Fojol Bros: Finally Better Street Food Options In DC

by MADELEINE STARKEY · July 13, 2010

There's two ways to spot a Fojol Bros smorgasborg going down: you'll see a funky, antique-y looking silver van. Or a mustached man. But don't blink--they could disappear.

"A Traveling Culinary Carnival," Fojol Bros (of Merlindia) started their street food stint on January 20, 2009. You may remember that day as important to D.C. for being the inauguration day of our current prez, Barack Obama. Consider it a shared birthday.

Like their birthday twin, the Fojol Bros take a "yes we can" approach to marrying their love of food with their compassion for humanity. A portion of the proceeds collected from their street tours benefits at-risk-youth programs.

While it's all well and good to give money to certain causes, it's even better when you make conscious moves to prevent problems from happening in the first place. In this vein, Fojol Bros are committed to the environment, and demonstrate this in a number of their business practices:

School trays, clamshells, and cups are made from 100% bagasse. "What the hell does that mean?" You ask. Fojol Bros answer: it's the sugar cane fiber that remains once juice is extracted from the cane. And since sugar cane is a readily renewable resource, this means mother earth is happier than she is when we use (gasp) plastic take out containers. Which, for the green-tarded, makes Mother Earth really really mad and sad.

The napkins Fojol Bros use are made from 100% recycled paper. The napkins are unbleached, so they are brown. Bleach is bad for you and the environment.

Their "sporks" (spoon + fork = spork) are compostable and made from 80% non-genetically modified organism (GMO) corn. GMOs are bad.

The bags they use are cellophane, and are biodegradable and compostable.

These guys make hippies and hipsters alike super happy. Hippies like the earthy-crunchy aspect; hipsters like the quirkiness. And Fojol Bros should make you happy too, if for no other reason than because their food is delectable and good for you. It's not fried street food. It's stuff like chicken masala, and curries, and veggie dishes like cabbage with chickpeas. All preservative free. Hungry yet?

Because they're mobile, you have to keep track of them if you want to get your hands on their grub. Follow them on Twitter, @fojolbros, to be constantly apprised of their whereabouts. If you absolutely must have all of their food, in large quantities, at a predetermined event, they also cater. They've got it all covered, it seems. Including the Screen on the Green. Where they were last night, and will be next week. Talk about a double feature.