I tend to stick to this simple rule: don’t eat anything that moves.

But when hunger strikes and you’re tearin’ up the sidewalk at the velocity of 100, those food carts look rather tasty. “Halal! Hot Dogs! Flavored Cashews!” they scream. And you think, yes. Yes, I could chomp on that right about now.

But when food comes this fast, the question is- can you trust it?

I was walking with a born-n-raised New Yorker the other day who scoffed at a group of tourists lined up to purchase a “dirty water dog”. "I can’t believe they eat that stuff," said the NYer. "Those hot dogs are disgusting. They just swim in that nasty warm water for days.”

I played it cool, but was secretly nauseated. I had eaten a “water dog” on the go yesterday, and now I was slowly being poisoned by it. How could I be so naive? To think that these were made fresh daily, by a caring chef with a passion for ballpark cuisine? I had been hoodwinked. Deceived by the cart’s seemingly friendly nature and alluring yellow umbrella.

Needless to say, this tidbit is enough to smother my hunger pangs for quite some time. Thanks but no thanks, oddly convenient food. I’d rather munch on a granola bar and spare myself the post-consumption regret.