It was a whole new world.

Despite my declared anti-vegetarian tendencies, a friend of mine convinced me this week to take a Magic Carpet Foods ride. If you’re not sure which cart they are, just follow the long line. Whether at the alcove by Meyerson or at their 36th and Spruce location, these folks never lack hungry and willing consumers.

So, in the spirit of open-mindedness, I gave them a whirl. I tried the Bella Donna, which consists of magical tofu meatballs on rice and veggies. I assume the magic rests in supposed resemblance between the meatballs and those made with actual ground beef.

I have to say, it was pretty good. Don’t get me wrong -– while my eyes may have been fooled, my tongue certainly wasn’t. While the meatballs tasted great, it was when judged on their own merits, not in the court of meat.

It’s nice to have a lunch that I have a good idea is made with fresh and wholesome things. However, I can’t help but notice that the Bella Donna with a drink cost me $6, while my customary Frita’s cheesesteak (drool) with a pretzel and a drink is only $5.50. This would seem to defy the biomass pyramid. And fresh as Magic Carpet may be, nothing beats beef right off the grill.

All things said and done, while Magic Carpet wasn’t bad, nine times out of ten this omnivore will be going for the cheaper, meatier, more soul-nourishing Philly favorite.

Tags: food carts, Magic Carpet, vegetarians

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 1st, 2007 at 4:22 pm and is filed under Penn. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.