When
it comes to eating on the road, take a page out of the Italian book.
Place yourself at the feet of an Italian mother on a long train ride
and commit the following words to memory: Eating on the road should
be like an exotic picnic. (Think Fellini.)
Let’s
take a look in her hamper and see how to create an eating experience
to make you the envy of those around you.
The basics of
sliced meats and cheeses will serve you well, with or without bread.
Don’t make up sandwiches in advance, as they will become soggy
or stale.
Go for hard-crusted buns and pack a small serrated knife (assuming
you are not on an airplane…).
 What
makes a meal more interesting is texture and crunch, so pre-cut
raw vegetables
are a good complement to the protein.
Cucumber, sliced red and green pepper, celery and cherry tomatoes
are all good candidates. If you have a little tube of goat cheese,
spread it on the vegetables for a healthy tasty snack.
It’s a great way to start a conversation with anyone traveling
in the same train compartment or across the bus aisle – snacks
know no language barrier.
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Don’t
forget the little details that transform sustenance into sumptuous
and offer plenty of calories to fuel all the adventures that your
travels entail.
It may seem complicated to have a collection of several plastic
bags and containers, but compare a little bit of planning to grabbing
a heavy, greasy something from a street vendor, and your stomach
will thank you.
So many traveller’s ailments stem from the sudden shift
from one type of food to another.
Here
are a few simple things to include in your proverbial basket:
-
Bread
– the above-mentioned crunchy buns, or a nice rosemary olive
bread, or a dark pumpernickel, something that won’t go stale
before the first stop (that lets out baguettes, which are not
well suited to a long journey)
-
Prosciutto
(the best Italian you can find), salami, black forest ham
or thinly sliced rare roast beef
-
Slices
of dill havarti, edam, whatever will
make a nice accompaniment to the sliced meats you have chosen
-
Spicy
provolone, or asiago, cut in large batonnets; any semi-hard cheese
will do, but choose something you don’t ordinarily have
at home
-
A
soft cheese, to be spread on vegetables, or added to the bread
(a flavoured cream cheese, herbed goat cheese are both good choices)
-
Hard
boiled eggs, cut in two.
-
Teriyaki
or spicy chicken wings – although a bit messy, kids love
them, and since they are unexpected, you will appreciate them
even more
-
Sliced
cucumber and red pepper
-
Celery
sticks (into which you can put either herbed goat cheese or, if
there are children around, peanut butter); carrots are good too,
but don’t support as many things spread on them.
-
Some
people bring along tubs of pre-made salads – the only proviso
here is that you have to add in spoons and bowls of some sort;
as well, if there is a dressing of some sort, things can get soggy
-
Seasonal
fruit – in summer, cherries and blueberries, in winter,
apples, cored, quartered and rubbed with lemon add a bit of zest
and prevent browning. Bananas are good if you can avoid bruising
and can dispose of the peel readily. Raspberries and blackberries
are wonderful, but only if you transport them in a plastic container
that will prevent them from getting squished.
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For
the end of the feast, chocolate is good on non-summer excursions
– Rittersport blocks seem to be ubiquitous and are easy
to share. For hotter travels, stick with fruit, and maybe a few
cookies – raisin oatmeal or coconut macaroons for variety.
A few hard candies or mints can round out the meal.
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Don’t
forget the condiments, which make the whole meal more like a moveable
feast rather than food on the fly:
-
Salt and Pepper (those little packets from cafeterias are perfect)
a small jar of mustard – a 20 gram glass jar will jazz up
whatever meats and cheeses you bring
if your meats include beef, bring along a bit of horseradish.
Mayonnaise has its hazards – in heat, it can break up and,
depending on the country, salmonella may be a factor – it’s
easier to avoid things that might disrupt your digestion
for short excursions, splurge on cloth napkins.
-
If
you’re away on a longer trip and laundry and space are issues,
the paper “dinner napkins” are thick and elegant enough
for your repast.
to clean up, a wet wash cloth in a Ziploc bag works wonders; if
space is at a premium, the moist towellettes that are handed out
on planes (and at Memphis-style barbeque restaurants) should be
carefully collected for when they are really useful.
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And
finally, make a note of what worked, so that you can refine your
feast on the next journey.
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