[image: EireTrea.JPG]
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2012/02/ire_trea_may_be_the_worlds_fir.php
Éire Trea May Be the World's First Irish-Eritrean Food Truck
By Jonathan KauffmanThu., Feb. 2 2012 at 3:34 PM
Categories: Street Eats
Alan Hyland, who originally comes from a small town near Galway, had spent
the past couple of years bouncing around the idea of starting up a food
truck specializing in Irish food -- "sort of like a chippie," he explains,
the kind of food stand you find parked outside the bars, filling up
drinkers mid-session.
Along the way, Hyland began chatting about his plans with an Eritrean guy
in his apartment building named Absulam Abdai, who himself was plotting out
his own ideas for an Eritrean food truck. "Just the effort to get going,
and the need to pool resources, had us saying, 'Let's team up and we'll see
where it gets us," Hyland says.
This is how Éire Trea, the world's first Irish-Eritrean food truck, came to
be. Since November, Hyland and Abdai have been making irregular appearances
so far while they wait for the DPW to issue their permits to park on the
street. So far, Éire Trea has popped up at places like the Lunch Box (a
food-truck pod at First and Mission) and outside Danny Coyle's. The pair
are looking for other spots near Irish bars, as well as in Oakland, the
heart of the Bay Area's Eritrean community.
So far, there's very little fusing of the two cuisines. The menu lists
dishes like battered sausages, Irish curry with chips -- Irish curry tastes
similar to Japanese curry, Hyland says -- and shepherd's pie alongside
chicken doro-wat or vegetable stew served over injera bread. They've
attempted a couple of fusion experiments, such as shiro (ground-chickpea
stew) nachos, and have a few more ideas they're playing around with, but
it's still early days. Abdai and Hyland just moved into a new commercial
kitchen shared by an Irish baker, so they may start selling fresh baked
goods as well.
With no regular parking spots to date, you'll have to follow Éire Trea on
Facebook and Twitter to track them down. And if you've tried their food,
let us know -- SFoodie confesses our minds are still blown by the concept
of Irish-Eritrean fusion.
Follow us on Twitter: _at_sfoodie, and like us on Facebook.
Follow me at _at_JonKauffman.
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Received on Fri Feb 03 2012 - 10:25:03 EST
