From the AJC’s recent article about Atlanta food carts and the obstacles they face around the metro…

And while free-standing restaurants such Taqueria de Sol operate food trucks of their own, most truck operators have been careful not to tread on the turf of dining establishments, Smith said.

Lyn Menne, Decatur’s assistant city manager for community and economic development, said that has been one of her concerns as the DeKalb County city weighs whether food trucks would be an asset in the commercial district.

“We don’t want to create businesses that compete with our existing restaurants,” Menne said. “We also have very limited spaces where these could actually park.”

In related news, John Kessler reports that Fulton County shut down both El Burro Pollo and Atlanta Fry Guy food trucks in Poncey-Highlands on Saturday for preparing their food on the street.  King of Pops was not closed down (because his food isn’t prepared on-site).

My one-and-only food cart pic from my trip to Portland, OR last summer

If you hang out in Atlanta journalistic circles – or just read Twitter obsessively – you’ve probably caught wind of this whole Atlanta food cart campaign.  Urbanites, foodies and food-inclined journalists the city over have worked themselves up into a frothy mess over Atlanta’s “arcane” laws regarding the allowance of chow-carts on city streets.

From Scott Henry’s recent coverage in Creative Loafing…

Under state law, “mobile food units” – be they trucks, trailers or pushcarts – can’t roam the streets. Instead, they’re permitted for no more than two specific locations, the better to track them down for surprise health inspections. Also, raw food must be cooked in a licensed, stationary, commercial-grade kitchen before it goes on the truck or cart, where it can only be reheated.

Y’all want anything from the “mobile food unit”?

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