Naeem Khandaker believes he can see the future, and the future he sees is fuchka. Today, no fewer than eight fuchka carts, with near-identical menus and similar design aesthetics, operate within a one-block radius of his original spot. But commercial copycatting in the city rarely comes with the physical proximity, personal familiarity and cheeky gamesmanship of the fuchka free-for-all deliciously erupting in Jackson Heights. “The first fuchka cart in USA,” trumpets the sign on Tong, Mr. Khandaker’s business, on the northeast corner of 73rd Street and 37th Avenue. “We are real,” proposes Fuchka Garden, a couple more steps east, elevating the debate onto the astral plane.

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Persons: Naeem Khandaker, Khandaker, Tong, ” Locations: America, Queens ., New York, Jackson Heights, USA