Taco Kisses

Last we left our intrepid Latin American food vendors at Red Hook's soccer fields, they were in danger of being forced out of the park by the city government.

Well, apparently, these fine makers of tacos, pupusas and ceviche are going to be allowed to return to Red Hook once more -- or six more as it were. According to the Associated Press:

The soccer tacos have been saved, after a monthslong fight pitting city regulation against a delicious tradition...

...The department previously threatened to effectively end the seasonal, decades-old culinary draw, which provided Latino New Yorkers a taste of home while they watched weekend soccer tournaments and offered the city's foodies a bite of authenticity.

"It's a family affair, not just for the vendors ... but also for our patrons," Cesar Fuentes, executive director of the Food Vendors Committee of Red Hook Park. "It's 33 years that we've been in that park. That means there are a couple of generations that have grown up eating there."

New Yorkers had organized a fierce campaign to "save the soccer tacos," located in a working-class neighborhood that has recently become a hub for gentrification and commercial development. The city's food bloggers religiously followed the vendors' plight, and the cause attracted high-profile supporters including New York Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer.

"The vendors have been at the vanguard of the Red Hook renaissance, and now they have another six years to continue their delectable work," Schumer said Monday in a statement.