Last Monday, I stopped by the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Open-Air Art Market, hosted by Culture Hub in the heart of Capitol Hill.
The market created a space for Indigenous artists and vendors, showcasing the best Native artisans and their wares while celebrating the rich culture of Oklahoma City’s Indigenous community. It also offered some fantastic artistic deals all around.
On top of that, there were three incredible NDN food trucks lined up in the alleyway, all serving different cuisines but, in my eyes, all achieving the same goal: an open-air lunch!
Taking a break from my Taco Truck Chronicles, I decided to check out all of them. Not only was I seeking great food, but I also wanted to shine a spotlight on these fantastic trucks that deserve to be noticed by a wider audience.
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The Drunk Goat
Probably one of the best-monikered food trucks in a long time, the Drunk Goat offers a tasty selection of comfort snacks—at least I take comfort in them—to chow down on, like Birria Fries, Flaming Chips, and Fried Oreos, giving me hunger pangs from the very start.
As I was perusing the menu, what intrigued me most were the Dorinachos ($8.00). It’s a triple header of cheese and spice. Using everyone’s favorite corn chip, Cheese Doritos, and a large spoonful of golden whole-kernel corn, they are absolutely dripping with nacho cheese and Parmesan cheese.
More than just an arbitrary snack, the Drunk Goat turned this into a late-night feast—or, in my case, lunch. Every bite is meticulously measured as the Doritos, nacho cheese, and Parmesan cheese make this a real holiday to soberly remember.
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OK Yummy
Looking for something to cool down in the temperate weather, I decided to try OK Yummy's snack shack. Whether you're hanging out with friends at the pool or relaxing on the couch solo, they’ve got you covered. Their parfait-like Esquites, long-running Walking Tacos, and a variety of shaved-ice Raspados—like the Fresa, Chicle, and Mango Loco—are all perfect options for a tasty cool-down.
For my brutal tastes, I got the always-welcomed Classic Hot Dog ($5.00), really peppered-up with pickles, mayo, mustard, and of course, jalapeños. Even though it was kind of small, the loaded condiments gave it a wide range of semi-hot flavor—but I really should have gotten two.
To drink, I got the diabolical Diablito ($7.00), the heat-seeking missile of the raspado world. With the conflicting sensations of the cold slushy and the hot chamoy spicing things up, it’s a battle between heaven and hell in your very own mouth… and I am here for it!
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Big Mama’s Indian Tacos
Now, to be fair, this was the one thing I had been waiting for as soon as I got here: Big Mama’s Indian Tacos. Yes, please, and thank you!
The last stop on this Indigenous tour was Big Mama and her bigger NDN Tacos. Even though I was not exactly familiar with Big Mama’s work, she did double duty on the menu and in my heart with the $18.00 special, which included one NDN taco, a frybread dessert, and a can of cola.
With her NDN Taco, the golden-brown frybread was topped with meat, beans, lettuce, salsa, and the darndest dollop of sour cream you ever saw. This taco was absolute perfection. The meat and beans were wonderful, and the toppings were evenly balanced, but, seriously, the frybread was the real star.
Is there an award for that?
After the NDN Taco, wanting a sweet treat, I tried her Frybread Dessert, included in the meal. Looking like a box of Dunkin’ Donuts Munchkins, these small treats were even better, as the frybread was made mini with a light dusting of powdered sugar. Both savory and sweet in the same meal, Big Mama made big work of the Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration!
Overall, it was the perfect capper to the perfect Indigenous Peoples’ Day with good food, good people, and good fun. With those three things in your medicine bag, there’s no reason not to be Indigenous every day.
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
