Have you ever been snowed in and what did you eat?
I was afraid that yesterday would be the third time in my life I was snowed in--however, I dug out by afternoon and hopefully will have time to frolic today! Of course, I stopped at the grocery store ;)
However, I have been snowed in--and when I say snowed in I mean GENUINELY snowed in, as in roads impenetrable--twice. I used to debate in college, and in the infinite wisdom of college students, overnight debate tournaments were scheduled in upper MA colleges during the second (coldest) semester.
I got snowed in at Wellsley college. A girl from the host team put my schools debate team for the night. She only had vodka and herbal tea in her room. We made some peanut butter sandwiches from the dining hall, which was cleaned out and serving no hot food because the school was closing up for 'spring' break. I had an argument with her that my addiction to coffee was not psychological, and decaf tea would not suffice. Also, I do not drink vodka. That sucked.
At Amherst, the entire college was coated in an inch of ice. Literally. At least the debate team served good (non herbally infused, incidentally) brownies and we slid to get crappy Chinese food and Subway.
So, have you ever been snowed in (and I don't mean a few hours delay in getting to the store snowed in) for an extended period of time--what did you eat, was it good, and what did you miss?
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27 Comments:
Not really snowed in (is that really possible?...I could see iced in..), but our traditional snowstorm meal is fondue next to the fireplace.
derosa at 7:23AM on 03/03/09
back in 1978 RI we had a HUGE snowstorm and the roads were closed to all but emergency traffic for almost a week. We made a huge vat of beef stew and my mom and I made a batch of fresh bread.
In 1993 in Alabama we didnt get snowed in, but we did have 2 consecutive ice storms that stopped everything for about a week each, My exhusband's work was canceled for a week, (civilaian army personal) He went back to work for two days and the next storm hit. We lived on huge pots of soup, and lots of hot coffee and tea. Everything was electric so I cooked soup and made coffee etc on a coleman stove on the patio, and thankfully we had a kerosene heater. My exinlaws were without power for a solid month and lived on tinned food.
huneybumper at 7:59AM on 03/03/09
Living in Western New York we get our share of snow but the plows stay on top and the grocery stores love the weathermen that go on and on for 3 days about a storm coming. People go to the stores like its going to be the last shopping trip for a month. The last time I can remember being "snowed in" my biyfriend (now husband) trecked from his house to the grocery store and on to my house with a big backpack full of stuff. He was covered in snow and emptied out that backpack full of soup, coldcuts, and other goodies. Now that I think back it was 25 yrs ago! I guess the snow plows take care of us when the snow hits. But today with the wind chill -5 im gonna pretend I'm snowed in keep the fire burning and cook up something yummy.
WSLunch at 8:12AM on 03/03/09
@WSlunch - you are right....I'm in WNY too....I think we 'pretend' to be snowed in more than are actually snowed in. If I know we're going to have alot of snow over say a weekend....I'll just stay in all weekend.
I live on a small one block street in the southtowns, so sometimes I don't see a plow for 24 hrs....but other than our major storms...we don't get snowed in very often. I think the last time was about 8 or 9 years ago...when we got the 7 ft of snow in a day or two.
I always have a stocked pantry....so my snowed in cooking is the same as my normal winter cooking. I don't like to be in the house for the weekend, have an urge to cook something, and not have the ingredients.
I've stayed in for 5 days at a time without worrying.
It is funny when a big storm is predicted....guaranteed the stores are going to be packed on the way home from work! lol
Last winter though, we did go camping up to Allegany State Park at the end of Feb...it started snowing Friday afternoon, and did not stop until Sunday. We had to wait for the plows to come by before we could leave. Luckily everything ran on propane...we didn't lose power, and we brought with us all the food we needed.
mepolo at 8:26AM on 03/03/09
In 1996 I got snowed in. I baked bread, cookies and lasagne. On day 3 we broke out the grill and melted some snow and grilled some steaks.
JerzeeTomato at 8:31AM on 03/03/09
we live on top of a hill, the driveway is about 1/4 mile long, steep and rough. was having a party for my friend, so i invited a few friends for the weekend.... we had so much food, of course, turkey, lasagna, etc. etc. well, we got hit with the biggest nor'easter! 3 feet of snow dumped....
so we were snowed in for days. had to shovel the entire driveway by hand, or at least make a path so my friend howie could get his plow up. while plowing the county road, the town plow trucks created a 12 foot wall of snow at the base of the driveway, which took us probably a whole day to break through.
so, on the third day, howie finally liberated us.... but there was plenty of food for us all. those were the days - not bothering to check the weather before having a weekend bash. ah, to be young and foolish.
pooch at 8:51AM on 03/03/09
I've been flooded in (living on an island in New Jersey), snowed in (growing up in Minnesota) and Tornado'd in (also in MN).
When the power went out when we were snowed in, we would put all the food outside on the porch to keep it cold. We had a gas stove so we were fine for cooking. I don't remember having to resort to any tinned food or back-up food, but I do love the charm of living by candlelight!
Tornado'd in wasn't too bad. The nature of tornados meant it wasn't every where, just our neighborhood, so we had friends drive to the edge of our neighborhood and walk to our house to help us clear trees and feed us. Plus, it was early summer so it was warm, but not too hot.
inothernews at 9:02AM on 03/03/09
I was iced in in North Carolina in 2001 with my parents, my newborn, and no power for 3 days. We had to put the kerosene heater up in the large room over the garage and shut it off to keep the heat in. Luckily, we had a gas stove and plenty of food, but nobody wanted to go downstairs to cook it in the cold. I recall a lot of my dad's homemade hot chocolate (which he hardly ever makes and is truely the best stuff ever) and toast with peanut butter. We ate fried eggs and bacon and grilled cheese with homemade soups.
jcrisco at 9:13AM on 03/03/09
I remember a particularly crazy snowstorm in NYC in the '90's. I made stock. I made cassoulet. I baked bread. I did lots of great keep-the-house-warm stuff. This is what I like to do in a snowstorm.
It's crazy how snowstorms and hurricanes make me want to eat completely opposite things. Hurricane frenzy is different because I gravitate to unhealthy foods - stuff I normally wouldn't touch.
therealchiffonade at 10:00AM on 03/03/09
I am snowed in! Had oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, making fish chowder for lunch .. I've got heat & electricity. The worst part is I have a brand new car (got it Sunday afternoon) in the driveway and brand new car keys on the kitchen counter and it's too snowy/icy to go out to the car!
NanaJoie at 10:00AM on 03/03/09
In Seattle a 1/2 an inch of snow means your snowed in. About 10 years ago I was dating this guy that lived on a 40 foot sailboat and got snowed in there. I mean the door to the deck had so much snow and ice on it, it sealed shut, we could not get out. He had a bunch of snack type foods (chips, crackers, ect.) which was fine by me. But he also had some vodka, beer and mixers so that was even better.
pjracz10 at 10:11AM on 03/03/09
My first winter in NJ, we came to visit my then future in-laws - and were snowed in. They live on a main road that was being cleaned constantly as it snowed -- pushing all the snow from there into my in-laws' driveway! We were forced to stay for 3 days. While I normally remember everything, I blocked those three days out completely. No, really. I just remember the sheer horror I felt when I saw that wall of snow separating us from the free world. So I don't really have many food memories. But I'm willing to bet that we ate lots of tinned soups, as that's what they have an abundance of at all times.
In general though, nasty weather makes me want to eat bangers and mash or meatballs and mash. I'm not even sure why. Childhood memories, most likely:-).
brooke29 at 10:48AM on 03/03/09
Many times when we're snowed in, we also lose electricity. One year we had no power but I did have an unbaked chicken pot pie in the freezer that I baked on the gas barbeque (along with an apple pie).
pielady at 11:36AM on 03/03/09
My parents recently were in a bad ice storm that knocked out power in their house for a few days and elsewhere for longer. Once the roads were a little better, they went to the local KFC for a hot meal because it was one of the only restaurants that still had power in town. Walmart even lost power! They said there were A LOT of people at KFC, and that just blows my mind. I guess they weren't literally snowed in, but it was still pretty traumatic there.
runnereater at 12:04PM on 03/03/09
When I was a kid, we were snowed in by a huge blizzard. No electricity for 24 hours or so. I remember mom made creamed chipped beef over sterno. No toaster for toast so she served it over bread. No offense to poor mom, but I think that might have been the last time I had creamed chipped beef over anything . . . .
CarrieBeth at 12:54PM on 03/03/09
I have the worst snowed in story. I was at my best friend's house. It was she and I and about five twenty year old guys. She had literally no food in the house, but there was a gas station next door. So we sent two of these guys to the gas station to bring us back food. They come back with armloads of Taco Bell! Apparently even though the roads were closed the Taco Bell was still up and running. For three days we lived on nothing but tacos and burritos. It was horrible and made me never want fast food again!
fenebabe at 1:08PM on 03/03/09
I'm slushed in as we speak... and stew is on the menu. Love stew - keeps the house warm and the belly satisfied.
tatianak at 2:58PM on 03/03/09
Some of these stories are crazy--@pooch, that is just wild! And @brooke29--now I totally understand your snow-o-phobia!
It's funny how, even when the rest of the world is gripped in a natural disaster, fast food places still manage to stay open.
HeartofGlass at 3:53PM on 03/03/09
whenever it snows we enjoy a laid-back, do-not-hurry-in morning. i walk down to my sisters house and she makes waffles and bacon. homemade waffles with strawberries (usually frozen) whip cream, bacon, oj and coffee. is there anything better? i dont think so. cheers!
merlot at 4:00PM on 03/03/09
A fire in the fireplace, a good bottle of wine, conversation which lasts for days, and potluck are all that you need for your snowed in survival kit. I see the same madness here in the grocery stores in New Hampshire. With four wheel drive, and massive SUVs as vehicles of choice (not mine) one can always get to the grocery store. I will say that our ice storm on December 11th of this year changed alot of our lives forever and was something that was terrifying. There were a half a million people without power for days and weeks, now that is where true survival skills are needed. I welcomed our foot of snow yesterday. I was the only person in the grocery store, on my usual shopping day...what a treat, and then I went out snowshoeing. Enjoy the peace and quiet. Good luck. Spring is around the corner!
SQ RIACH at 7:53PM on 03/03/09
yeah, i love the state of suspended animation when we have blizzards. it's like a time out from life. free to just be ... not having to be anyplace... eating the food that makes us feel good.
i do love winter, sounds crazy, but i do.
pooch at 11:01PM on 03/03/09
About 5 years ago we had a big snow storm followed by about 4 inches of freezing rain and where was I stranded? My then boyfriend (now husband's) townhouse that he shared with two other boys. The only thing I could find was a box of pasta. They also had some dried oregano that I bought when I made spaghetti once. So that is what we ate for two days. But it was kinda fun, we dont get snowed in that often.
We did have a windstorm a couple years back that cut out the power so we went to our friends who had a gas stove and made spaghetti and garlic bread.
Pasta seems to be a common thing here....
Deseree at 6:03PM on 03/04/09
We got 2 feet last night. I wish I lived somewhere where it meant I was "snowed in." Unfortunately, I had to shovel out my car and get to work on time like any other day. Hence, no "snow in" foods, but leftovers from last night's fancy dinner.
Embackus at 6:13PM on 03/04/09
the only time i've been snowed in was in 78. we had a blizzard in rhode island, we were only going to get a few inches they said. well someone broke into the nabisco truck on 95 so a lot of people in the neighborhood had a LOT of cookies to share. i remember everyone sharing their food and getting to know new neighbors. now when it snows i also have to shovel and get to work. but someday i'm gonna just stay home and make some soup and bread.
dearrie at 7:22PM on 03/04/09
I was once "snowed in" to my car for 4 hours. As a senior in high school, the school closed early when a pretty bad storm started in the middle of the day. I was driving myself and the freshman girl in my carpool home. There was a huge accident on the higway that completely stopped traffic for over 3 hours. We sat in park as the snow fell around us the whole time, and we were STARVING. Our rations ended up being leftover oreo cookies from the freshman's lunch and an entire roll of fruit-flavored Mentos.
jammin83 at 10:37AM on 03/06/09
We got iced in in Birmingham and all my friend had in the house was flour and a bread maker. We kept making bread over the 2 days we couldn't get out. Finally, we walked to a gas station and got cheese and bacon to make pizzas. There was alos no beer, dc or wine in the house, so it made for a boring time.
pksmash at 12:41PM on 03/06/09
Chili. It HAS to be chili!
Not that we get "snowed in" here in Georgia, but everybody freaks out. At the first hint of ice or sleet, grocery store shelves are emptied of milk and bread. Cracks me up! Everyone must rush to the store to buy milk and bread -- a winter storm is coming!
Seriously, if we have cold weather, I make gumbo. If we are "snowed in" or iced in, I make chili and invite the neighbors who are brave enough to tiptoe around the ice patches. I set up a topping bar with chopped onions, jalapenoes, cheddar cheese, chili sauce, Fritos, saltines. Funnily enough, no milk or bread in sight!
Editmom at 1:47PM on 03/11/09