The water in the frank steamer isn’t changed at all during the day. By the end of the afternoon, it has a pungent beefy odor, and a slightly yellow tinge. When Markopoulis returns the cart to the garage where he stores it, he dumps this water down the sink. The remainder of the ice he used to keep his drinks cold gets drained down a subway vent.

Franks in Markopoulis' steamer. PHOTO: Rachel Elbaum

Most of Hasan’s customers don’t care about the water. Police Officer Tom Fitzpatrick, who stopped his patrol car just to say hello to Hassan, says that the hot dogs are very clean.

"I like boiled the best, for the taste, for the flavor," he says while hungrily eyeing the floating franks. "All the juices stay in the water so they cook in the juice."

There are very few hygiene rules governing the sale of coffee and hot dogs on the street. Bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food is not allowed. There are no sink or hot- and cold-water requirements, but the vendor is supposed to have some means of keeping his hands clean. Hasan keeps a jug of tap water on his cart for this very purpose.

Hasan has been ticketed for allowing his cart to roll too far toward the middle of the sidewalk. It cost him a week’s salary. He also says that the city could ticket him if he is caught not wearing a hat and gloves.

Markopoulis drains his cooler. PHOTO: Rachel Elbaum

The Department of Health rules are silent about water use. The water does not have to come from any particular place, and doesn’t have to be disposed of in any particular manner. Operators of the 3,000 food-vending carts on the streets of New York have been left to make it up as they go along, adopting whatever method works best for them.

For his part, Markopoulis tries to think of others when dealing with the water in his cart. "I won’t throw water on the street," he says. "It will freeze, and people will slip."

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