When I was young, my parents always say “Don’t buy street food. They are not clean. If you eat them, you will have a stomachache.” However, my parents will always buy fruits and vegetables from street vendors because they are cheaper and fresh. Most of farmers who sale those fresh fruits come from nearby mountains, so people who live in the city always believe street vendors have the most authentic fruits. After I traveled to different cities, I found out that almost every big city has street vendors. Some of them exist in similar locations, such as bus stations, food market, but some street vendors are unique for one city.
For example, in New York, street vendors always appear in street corners or near subway stations. In the morning, vendors sale breakfast items such as bagel, croissant. At the lunchtime, you can find different types of street food such as Chinese food, Halal food, Thai food and chicken over rice. People who buy street food are not just lower-class workers who want to find cheaper meals, but also white collar who earns a lot in Manhattan’s big buildings. However, less people buy street fruits and vegetables, because many people believe that fruits and vegetables in supermarkets or local markets are more trustworthy. Street vendors in Manhattan are always in the same place, and it’s unlikely to find illegal street food vendors, because they need certain license to sale food on the street.
However, in Chongqing, most of street food are near schools, railway stations and local markets. It’s really hard to find street food near workplaces or office buildings, because office buildings always have strict regulations, so it’s difficult for them to enter the office area. Street food are less popular among upper class, but all classes love to buy street fruits and vegetables because customers believe street fruits are more organic than those in supermarkets. Unlike street vendors in New York who have fixed locations, many street vendors in Chongqing are always moving because they are not allowed to occupy public streets, so they are always worried about the police.
When I was young, I always hear news about the urban police and street vendors. Street vendors call urban police as“Chengguan”（城管） , a local government agency that responsible for the city’s planning and management. They are famous for cracking down on unlicensed street vendors. Both Chengguan and street vendors suffered injustice in the past few years, because some Chengguan use their power to abuse street vendors, but some street vendors use social media to threaten Chengguan. It’s difficult to find balance between Chengguan and street vendors, because Chengguan wants to make the city look better but street vendors who can’t pay for the high rent need to make a living. When I was young, there are lots of street vendors outside the school, but if someone says “Chengguan is coming”, those street vendors will disappear in a few second.
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