On Tuesday 29th October, there was a new kid on the block. Well, an old kid with a new look. Same block.’The soup van,’ as many of you will know it, or Dumbo, as he’s known to us, made his first appearance in six months back at the north west corner of George Square.
Dumbo had previously been run by the Elephant Juice Food Company, selling delicious soups made by our friend JP to fund his One Feeds Two campaign. After a couple of visits to Africa to oversee the project’s outcome, JP decided to focus on developing One Feeds Two, which would require selling Dumbo. We were delighted to be given the opportunity to take on Dumbo and allow him to continue doing what he does best: serving tasty soup.
To my first outing on Dumbo. I was looking forward to being allowed out of the cafe to go on a road trip. Lucky, really, as travelling in Dumbo is definitely a city centre adventure. Jani was at the helm, white-knuckled (cold? Fear? Who can say) and I rode shotgun – which since Dumbo is a wide old Citroen H van, left-hand drive, offers an interesting perspective.
Being of such a classic design, we can all agree Dumbo sure is sexy. He’s simple, and old school. I was travelling in the sweetest ride in town. Just keep telling yourself that, I thought, as he rumbled, bounced and creaked over the cobbles, the icy wind whipping in through the windows (open for vital ventilation). Outside, heads turned to admire us. Inside, I was grateful for my layers (six on the top half, four on the bottom).
Arriving at George Square it was no surprise to find that serving soup here was a colder experience than that of the cafe. The space in the van is also more limited, but that’s okay when you’re dressed like the Michelin man anyway. However, there’s a more informal camaraderie with street trade too, and we’ve had a great response from everyone – both JP’s old customers and our regulars from up the road, as well as new faces. We appreciate your support and hope to get Dumbo known further afield too, by participating in events and festivals next year.
If you’ve not met Dumbo yet, come say hi! We’ll be operating 1130am-230pm Mon-Fri until Christmas, with four Union of Genius soups and bread from the Manna House. In time we’ll be offering some of JP’s soups too, so let us know if you have any requests. You can see our menu each day on our own Facebook page (like us? Like us!) and our twitter account.
See you soon,
Amy