I first tasted chai at a mobile teahouse the summer between my junior and senior years of high school. A group of community-minded folks outfitted an old truck with extendable wings, a big stash of pillows and a small kitchen. Each week they would travel around to a different park around Portland and set up for an evening in the grass (I believe they did this with permission but I don't know for sure).
They would extend the wings to provide shade, scatter the pillows around and serve drinks and snacks. The food was all donation based, people made it at home and brought it to share (this did mean that the menu was always changing). You weren't charged when you received it, you were just asked to make a donation that then went to a local charity. Musicians would set up around the truck and take turns playing all evening long.
