If you don’t know what a food truck is, then you’re missing out on the latest foodie trend to take American cities by storm. Countless forms of mobile eateries have been featured in shows, magazines and newspapers. The National Restaurant Association reports a 12 percent increase in adults who would be willing to visit food trucks if they were available for a meal. And the idol of adventurous eaters everywhere, Anthony Bourdain, has called these street chefs “the true face of the heart and soul of wherever you are.”

If you haven’t experienced the unique tastes of Lansing’s own food trucks, such as The Purple Carrot or El Oasis, then you’re missing out. With their wide variety of fresh, tasty and healthy choices, these local favorites illustrate what so many people have come to love in the food truck.

Now, if only places such as these could be found on our campus.

Students could enjoy the fresh air as they wait for lunch without having to go out of the way. With these on-campus food trucks, I could enjoy a burger or taco salad while supporting local entrepreneurs and not taxpayer-subsidized university jobs. All in all, food trucks would add a speedier and more cost-effective option for campus consumers.

There is even support among the campus population for filling this culinary void on our sidewalks. Brad Kells, from MSU’s Young Americans for Liberty, said, “The university currently acts as a monopolist with dining choices, so allowing food carts would give students greater freedom to choose what they want to eat.” Furthermore, according to The State News (“Food trucks could move into E.L. with council approval,” SN 3/29), there is even talk among East Lansing’s city government of bringing food trucks to the area.

Alas, according to the MSU Concessions Department, there is a ban on any kind of private food vehicle operating on campus. And with the millions of dollars MSU has invested in its dining halls and convenience stores, it is easy to see why they would want to limit competition.

Seth Tompkins, co-owner of one of East Lansing’s newest restaurants, What Up Dawg?, understands where the university is coming from, saying, “I would jump at the chance to operate on campus, but I realize this could only happen if private business and the university work together.”

Tompkins’s idea of public-private cooperation isn’t that farfetched considering the Starbucks, Panda Express and other restaurants that are currently allowed to operate at MSU.

However, I’m not talking about allowing hundreds of vendors to storm campus. I’d much rather see a permit system used to keep this market in check. Our campus is a big place, so it is hard to see how a few food trucks would pose much of a threat to the current campus dining establishments.

This addition would make our university stand out among its peers in a unique way. Add to that the support that surely can be found in our surrounding community, and it’s easy to see why now is the perfect time to make MSU food carts a reality.

The means to do so are there as well, as a new ASMSU assembly takes up its duties in search of more feasible initiatives to work toward.

In the end, convincing the university to make this change seems very possible if the existing public support can be harnessed. With mobile food on campus, students would have a quicker, fresher and cheaper food alternative on the go. Just imagine a world where, on the way to class, you could get a hot cup of soup in the winter or a refreshing smoothie in the summer. So let’s bring mobile nutrition to fruition at MSU.

Christian Hokans is a State News guest columnist and political theory and constitutional democracy junior. Reach him at hokansch@msu.edu.