what are some prepared foods to take on Amtrak LD trip?

[BCL]

I recommend durian fruit. They have a tough exterior so they don't get bruised easily, and the fruit is a delicious almost caramel whipped cream flavor. Your neighbors will probably want to share.

Right. It's illegal to transport durian on the Singapore metro because it smells like rotting meat. Tastes wonderful but smells dreadful.

I heard that it's not quite true that it's illegal. There's no actual law or regulation on it, but they simply put up signs as a deterrent against what could become an issue and then take action if someone tries to consume it or it somehow gets damaged and emits the typical odor.

Of course on Amtrak, conductors have a wide latitude to eject anyone who does something objectionable.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I recommend durian fruit. They have a tough exterior so they don't get bruised easily, and the fruit is a delicious almost caramel whipped cream flavor. Your neighbors will probably want to share.

Right. It's illegal to transport durian on the Singapore metro because it smells like rotting meat. Tastes wonderful but smells dreadful.

I heard that it's not quite true that it's illegal. There's no actual law or regulation on it, but they simply put up signs as a deterrent against what could become an issue and then take action if someone tries to consume it or it somehow gets damaged and emits the typical odor. Of course on Amtrak, conductors have a wide latitude to eject anyone who does something objectionable.

It's probably a civil matter rather than a criminal matter but still inadvisable. At the moment of opening a durian will emit little more than a sweet fruity smell. About five minutes later it will start an unstoppable progression from fresh asphalt with a five foot radius to fresh excrement with a fifty foot radius. Although most Americans will have no idea what a durian is they will absolutely notice it and will not be calm or indifferent about an odor that falls somewhere between pungent petrol to rotting death.

 

[cpotisch]

I recommend durian fruit. They have a tough exterior so they don't get bruised easily, and the fruit is a delicious almost caramel whipped cream flavor. Your neighbors will probably want to share.

Right. It's illegal to transport durian on the Singapore metro because it smells like rotting meat. Tastes wonderful but smells dreadful.

I heard that it's not quite true that it's illegal. There's no actual law or regulation on it, but they simply put up signs as a deterrent against what could become an issue and then take action if someone tries to consume it or it somehow gets damaged and emits the typical odor. Of course on Amtrak, conductors have a wide latitude to eject anyone who does something objectionable.

It's probably a civil matter rather than a criminal matter but still inadvisable. At the moment of opening a durian will emit little more than a sweet fruity smell. About five minutes later it will start an unstoppable progression from fresh asphalt with a five foot radius to fresh excrement with a fifty foot radius. Although most Americans will have no idea what a durian is they will absolutely notice it and will not be calm or indifferent about an odor that falls somewhere between pungent petrol to rotting death.

Agreed. Also bear in mind that Singapore police are notoriously harsh about this kind of stuff. Gum is illegal there and if you sell it there's a $100,000 fine and up to 2 years in prison. And if memory serves the policeman carry canes for people who break even minor laws. So it's probably best not to try your luck with a durian in Singapore.

 

[Skyline]

An increasing number of long distance hikers/backpackers are leaving the lightweight camp stove at home and "eating cold" on the trail...especially during warmer weather. There is virtually no opportunity to refrigerate or microwave anything in the woods so the items they carry have to be lightweight, stand up to summer temps, be nutritious (backpackers strive for 2,000 calories per day that aren't empty calories!) and be easy to prepare --often requiring only water and whatever they carry with them.

Just google "backpacking foods you can eat cold" for more ideas than you hoped for. It's become a mini-industry. Many of these ideas could easily be adapted for train travel.

Gets boring awfully quickly though. I found that having one hot meal a day felt really good, even if it was just something simple like mac and cheese. I also wanted coffee or tea in the morning. But on a train that's easily done in the dining car or at the cafe.

Also - hiking for 10+ miles a day will tend to require more than 2000 calories a day, which isn't going to be the case on a train. I've heard 3000-4000 is typical depending on the person's size.

Still - there are simple, compact foods that can be pretty satisfying and many don't require refrigeration. I remember packing sealed salami slices that didn't require refrigeration until opened. And even then they (with nitrates as preservatives) could last a day without refrigeration once opened.

As someone who did some incredibly bare bones camping for several days at camp a few weeks ago, I strongly agree. Living in cold camping food for days on end, when you don't really need to, is going to be misery.

I agree. I've backpacked the entire Appalachian Trail and have amassed over 10,500 miles in the past quarter century on all kinds of trails -- mostly in the East. I rarely ate cold for dinner, tho I often did for breakfast, lunch, snacks. More a time management thing than a preference; at the end of a day you usually have the luxury of time to cook during or after other camp chores but the rest of the day you are focusing on getting in big miles (once you have your trail legs from 15 to 25 miles per day). And while a doctor would tell you to consume more than 2,000 calories a day on a long-distance hike, it is difficult to carry that much weight when you're carrying more than two or three days worth of food. So most hikers on trails like the AT shoot for 2,000 (not always achieved) and make up for it every time they go into a nearby town (typically every five to seven days) to resupply. AYCE buffets lose a lot of $$$ on hikers!!!

However, there are an increasing number of LD hikers who are purposely going cold for all meals, especially in warmer weather. They will tell you they get used to it (no doubt it DOES save weight and time) but I agree it's a recipe for misery for more than a few days. Sometimes the necessity to go cold is due to malfunctioning stoves or miserable weather, and can't be helped. That Ramen noodle dinner, cold and crunchy, is indeed miserable!

My point was and is: Research what backpackers who go all-out cold are doing. There may be some excellent options there you may not have thought of that could be applied to train travel. And it is not ALL misery.

 

[BCL]

However, there are an increasing number of LD hikers who are purposely going cold for all meals, especially in warmer weather. They will tell you they get used to it (no doubt it DOES save weight and time) but I agree it's a recipe for misery for more than a few days. Sometimes the necessity to go cold is due to malfunctioning stoves or miserable weather, and can't be helped. That Ramen noodle dinner, cold and crunchy, is indeed miserable!

Yeah - I get it. I never really understood the people who are looking to shave so much weight that they'll pack titanium spoons with holes drilled in them. And a titanium stove that shaves off 20 grams vs a steel one? I like areas where bear canisters are the requirement, so light weight but high volume foods like instant ramen noodles aren't recommended. Tortillas are recommended. And even then, such foods are more flavorful with a little bit of heat applied. Just toss a tortilla in pot for a few seconds and it becomes more interesting than a cold one.

But yeah - the hiking/backpacking experience includes a lot of different foods. I could subsist off of Clif Bars and dried salami for days, but why do it? Certainly on a long distance train there should be access to hot meals.

 

[Ziv]

I was on a night bus in Malaysia when someone cut open a durian fruit. It took 20 or 30 minutes to get up to full fragrance. The husband and wife who opened it tried to hide it but they were ejected onto the side of a highway as soon as the other passengers figured out who had done it.

Not pleasant in an enclosed area.

Delicious street food though.

I recommend durian fruit. They have a tough exterior so they don't get bruised easily, and the fruit is a delicious almost caramel whipped cream flavor. Your neighbors will probably want to share.

Right. It's illegal to transport durian on the Singapore metro because it smells like rotting meat. Tastes wonderful but smells dreadful.

I heard that it's not quite true that it's illegal. There's no actual law or regulation on it, but they simply put up signs as a deterrent against what could become an issue and then take action if someone tries to consume it or it somehow gets damaged and emits the typical odor. Of course on Amtrak, conductors have a wide latitude to eject anyone who does something objectionable.

It's probably a civil matter rather than a criminal matter but still inadvisable. At the moment of opening a durian will emit little more than a sweet fruity smell. About five minutes later it will start an unstoppable progression from fresh asphalt with a five foot radius to fresh excrement with a fifty foot radius. Although most Americans will have no idea what a durian is they will absolutely notice it and will not be calm or indifferent about an odor that falls somewhere between pungent petrol to rotting death.

Agreed. Also bear in mind that Singapore police are notoriously harsh about this kind of stuff. Gum is illegal there and if you sell it there's a $100,000 fine and up to 2 years in prison. And if memory serves the policeman carry canes for people who break even minor laws. So it's probably best not to try your luck with a durian in Singapore.

 

[BCL]

If you go the small cooler route, bring along a few good ziploc bags to hold some crushed or cubed ice for day 2/3. The sealed type packs you start with are probably good for the first day depending on temperature and cooler quality but having the ability to add some ice without getting things too wet is handy.

My favorite was a collapsible soft-sided cooler that claimed to have a soft, leak proof liner. But every once in a while I'd see it start soaking through the corner. I would find a tiny little fatigue crack in the corner, but I could dry it out and use adhesive patches like the kind used for air mattresses or bicycle tubes.

But a hard-sided compact cooler shouldn't have any problems with leaking. The key would be to place anything that can't get too wet in plastic bags.

 

[RichieRich]

Holds us over til we board.

 

[caravanman]

I think it is all a matter of what you like to eat. I assume that most folk will not be on one train for more than 3 days and two nights, so no need to go over the top about long life camping foods, methinks.

Tinned tuna, etc is an easy option, as well as tinned chilli, eat cold from the tin. Hot water from the cafe car with porridge sachets. Apples and oranges, Cheese in a tube. Hard boiled eggs. Nuts and dried fruit. Biscuits and chocolate, etc, plus a few discrete cans of beer...

If you pack with even a modicum of care you can carry quite fragile foodstuffs such as chips, etc too.

Keep in mind that food is not going to self destruct 10 minutes after you board, so pre-packed deli salads, etc work well for the first day of travel.

It may not be gourmet dining, and you can put put stuff out on a plate rather than eating from tins if you want to be posh.

Bon appetite!

Ed.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I think it is all a matter of what you like to eat.

Tuna and chili aren't nearly as bad as ripe durian but they're still rather pungent to those of us with a strong sense of smell. I'll sometimes bring a Subway sandwich on board but I'll leave the dressing and onions off for the sake of others. Fresh veggies, hard cheeses, and dry meats don't have much of an odor. People bringing whatever they happen to enjoy eating is great for them but maybe not so great for their neighbors.

 

[Alexandria Nick]

They don't advertise it much, but McDonald's, at least here in Minnesota, sells ice pretty cheaply. It was $1.19 or $1.29 for an 8 lb. bag of ice; half the price of that size bag at a convenience store. Most convenience stores will also sell a cup of ice from the fountain machine, typically for 25-50 cents. I don't know if fast food places will sell a cup of ice specifically, but there's always the option of buying a cup of pop and filling it with ice.

They're pretty hit or miss about it though. I've only had about a 30% success rate on buying ice from the McDonald's around the corner from me. Curiously, it is also the only one I've ever seen actually advertise that they sell ice.

 

[Manny T]

Doesn't anyone eat sardines from a tin anymore? Or is the potential odor a deterrent on board?

Actually there is a restaurant in NYC that doesn't have a full kitchen and only serves items out of cans, Maiden Lane. The menu includes sardines, anchovies, octopus, mussels, scallops, squid, tuna, oysters, clams and cockles, all from tins. I guess any or all of these could be taken aboard and eaten on an Amtrak LD trip.

 

[Skyline]

However, there are an increasing number of LD hikers who are purposely going cold for all meals, especially in warmer weather. They will tell you they get used to it (no doubt it DOES save weight and time) but I agree it's a recipe for misery for more than a few days. Sometimes the necessity to go cold is due to malfunctioning stoves or miserable weather, and can't be helped. That Ramen noodle dinner, cold and crunchy, is indeed miserable!

Yeah - I get it. I never really understood the people who are looking to shave so much weight that they'll pack titanium spoons with holes drilled in them. And a titanium stove that shaves off 20 grams vs a steel one? I like areas where bear canisters are the requirement, so light weight but high volume foods like instant ramen noodles aren't recommended. Tortillas are recommended. And even then, such foods are more flavorful with a little bit of heat applied. Just toss a tortilla in pot for a few seconds and it becomes more interesting than a cold one.

But yeah - the hiking/backpacking experience includes a lot of different foods. I could subsist off of Clif Bars and dried salami for days, but why do it? Certainly on a long distance train there should be access to hot meals.

I think we must have some mutual friends. You probably know the guy who cuts his toothbrush in half, right?

My experience with cold foods on backpacking treks is mostly limited to breakfast and lunch. With a little imagination and experimentation, you can come up with some delicious stuff that's lightweight and not too bulky.

The trick is to bring a few quart size ziploc bags for storage, rehydrating and mixing, a small bowl to eat from, a spork, and a hand held water container. I like to dehydrate beans and veggies at home. They become great mix-ins for hot meals, but also ingredients for delicious cold salad once rehydrated. Example: corn, roasted red pepper, black beans, a little rice or couscous, and tuna or chicken from a 3-oz. foil pack that you season well to your taste is delicious and filling! I could totally see doing this on a train if you started rehydration well enough in advance of pulling it all together in a few minutes at a table in a lounge car or even a fold-down tray in a coach. Some pax would be curious, some might be annoyed, and others would be envious. You'd be eating good!

I agree hot foods and a proper diner should be available on trains, but the BYO cold foods thing could work well for those on a budget, special dietary needs, etc.

 

[caravanman]

While some foods are not odour free, that is the case in the dining car too, so I would not worry about the short time it takes to consume a slightly pungent meal. One can always refrain from wearing a strong after-shave to compensate for eating strong smelling foods.

I am a little confused by the dehydrated food argument... It is dehydrated to save space and weight, but you carry an equivilent weight of water to re-hydrate it, or add the water again before leaving home, which seems to defeat the whole purpose... What am I missing here?

I think the "spoon with holes in it" also needs a re-think.

Ed.

 

[cpotisch]

Doesn't anyone eat sardines from a tin anymore? Or is the potential odor a deterrent on board?

Actually there is a restaurant in NYC that doesn't have a full kitchen and only serves items out of cans, Maiden Lane. The menu includes sardines, anchovies, octopus, mussels, scallops, squid, tuna, oysters, clams and cockles, all from tins. I guess any or all of these could be taken aboard and eaten on an Amtrak LD trip.

I'll eat smoked sardines from a tin at home, but I think common courtesy dictates that you don't do that on the train, IMHO.

 

[Ryan]

I am a little confused by the dehydrated food argument... It is dehydrated to save space and weight, but you carry an equivilent weight of water to re-hydrate it, or add the water again before leaving home, which seems to defeat the whole purpose... What am I missing here?

You carry the dehydrated food and a water purification device with you. This allows you to restock with water along the trail for cooking and drinking so you don’t have to carry the full weight of the water with you for the journey.

 

[Don Newcomb]

Doesn't anyone eat sardines from a tin anymore? Or is the potential odor a deterrent on board?

We once brought pickled herring to a pot luck. Not a big hit. I'd think that anything that was packed in liquid, particularly an oily, pungent liquid would not be a good choice on a train.

 

[Ziv]

My Aunt used to make her own pickled herring, just delicious! Not sure what the fish were, really, since I don't think there are any herring in Fort Peck Reservoir on the Missouri River. But it was a Norwegian recipe that translated really well. Wouldn't want to carry all the liquid on a train trip, but I would have thought it would be a hit at a pot luck dinner.

Doesn't anyone eat sardines from a tin anymore? Or is the potential odor a deterrent on board?

We once brought pickled herring to a pot luck. Not a big hit. I'd think that anything that was packed in liquid, particularly an oily, pungent liquid would not be a good choice on a train.

 

[railiner]

I think the "spoon with holes in it" also needs a re-think.

Ed.

In the handle?

 

[Don Newcomb]

.... but I would have thought it would be a hit at a pot luck dinner.

Not a lot of Norwegians in the Florida panhandle.

 

[Skyline]

While some foods are not odour free, that is the case in the dining car too, so I would not worry about the short time it takes to consume a slightly pungent meal. One can always refrain from wearing a strong after-shave to compensate for eating strong smelling foods.

I am a little confused by the dehydrated food argument... It is dehydrated to save space and weight, but you carry an equivilent weight of water to re-hydrate it, or add the water again before leaving home, which seems to defeat the whole purpose... What am I missing here?

I think the "spoon with holes in it" also needs a re-think.

Ed.

Regarding backpacking...

While you do carry water all day while hiking for drinking, generally you set up camp not too far from a water source whenever possible. So you obtain and filter / purify water there instead of carrying it. You obtain enough water for dinner, breakfast, staying hydrated in camp, and to have enough water to get you to the next water source the next day (guidebooks or online descriptions usually list water sources on or near trails so you know what's coming up and major trails now have a cell phone app with advisories posted in real time by other hikers if a source has dried up. I try to go device-free so not sure how well this works).

Typically I try not to carry more than two liters of water at any time as it's heavy (about 2 lbs. per liter). In a long dry stretch you need to carry more.

Water shouldn't be an issue on trains, tho I'd feel better about bottled water than what is carried in tanks on board. That's just me probably...

As for the "spoon with holes in it," I'm not sure what you're referring to. A did reference a "spork," however. That's a hybrid spoon and fork. Serves purpose of both, saves weight of carrying two utensils. No holes.

 

[caravanman]

The spoon with holes in is mentioned in post #30, but don't worry, my reference was just a joke, I get that the handles are drilled, not the part you eat soup with.

I am sure that you guys know best what works well for being out in the wilds, backpacking, just thought dried food a bit too serious for a train ride.

I do carry my electric kettle all over the world with me, can't do without a nice brew of tea, not much use on the trail, admittedly!

Ed.

 

[PerRock]

Decent breakfasts can be made wit granola or cereal, just add powdered milk to the dry cereal before you leave (or bring a bag of it); once on board, just add water! Things like muffins bagels last quite a while & work well too.

peter

 

[cpotisch]

As for the "spoon with holes in it," I'm not sure what you're referring to. A did reference a "spork," however. That's a hybrid spoon and fork. Serves purpose of both, saves weight of carrying two utensils. No holes.

Quick note about sporks: they suck. A spork makes for a terrible spoon and an unusable fork. Just saying, a spork is basically the Cross Country Cafe of utensils.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I've packed the following long-life temperature insensitive snacks with strong flavors and little if any odor...