Remembrance of Tarkhun Past

It is hard to imagine what Lenin would have made of a food truck festival taking place in the heart of the capital of world communism, but there he was – or rather, there was his imposing statue – presiding over just that at Moscow’s VDHKh – Exhibition of the Achievements of the National Economy.

I appeared to be the only one picking up on the irony. Everyone else was busy taking full advantage of both the balmy sunshine of “babye lyeto” (literally, “old woman’s summer,” known in the US as Indian Summer) and the many amenities that VDNKh offers after its major facelift.

Once a showcase for the agricultural, industrial, and scientific prowess of the Soviet Union, VDNKh today is a magnet for rollerbladers, Moscow’s burgeoning population of cyclists, and hipster foodies. All three tribes were out in force for the capital’s third Food Truck Festival of the year. Moving from one brightly-colored truck to another, patrons enthusiastically sampled everything from classic American food truck fare: burgers, gyros, pizza, barbecue, and fried chicken, to Asian noodles, dumplings, and pad thai, and a wide range of traditional Russian dishes.