Eating one's own food in cafe car

[haolerider]

I would strongly encourage anyone who is concerned about the nutritional value of the Amtrak meals and those who would like to see more healthy choices to use the following link to the Amtrak Culinary Advisory Team and make your feelings known.

I followed the link but didn't see any obvious way to contact the advisory team. Although the page heaps praise on these chefs it doesn't really explain what exactly they do for Amtrak when they're not busy with their post at the Ritz-Carlton or serving the King of Malaysia.

I know that although people in focus groups and on the boards/forums constantly ask for healthier choices, when they are put on the menu, people do not purchase them and they generally end up condemmend at the end of the trips. Many people talk about eating healthier, but when it comes to actual purchase they tend to gravitate to the traditional fare.

What sort of choices have they offered in the past?

Contact them through the Amtrak Corporate Offices in DC. Not all the members of the Advisory Team are individual restaurant owners. Many of them are Amtrak or Aramark employees. I believe they can also give you examples of what has been tried in the past and not been successful. I cannot give you the specific exxamples, I am simply quoting what they have told me, when I broached the subject.

 

[Ryan]

It's a handful of meals, unless you're living life on a train.

The occasional meal isn't going to turn you into an obese wildabeast overnight.

 

[jis]

It's a handful of meals, unless you're living life on a train.

The occasional meal isn't going to turn you into an obese wildabeast overnight.

Going cross country is way more than a handful of meals.

Do you speak from experience or are you just winging it?

The other problem beyond gaining weight is this minor matter of Cholesterol and Triglycerides too, which is actually a bigger concern than gaining a few pounds, since it has more immediate impact if you have or are at increased risk of Arteriosclerosis. I am happy that you apparently don't have these issues.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I cannot give you the specific exxamples, I am simply quoting what they have told me, when I broached the subject.

I see. My original comment was that I would like to see refrigerators and microwaves added so folks who don't like Amtrak's frozen food options could store and prepare their own food and I'm going to assume this is still the best option for most folks. Previously I thought it would be great to have something like a Subway counter on the train, but apparently that was already tried and didn't work out for reasons completely unrelated to consumer demand and customer satisfaction.

 

[Ryan]

It's a handful of meals, unless you're living life on a train.

The occasional meal isn't going to turn you into an obese wildabeast overnight.

Going cross country is way more than a handful of meals.

Do you speak from experience or are you just winging it?

The other problem beyond gaining weight is this minor matter of Cholesterol and Triglycerides too, which is actually a bigger concern than gaining a few pounds, since it has more immediate impact if you have or are at increased risk of Arteriosclerosis. I am happy that you apparently don't have these issues.

In the grand scheme of things, it's still a handful of meals unless you're crossing the country on a routine basis.

And yes, it took a great many meals (far more than I've ever eaten aboard a train) to achieve my somewhat rotund girth.

You do have a point about the Cholesterol and Triglycerides - is 3 or 4 meals in a row enough to cause issues with someone that ordinarily eats healthy?

 

[jis]

It's a handful of meals, unless you're living life on a train.

The occasional meal isn't going to turn you into an obese wildabeast overnight.

Going cross country is way more than a handful of meals.

Do you speak from experience or are you just winging it?

The other problem beyond gaining weight is this minor matter of Cholesterol and Triglycerides too, which is actually a bigger concern than gaining a few pounds, since it has more immediate impact if you have or are at increased risk of Arteriosclerosis. I am happy that you apparently don't have these issues.

In the grand scheme of things, it's still a handful of meals unless you're crossing the country on a routine basis.

And yes, it took a great many meals (far more than I've ever eaten aboard a train) to achieve my somewhat rotund girth.

You do have a point about the Cholesterol and Triglycerides - is 3 or 4 meals in a row enough to cause issues with someone that ordinarily eats healthy?

This is getting way off topic, but let us just say that for those in high risk group their goal levels are impossible to maintain just by healthy eating, and diet has phenomenal impact even with medication. Specially after you have had a CABG, you also tend to become rather overly cautious since few people in their right minds look forward to a second one

 

[zephyr17]

It's a handful of meals, unless you're living life on a train.

The occasional meal isn't going to turn you into an obese wildabeast overnight.

Going cross country is way more than a handful of meals.

Do you speak from experience or are you just winging it?

The other problem beyond gaining weight is this minor matter of Cholesterol and Triglycerides too, which is actually a bigger concern than gaining a few pounds, since it has more immediate impact if you have or are at increased risk of Arteriosclerosis. I am happy that you apparently don't have these issues.

In the grand scheme of things, it's still a handful of meals unless you're crossing the country on a routine basis.

And yes, it took a great many meals (far more than I've ever eaten aboard a train) to achieve my somewhat rotund girth.

You do have a point about the Cholesterol and Triglycerides - is 3 or 4 meals in a row enough to cause issues with someone that ordinarily eats healthy?

Especially considering that your body produces most lipids in your system according to its own whims. Your lipid levels are at most only about maybe 20% from the food you eat. 80% or more is from Mom and Dad.

I am living proof of that. I am losing weight now, but historically have been quite overweight and don't watch my diet particularly diligently (and love a good steak). And my lipid levels have always been very, very good (and I am in my mid-50s).

 

[jis]

It should be noted that I am not suggesting that Amtrak provide the right kind of food to me necessarily, though any self respecting airline which runs service for equal lengths of time as some Amtrak trains, actually will provide special order meals Low Sodium, Low Cholesterol, Kosher, Hindu, Vegetarian etc.). All that I am hoping for is that there are more food establishments near large stations that gives some more choice to those few of us that need or prefer such, like one has at most large airports.

Actually the type and quality of food provided should be evaluated in the context of the temporal length of the journey, and class of travel, IMHO. In that sense for an apples to apples comparison Amtrak First Class/Sleeper food needs to be compared with airline First Class food on very long domestic flight (e.g. East Coast to Hawaii non-stop), or international flights. And once you do that the airlines I believe actually provide better food, and as I said they will provide special order items too, and that too even in economy class (on flights of such length that food is complementary in Economy).

Ironically, Amtrak and airlines domestic service is now pretty much at par in terms of what food is provided complementary and what is available for purchase. Well actually airlines are a bit better since non-alcoholic beverage is still provided complementary on most airline domestic flights in Economy and that too not out of special tiny cans. Basically food available for purchase in Economy and complementary in First Class. Amtrak has better choices in the Cafe than the box meals sold on board planes in Economy Class, but food up front is actually quite good and at least on the few airlines that I fly is more professionally presented than in Amtrak Diners. OTOH Acela First Class food is way better than anything provided on corridor First Class on airlines on those short flights, though they could splurge and actually get normal sized plates for dinner instead of trying to cram the entire lot on what appears to be a overgrown saucer.

Personally, when I am traveling domestic leg by air, I purchase food of my choice at the originating airport for the entire flight and that works out much better than anything available on the plane. As I said on Amtrak it is 50/50, I partake some on board food and bring along quite a bit to consume from shore establishments. What I particularly miss in Amtrak cafes is healthy sandwiches with fresh condiments. That's just the way it works for me. On international flights I just order special meals and they are actually way better than the standard meal in Economy, because they are prepared in the premium section of the kitchen, at least in case of CO/UA. Now on really out on the limb good airlines like Singapore, in J or above class when you book your flight you can order meals a-la carte from a menu with vast choices and the right meal will be provided to you on flight. The meal ordering you can do until 48 hours before flight departure, which is an absolutely amazing level of service.

Just my $0.02....

 

[had8ley]

but food up front is actually quite good and at least on the few airlines that I fly is more professionally presented than in Amtrak Diners.

Just my $0.02....

Can I add a penny's worth ??? I agree with Jis' statement pretty much in total...I honestly think management has let service go down the tubes and it ain't going to get any better. Any steward that would let half the juking and jiving that goes on in the diner both before and after meals hours (and sometimes during) would be on the streets and black balled from RR'ing pre-Amtrak. I have to also agree with the poster who said he felt "trapped." I see this often as the OBS crew knows you are captive until the final destination. I ignore this nonsense~it's a game with brainless origins; some people can't and some people chose not to admit that it takes place; mostly management that is suppose to be monitoring same. This ain't moaning, bickering or bawling (management's way of pushing aside any negative comments that might effect their jobs)it's A TOTAL REALITY CHECK !!!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Any self respecting airline which runs service for equal lengths of time as some Amtrak trains, actually will provide special order meals Low Sodium, Low Cholesterol, Kosher, Hindu, Vegetarian etc.

From what I've read some domestic airlines are quietly cutting back on the special meals they will cater, so this may not be true for long, even for international flights.

What I particularly miss in Amtrak cafes is healthy sandwiches with fresh condiments.

I agree 100%. I don't demand perfection, but some sort of acknowledgment that not everyone wants to dine from the salty and sugary frozen meats section. Subway is moderately healthy compared to many domestic chains and last I heard they have more locations than McDonald's. So apparently fresher and healthier foods do in fact sell. If Aramark can't handle something as basic as a Subway sandwich then maybe Amtrak needs to select a new contractor.

On international flights I just order special meals and they are actually way better than the standard meal in Economy, because they are prepared in the premium section of the kitchen, at least in case of CO/UA.

Which type of special meal do you normally request and how does it differ from the standard meal?

Now on really out on the limb good airlines like Singapore, in J or above class when you book your flight you can order meals a-la carte from a menu with vast choices and the right meal will be provided to you on flight. The meal ordering you can do until 48 hours before flight departure, which is an absolutely amazing level of service.

Just imagine if Amtrak provided that kind of service. Even I would be singing their praises. Of course the folks who fly Singapore Airlines are expecting great food and great service. If Amtrak replaced all their generic pantry foods with fresh and fancy meals there might be a mutiny on-board. :lol:

 

[amamba]

It's a handful of meals, unless you're living life on a train.

The occasional meal isn't going to turn you into an obese wildabeast overnight.

Going cross country is way more than a handful of meals.

I felt pretty gross after eating straight amtrak food on my cross country trip in March. Admittedly, I also ate dessert every night which didn't help, but I didn't even find the sodium laced food to be tasty. I thought the burger was terrible (tough, dry, overcooked), my steak was way overcooked (and also tough and dry and with a huge piece of fat on it), and everything tasted like an entire salt shaker had been dumped in it. The mashed potatoes were particularly egregious - do they come from powder or a box?

I don't necessarily expect gourmet food on the train, but I found the limited options in the PPC on the CS to be a huge step up from the standard fare served in the dining car. Additionally, every meal I have had on acela FC has been much better than the dining car. I just don't understand why meals that are comparable to acela FC or the PPC on the CS can't be offered in the normal dining car?

And would it be too much to ask for romaine or an actual green/leafy type lettuce instead of iceberg in the salads?

 

[user 1215]

I have seen families eating their own picnic upstairs, and wondered if they were just getting away with it, or if it is not actually against the rules.

I was in the SSL once when a family brought in pizza which was definitely NOT from the snack bar. This was during a layover in San Antonio, as there wouldn't have been time anywhere else. No one said anything about it. I'm sure they would have shared if I'd asked for a piece, but we had just eaten in the dining car.

Sorry - that sounds sort of weird. Shouldn't matter if you buy your food in the cafe, diner, or 7-11. Why would you ask if they would share it? Just because they are in the cafe car? Would you sit next to someone in the diner and ask for a bite of their steak? Or perhaps ask for half of someone's brown bag peanut butter and jelly in coach?

 

[jis]

Any self respecting airline which runs service for equal lengths of time as some Amtrak trains, actually will provide special order meals Low Sodium, Low Cholesterol, Kosher, Hindu, Vegetarian etc.

From what I've read some domestic airlines are quietly cutting back on the special meals they will cater, so this may not be true for long, even for international flights.

I don't know about all airlines, but the ones I travel on do special meals on flights where they serve any complementary meal. Of course mostly they don't serve any complementary meal at all in Economy. And surprisingly at least on CO/UA what they serve in First already has a rather healthy set of choices, so even if they did cut special meals I would not really miss them that much.

Contrary to popular myth in the US, the food on trans-oceanic international flights have neither been demoted nor are they under any threat. The airlines will simply be out of business, since there are many other airlines very happy to pick disgruntled passengers up. And in these days of open skies it is relatively simple for airlines to enter these markets irrespective of their country of ownership. I surmise that airlines like Emirates will eat US carriers proverbial lunches if they try such stunts. Considering that for many US carriers, the only profit that they make are on their international routes, I doubt they will be as stupid as that. But of course one never knows. So I think if you are expecting reasonably good food service to disappear from international flights at least on major routes with significant competition, you may be sorely disappointed.

On international flights I just order special meals and they are actually way better than the standard meal in Economy, because they are prepared in the premium section of the kitchen, at least in case of CO/UA.

Which type of special meal do you normally request and how does it differ from the standard meal?

Usually Seafood or low Cholesterol/Low Cal.

Now on really out on the limb good airlines like Singapore, in J or above class when you book your flight you can order meals a-la carte from a menu with vast choices and the right meal will be provided to you on flight. The meal ordering you can do until 48 hours before flight departure, which is an absolutely amazing level of service.

Just imagine if Amtrak provided that kind of service. Even I would be singing their praises. Of course the folks who fly Singapore Airlines are expecting great food and great service. If Amtrak replaced all their generic pantry foods with fresh and fancy meals there might be a mutiny on-board. :lol:

Singapore is way out on a limb on that one. Emirates is another one that appears to go the distance, though their Economy service is relatively not that good when compared to Singapore.

 

[AlanB]

It should be noted that I am not suggesting that Amtrak provide the right kind of food to me necessarily, though any self respecting airline which runs service for equal lengths of time as some Amtrak trains, actually will provide special order meals Low Sodium, Low Cholesterol, Kosher, Hindu, Vegetarian etc.).

Amtrak does provide for some of your list, namely Kosher, Vegetarian, and even Vegan.

They don't at present provide low sodium & low cholesterol, nor Hindu.

 

[Peter KG6LSE]

Back to the OPs' topic . I Have in the past ordered Pizza for the train in ABQ NM station( on the SWC) . Ill call 10 Miles out and Volla I have pizza and I leave a good tip .....I gave some to the LSA .. He was SO happy .

The other Pax were like * grrrrr Lucky kid * .

It was fun to do it once .. .

I have Never had a bad meal on the train .. BUT Remember I am 24 going on 25 and in College .

So " poo on a platter " with enough catchup will do for me just fine . :blink:

I don't do nuts So the airline nuts and stuff bag is a insult to me .... so is the Mini-Me sized soda . :help:

Peter

 

[Green Maned Lion]

+1. I agree completely with PRR. If you are on a 1500 cal / day diet, traveling on Amtrak LD trains is nothing but a major chore as far as food goes. I truly wish that there were more stations with establishments like Subway close by. I would most likely avoid my free/complementary food and go and get stuff from external establishments if I could.

Anyone on a 1500 calorie diet should be eating it inside a mental institution.

 

[Bob Dylan]

+1. I agree completely with PRR. If you are on a 1500 cal / day diet, traveling on Amtrak LD trains is nothing but a major chore as far as food goes. I truly wish that there were more stations with establishments like Subway close by. I would most likely avoid my free/complementary food and go and get stuff from external establishments if I could.

Anyone on a 1500 calorie diet should be eating it inside a mental institution.

Or else is Grossly Overweight like MOST Americans! :excl: Were the biggest Hogs in the World!!!

(Richest and Plenty of Good, Healthy Food Available but most people choose to eat Crap and Feed it to their kids! No apologies for Amtrak, their menus suck too!!!) :help:

 

[jis]

I have never actually tried a takeout delivery on a train yet. Quit workable in places like Denver or Albuquerque I suppose. May be more difficult at shorter stops.

But then as PRR pointed out, Albuquerque has a nice Subway next door, which I have used in the past. I have picked up food at Philly while on a Keystone, which of course has no food service of its own. I have also picked up food at Washington Union Station while traveling on Silvers and on the Lynchburg and Richmond Regionals, and at Albany while on the LSL, specially heading eastbound.

Actually as I have said before, I don't mind being charged a little extra for complementary Diner service since it helps keep Diner Service alive. I did applaud the effort when this was introeduced by Amtrak and still stand by it. Of course that does not necessarily imply that I will always partake of it.

 

[amamba]

+1. I agree completely with PRR. If you are on a 1500 cal / day diet, traveling on Amtrak LD trains is nothing but a major chore as far as food goes. I truly wish that there were more stations with establishments like Subway close by. I would most likely avoid my free/complementary food and go and get stuff from external establishments if I could.

Anyone on a 1500 calorie diet should be eating it inside a mental institution.

I am not following your logic here.

 

[jis]

+1. I agree completely with PRR. If you are on a 1500 cal / day diet, traveling on Amtrak LD trains is nothing but a major chore as far as food goes. I truly wish that there were more stations with establishments like Subway close by. I would most likely avoid my free/complementary food and go and get stuff from external establishments if I could.

Anyone on a 1500 calorie diet should be eating it inside a mental institution.

I am not following your logic here.

You won't be disappointed if you were to stop looking for any

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Anyone on a 1500 calorie diet should be eating it inside a mental institution.

I am not following your logic here.

I think what GML is trying to say is that he's on a 1500 calorie diet.

 

[Ryan]

Well played - I didn't know that they let the residents have internets access.

 

[leemell]

I have seen families eating their own picnic upstairs, and wondered if they were just getting away with it, or if it is not actually against the rules.

I was in the SSL once when a family brought in pizza which was definitely NOT from the snack bar. This was during a layover in San Antonio, as there wouldn't have been time anywhere else. No one said anything about it. I'm sure they would have shared if I'd asked for a piece, but we had just eaten in the dining car.

Lasr October after boarding SL in San Antonio, I saw a Pizza delivery guy show up with about four pizzas that members of the OBS brought aboard for themselves. Seemed to be an everyday occurrence.....or being that it is the SL a three day a week occurrence.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

+1. I agree completely with PRR. If you are on a 1500 cal / day diet, traveling on Amtrak LD trains is nothing but a major chore as far as food goes. I truly wish that there were more stations with establishments like Subway close by. I would most likely avoid my free/complementary food and go and get stuff from external establishments if I could.

Anyone on a 1500 calorie diet should be eating it inside a mental institution.

Or else is Grossly Overweight like MOST Americans! :excl: Were the biggest Hogs in the World!!!

(Richest and Plenty of Good, Healthy Food Available but most people choose to eat Crap and Feed it to their kids! No apologies for Amtrak, their menus suck too!!!) :help:

If you are on a 1500 calorie diet because you are so small as to have that meet your needs, I will stand corrected. Otherwise, doing so is stupid. If you are in a category where losing weight is a beneficial concept, eating a diet that size is stupid. It is too small for a human to reasonably function. Any attempt to rapidly diet or rapidly lose weight, or really, rapidly change anything in your body that is not, in fact, pressingly and life threateningly an illness, is a generally bad idea.

I do not suggest that dieting is a bad idea. I'm overweight and diabetic and in the process of losing considerable amounts of weight primarily to make it easier to control my blood sugar. Losing weight and eating in a healthy manner is not the same thing, and rapidly losing weight and eating in a healthy manner is mutually exclusive.

Now, granting that Jishnu is of Indian ancestry and, from what I can determine, Indians are smaller people physically, perhaps I am somewhat misguided in making my statement in reference to him- and no offense intended, Jishnu. However, in researching how to work on my condition (recently diagnosed) I arrived at several important conclusions, one of which is as much as I hate the fly and crash that inherently happens in a 300lb diabetic, it would be dangerous for me to rapidly decrease my weight.

I find the American paradigm of dieting by restricting purely amounts, or by excluding only certain item types from the diet, or by essentially self starvation, to be the dumbest thing imaginable, Tea Party members excluded. Dieting is done carefully, over a long period of time, and watching out for things during the rare occasions that one does things like long distance travel, is pure silliness. Dieting is best done in the controllable environment of ones own kitchen.

By the way, Dr. Mukerji, I resent your assumption that my conclusion was illogical. Sometimes I wonder if your arrogance has any bounds. See you in New Haven.

 

[jis]

... some material elided for the sake of brevity ...

Now, granting that Jishnu is of Indian ancestry and, from what I can determine, Indians are smaller people physically, perhaps I am somewhat misguided in making my statement in reference to him- and no offense intended, Jishnu. However, in researching how to work on my condition (recently diagnosed) I arrived at several important conclusions, one of which is as much as I hate the fly and crash that inherently happens in a 300lb diabetic, it would be dangerous for me to rapidly decrease my weight.

.... Some more material elided for the sake of brevity ....

By the way, Dr. Mukerji, I resent your assumption that my conclusion was illogical. Sometimes I wonder if your arrogance has any bounds. See you in New Haven.

There was no assumption involved. By your own admission as excerpted above, you made a borderline ignorant/illogical statement out of the blue, without having any idea what my weight is, which was the context of my statement. Furthermore, by your own admission upon reflection your statement, while may be true for your specific case (i.e. if you attempted to go on a 1500Cal diet), but is clearly not logical in the general case. And yet then you resent it because you got indirectly called on it? :unsure:

If you must pass caustic remarks placing others notionally in mental institution you should probably expect a minor joke or two cracked about it, as happened not just by me, but by others too. If you can't handle it then stop passing caustic remarks, and things will just be fine. Peace! :hi: