food Truck owner and sampled her famous arepas and tomato pie.  I especially enjoyed her truck, for she had the most vegetarian-friendly meals around.  

We came hungry, and certainly left happy.   If you find yourself in Atlanta for lunch or dinner and happen to be pinching the pennies, check out the Atlanta Street Food Coalition's website to find out where my favorite trucks will be making a pit stop.  And who knows, as food truck popularity increases in Atlanta, perhaps they'll soon be rolling into Macon.