It’s not the kind of question you ask in public, but: Would you eat from a plain white catering truck?

While perusing the menu of a fancy green-and-orange food truck parked near Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank on a recent afternoon, a man in a button-down shirt and slacks pauses, then says, “No.”

Taquitos from Prime Time Cuisine on Wheels: Formerly a taco truck, it’s now a custom-wrapped “food truck.” (Photo by Anne Fishbein)

Another admits, “I don’t care. I just want good food!” [read on]

Check out Amy Scattergood’s blog post and slideshow on Prime Time cuisine.

Sydney, Australia is the latest city to jump on the food truck ban wagon.

Taco trucks are redefining street food in Australia.

The Land Down Under

Food trucks have become a sensation in U.S. cities like New York, LA and Portland, where some of them have built a cult following with highly-decorated trucks and signature dishes such as tacos, pancakes and Korean BBQs.

In Sydney, mobile kitchens are changing the direction of cheap street eats and Aussies are ultra fascinated by anything hot, spicy and Latin.

The city hosted workshops recentlythat attracted more than 30 participants keen to trial food truck ideas. Ten of the most interesting and innovative ideas will be picked for the pilot program, which will start next January 2012 and run for a year.

The World's Largest Food Truck?

Chef Eric Dively, slices some beef, at BABBQ's traveling big rig

There’s nothing else like it on the road. The BA BBQ food truck is 30 feet tall, 68 feet long, stretches 14 feet across for service, and has more than 170-square feet of grilling space.

The website calls it, “…One Bad @#$ Bar B Que.”
It’s mission: To bring a savory backyard cookout to large events and give customers a friendly experience.

The converted big rig is emblazoned with orange flames, longhorns, and a snarling bull wearing a chef’s coat. Where car-transport semi-trailers layer vehicles on like a three-tier wedding cake, the visionaries behind this massive mobile meal machine created a kitchen fit to feed a small army: Enough grills to churn out 4,000 hot dogs without stopping, and a custom wood-fueled smoker large enough for two whole hogs and 300 whole chickens.

“We wanted to stand out from everyone else,” says BA BBQ partner Anthony Romberger.

From conception until the truck rolled-out took three months. Romberger says there were no blueprints to study, and like perfecting that secret sauce, he and his partners relied on their own creativity.

“We wanted to turn it into a show,” Romberger said.

And if size matters, Romberger and his team have cornered bragging rights. BA BBQ claims to be the world’s largest mobile barbecue unit, although they plan to verify that with the Guinness World Records.

The BA BBQ truck plans to serve up its signature chicken, beef, ribs & pulled pork to people brave enough to endure wintery holiday weather near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Its Twitter page says, “Road trip south starts in January.”

The crew plans to make stops at Harley-Davidson dealerships along the East Coast and pull into the Florida State Fair in February and Daytona Beach Bike Week in March.

Citizen journalist johnnyle uploaded this shot.

Submitted by johnnyle

It's a Wrap: The "Grill 'Em All" Truck Makeover from Masa Revolution on Vimeo.

Grill ‘Em All’s Ryan Harkins and Matt Chernus knew it was time to get another truck after they won the Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race in late September, 2010.  Their 1986 leased catering truck barely made it back to L.A. from N.Y.C.  The kitchen on wheels is small.  Its appliances are 25-years-old and started breaking down a lot, which meant hungry people were waiting longer for their burgers.

Ryan and Matt worked with a graphic artist to create a cutting-edge design for the new truck and turned the keys over to Wrap One in Anaheim.  Masa Revolution was in the house for the entire three-day process and chronicled the truck’s transformation from bland to glam!

Masa Revolution is a independent documentary about how inexpensive Mexican street food inspired a pop-culture gourmet phenomenon.  It’s expected released date is early, 2011.

Behind the glass inside the Mandoline Grill Food Truck.