What good foods do you take with you?

[Rider]

OK here's another food thread.

What do you bring to eat when you travel in coach? The idea of the thread being, not so much to complain about Amtrak's offerings and prices, but rather to discuss what might be more interesting and/or nutritious; a variety over what's available on the train in either diner or cafe cars.

Sometimes I bring things along these lines:

Peanut butter & jam sandwiches

Trail mix

Cheese and crackers

Apples and bananas, other fruits

Small containers of yogurt (for the first day - after that I worry about spoilage)

I love to eat sardines and other canned fish but have not brought them on the train because I feel the odor would impose on others (true?)

I'd like to see if it's possible to bring enough food on a LD train to avoid the cafe and diner except as a treat now and then.

What do you do?

 

[reefgeek]

I love to eat sardines and other canned fish but have not brought them on the train because I feel the odor would impose on others (true?)

Your insight serves you well!

I have been made queasy from this, and parmagiana cheese as well. It's funny because I enjoy eating that stuff too, but smelling it, no thanks!

PB&J keeps well, as do those little wedges of Laughing Cow cheese, they don't need refrigeration. Add some dry Itallian salami and you can go a long way.

 

[jb64]

I love to eat sardines and other canned fish but have not brought them on the train because I feel the odor would impose on others (true?)

Thank you. That is true. Even if you like to eat those things, the smell is less than pleasant. That's holds true for any foodstuff that is particularly aromatic.

 

[Casinocim]

This is a good thread, if more people post because I always try to think of things to take, more to munch on. I really like to eat in the dining car.

What I take is pretty boring.

Water, a soda, small can of V8 juice, 1 apple, some nuts or chips and the most important, some good chocolate. Have to take a muffin or pastry for breakfast on my thruway to the SWC.

On one of my trips, there was a man who had a huge bag of fresh cut up veggies, they were looking pretty good after my pastry breakfast and Mcdonald's lunch.

I like the cheese, crackers and salami idea, will be good for the boys on our upcoming trip.

 

[Casinocim]

I love to eat sardines and other canned fish but have not brought them on the train because I feel the odor would impose on others (true?)

Thank you. That is true. Even if you like to eat those things, the smell is less than pleasant. That's holds true for any foodstuff that is particularly aromatic.

Onions! Had a sandwich once, realized I was making the coach car stink, wrapped them up. A couple got on, started making comments on how it smelled, I apologized but they said it was a sewer smell. Sewer smell and onions

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Whether I'm in Coach or Sleeper I almost always pack Trail Mix, Cheese and Crackers, some Little Debbie type snacks and sometimes a tin of Cashews, in addition to a pack of small soda bottles. Not cans, as they are more likely to puncture from being tossed around. Just how much snacks I load in depends on the length of the trip.

 

[Pat Harper]

What sort of snacks would you usually pack if you were going on a road trip? Same applies to the train. If you have a small cooler with blue ice, you could pack your yogurt in it, small bottles of water, etc.

Before you leave your house for the train, pop a bag of microwave popcorn and repackage into smaller ziploc bags. Or use the snack size microwave bags. Open each bag as needed which will keep the others fresh until you get ready to eat them.

Muffins make excellent snacks, so do brownies, scones, cookie bars, and cookies.

Happy eating!

 

[Rider]

Casino how could I have forgotten chocolate! I do usually take some ...

Some good suggestions. Please keep em coming, if anyone can think of more good portable and not too perishable foods -

 

[Shawn Ryu]

I just buy everything on the train. Its not like I take Amtrak everyday, and plus its good to know my money is going to help Amtrak pay its little bills.

 

[Shanghai]

I'm usually in the sleeper but I bring cashew nuts, in small snack bags and a Dr Pepper.

 

[hhswami]

Good thread, folks! I'm liking the appearance of topics leaning toward what can be done to make coach travel more comfortable. This can apply in some cases to what may make the experience more pleasant for your fellow passengers as well as yourself.

One of my trips on the CONO from NOLA to CHI, a whole family boarding in Mississippi brought their fried chicken dinners on board. I'll never forget how the whole car smelled like a KFC kitchen! My biggest food mistake was a feta cheese laden salad bought in Greektown Chicago before boarding the Zeypher. I noticed immediately the looks coming my way, so ate it as fast as humanly possible, then went for a mouthwash rinse. Decided hanging out in the club car for awhile was a good idea!

DC's Union Station food court is great for picking up something to take with me, but I avoid certain items like muffins, pastries, etc., that may be either crumbly or messy.

Since I don't like messing with a cooler on a trip, something I buy from a store beforehand shouldn't need refrigeration. Pringle's chips in a can won't get crushed or don't have a bag that may rip apart, and zip-lock bags for snacks come in handy. Don't get any nuts still in a shell!

 

[gswager]

I usually bring home-made Nestles chocolate chip cookies, trail mix (chocolate M&M's, raisins, and peanuts), some fruits and several water bottles, depending on the distance I'll be riding and time of day.

 

[pennyk]

I bring sodas with me (I drink Zevia which is a natural diet soda made with Stevia and it is only sold in health food stores). I also bring wasa bread, small packets of peanut butter, almonds, Kashi bars and freeze dried fruit. I also my own tea bags and packets of balsamic vinegar. I will not eat Amtrak salad dressing (too many ingredients and I'm allergic to garlic). Because I am allergic to garlic and sometimes all the entrees in the diner contain garlic, I try to be prepared with some sort of protein. However, there have been times when my dinner consisted of salad without dressing, a roll and dessert. (I might have gone over 1500 calories that day :lol: ).

As for things I would not bring with me: even though I travel in a sleeper, I would not bring anything smelly such as tuna or fried foods. (I traveled in coach for 5 miles on Sunday and the car smelled like onions and stale fried food - it was pretty gross and I was happy to get off the train when I did).

 

[Bob Dylan]

Since I dont care for Pepsi (Amtraks Official Soft Drink) I bring small Bottles of Diet Cokes, 100 Calorie Cookie Packs, Nuts/Trail Mix, Dried Fruit and Energy Bars (Lo Cal) for Nightime/Afternoon Snacks! I mostly ride in Sleepers so also bring my own Wine/Liquor except on the Starlite and Empire Builder! I do eat all offered Meals in the Diner when in Sleepers, but try to limit the deserts, butter etc. ^_^ Also ask for Soy Milk which is sometimes available!

 

[Gord]

Granola bars, apples, grapes, craisins, those Baby Bel round cheeses coated in wax..

Watch some fresh fruits and certain types of nuts on trains crossing the border from Canada into the US. We had no trouble bringing oranges and apples in on the Maple Leaf if they had stickers identifying brand and/or location. Sunkist oranges were o.k., Washington apples were o.k. but not if they have no markings or if you remove the sticker. I warned my wife about grapes crossing into the US and sure enough, border agents took them and chucked them into a garbage bag. They were CA grapes but no i.d. on them.

I understand that there are some issues of cross border contamination in some circumstances but Canada Customs does not seem to worry about this so there might be a bit of overzealous protectionism going on here. A lot of our produce in Canada comes from the US anyway, especially in the winter.

Gord

 

[JayPea]

I bring dried fruit like raisins, and nuts of some sort, either peanuts or almonds most likely. I also like to bring those packages of pepperoni bites, turkey, if at all possible. There's enough fat in Amtrak food as it is........I don't want to add to it. Sometimes I also bring some sort of crackers along.

 

[Casinocim]

When I bring a soda, usually Coke, I prefer the bottles. That way, if I don't want the whole thing it can be closed and put away.

Last trip I forgot my Coke and bought a pepsi in the lounge. I didn't want the whole thing, asked my seat neighbors if they wanted the rest, which opened up a big can of worms, with the woman being an insulting jerk, about something that didn't even involve the pepsi :angry2: forgot about that until now <_< Lesson learned, do not offer an opened can of Pepsi, even if you offer it pleasantly and sanitarily. :giggle:

I like the home-made cookie idea!

 

[GregL]

We like a plastic jar of mixed nuts and packages on ''Craisens'' Also small bottles of Diet Coke, None sold on any train.

GregL

 

[dlagrua]

My overnight survival kit is usually brought aboard in a small cooler or cooler bag because Amtrak doesn't sell the drinks and snacks that I like. My beverages are Orangina or San Pellegrino Aranciata (Orange soda), and Starbucks Mocha Frappucino. My wife drinks diet cokes that we can buy or bring. For snacks its dried cherries or trail mix and maybe some chips. Everything else can be purchased onboard. Its always good to have some amount of food with you if in the rare instance the Dining car litchen goes down.

 

[alang]

My wife and I always bring a cooler for our annual trip on the Zephyr from Nebraska (now Iowa) to the Bay Area. Stock it with Dried Meats, Bread, Cheeses, and a variety of snacks and candy. Freeze water bottles to keep things cool. They thaw out somewhere in Nevada. Supplement with food, coffee, beer and wine from the Club Car. We usually splurge for one meal (dinner) in the Dining Car. Great trip, plenty to eat, lot of fun!

 

[hello]

Water and honey wheat pretzels ...

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I wish I could take some good booze. All of Amtrak's booze is cruddy and usually in plastic bottles. Blech.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I wish I could take some good booze. All of Amtrak's booze is cruddy and usually in plastic bottles. Blech.

How about a Bottle of Baileys Lion? :wub: A small Bottle of any Quality Spirit is also Easily taken Aboard as Long as One is Discreet! ^_^ The most Overpriced stuff Sold on Amtak is the Beer (cow urine except for Sam Adams)), the Airline Sized Spirits the Wine!

 

[TransitGeek]

I wish I could take some good booze. All of Amtrak's booze is cruddy and usually in plastic bottles. Blech.

How about a Bottle of Baileys Lion? :wub: A small Bottle of any Quality Spirit is also Easily taken Aboard as Long as One is Discreet! ^_^ The most Overpriced stuff Sold on Amtak is the Beer (cow urine except for Sam Adams)), the Airline Sized Spirits the Wine!

I had a bottle of Sierra Nevada pale ale on my last trip on the San Joaquins. Not only is that a decent beer, but the $4.50 wasn't much more than I'd pay for the same bottle in the bar across the street from school.

I'm assuming, therefore, that the beer selection on the LD trains is different from on the California services. Am I going to have to spend three days on the Empire Builder beerless?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

We brought along some 21-year Glenlivet for the ride out West and a bottle of 2001 Dom Pérignon for the ride up North. There's no need to slum it if you don't want to.