Question of the Day: Hit the road
With the summer driving season under way and Serious Eats overlord Ed Levine in Aspen, Colorado, I've been thinking about car food.
What do you pack for a day trip or a long trek cross country? Or do you prefer to stop at local joints along the way? Alternatively: What's the easiest food to eat while driving? (Not that we at Serious Eats condone DWEs, of course.)
My own answer: I typically pack a few sandwiches in a small cooler to be used as back-up rations if all I encounter is crap or if making good time supersedes stopping. I find White Castle (or Krystal Burger, in the South) to be great behind-the-wheel eats. They're so tiny that you can manage them easily -- but you have to drive with the windows down.
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11 Comments:
I'm a NYer so don't have a car. When I rent one to drive down the shore, it's a bagel with cream cheese. On longer trips, I take my chances with local, which has usually worked out well.
Barbara Hanson at 11:16AM on 06/15/07
I live in London and don't know how to drive, but one of the legendary stories in my family is about the time that my (New Yorker) mother was driving along and was so enraptured by the deliciousness of her Absolute chicken salad bagel that she caused a minor car accident.
My last car-based jaunt was with some friends in the Netherlands, and we stopped in little towns and had local food that was not, for the most part, very good. Still, the little towns with their hanging baskets and greasy bitterballen were the whole point of the excursion. I would much rather have that than a sandwich in the car.
caley at 12:37PM on 06/15/07
When we take a road trip, we always take our "Ozark Trail" soft-side cooler with us . . . loaded with a few bottles of water, beer, a couple of pastrami sandwiches, and perhaps some crudités.
Then, we can snack while searching for interesting places to eat, preferably "local" places.
When we fly (and then rent a car), we pack some extra clothes, a jacket, or whatever . . . into the cooler and check it with the rest of our luggage.
When we arrive at our destination, we have our trusty cooler that we carry in the rental vehicle . . . after filling it with some purchased ice (or stolen ice from the hotel's machine).
On the return trip, the cooler serves us well as a place to pack my wife's "souvenirs" for the flight back home.
DocChuck at 12:47PM on 06/15/07
Every road trip I take is a food adventure. Mind you I am in the south and most trips I take pretty much stay in the southern region. We stop at every gas station in the smallest cities to see what they have cooking. There is always a very interesting selection with some of the best food I've ever eaten. We some how even turned BBQ ribs into car food.
malenky at 3:09PM on 06/15/07
BBQ is not good car food. Too greasy. I bit into a sausage a few months ago and at least a tablespoon of grease fell on my shirt. Unpleasant.
SkinnyFatty at 3:50PM on 06/15/07
Last summer I drove from Kingston, NY to Columbus, Ohio, which took over ten hours but was the cheapest and the most convenient way to make the trip (Jet Blue was not yet flying to Columbus). I packed a series of bento boxes with cucumber, salmon roe,, shredded egg omelet, chopped scallion and other goodies and the most importqant thing was a bigcontainer of sushi rice mixed with toasted sesame seeds and broiled salmon skin. I also brough nori, soy sauce and wasabi mayonnaise. along the road I stopped to make hand rolls and munched them quietly. The food was satisfying and light.
annien at 6:38PM on 06/15/07
I live in Brooklyn and don't have a car. When I did have a car, or when I rent one, the only thing I look forward to getting for a long drive is a large black coffee, or a large iced coffee with cream and sugar. I don't drink coffee on a daily basis, so getting in a car for a long ride with a cup of coffee is a big treat for me.
K at 7:33PM on 06/15/07
I love to eat on the road. That's the great fun of car trips for me. I dislike eating meals or messy food in the car, but I'll always bring along coffee in the AM, iced tea or cold water in the PM, and snacks like fruit, pretzels, hard candy...
baboo at 9:53PM on 06/15/07
Caley, did you get some good spicy mustard to go with that bitterballen?
Cold pizza is the best snack and pack driving eats...take whatever name pizza leftovers from the night before (or a few nights before) chunk the box in the fridge, throw it in the car before leaving.
Already sliced, contains most food groups (depends on the pizza, but bread, dairy, vegetable, & protein), and usually if it was greasy...it isn't now, its solidified into the cheese! hahaha
Although its sometimes difficult for me, I like chalula hot sauce on it!
tyronebcookin at 10:23PM on 06/15/07
Good question....we just did a road trip to Florida (from coastal Oregon) and this week to northern Nevada and back for a few days. We carry Don Pancho corn chips (so very corny) and Red Hot Blues, apples, M&M's and cookies from Baking 101. We also carry a cooler with Starbucks Double Shots and Frappachinos, Schwepps tonic water and other plain bottled waters (with sport caps for giving the dogs drinks, plain caps for us). Lots of dog goodies for them.
We typically travel at night, so often don't find places open, but we have a natural flare for good road food and have rarely had bad meals on the road. Our big meal is in the morning then we can pick and choose snacky small meals later without "needing" them, great system.
I always review what isn't "moving" and eliminate said items.
dmzapp at 10:38PM on 06/15/07
I am by far more of a train person...in which case its always Haribo Gummy Bears, a huge bottle of water, and (it its going to be during a mealtime) a panini-type sandwich....basil, mozzarella, tomato, and maybe prosicutto.
Its really more of a smell thing...the worst thing in the world is to be sitting in an enclosed space with someone you dont know and have them pull out a tuna salad sandwich!!
Annmarie at 2:31PM on 06/17/07