Food Ideas
Food Ideas (Lianimal)
We have dinner at the camp but for all the rest of the time, Gearoid and I eat this awesome Indian food. It is called Tasty Bites and they are sold in little packets that don't need to be refrigerated or frozen or anything. They're like $3 a packet and that feeds both me and Gearoid for lunch. We don't heat it up; we just eat it with bread and it is incredibly delicious!! You can find it in Indian stores - we just get it at our local supermarket (which is Associated) This is their website where you can learn more: http://www.tastybite.com/ Btw, it's also kosher and vegetarian!!
I think the other food that we always have are just granola bars - always good to keep one handy
More Food Resources (Josh and Cody)
We also love the Tasty Bite food packages. We buy them at CostCo.
Another good company to buy food from is the Wise Food Company. They have a variety of ready to eat food without the military packaging. Their primary market is emergency food, however it is VERY good! Everyone should be self reliant and have a few days of food stored up in their home, so this may be a way to deal with self-reliance once you get back home. Is has a 25 years shelf life, so you don't have to worry about it going bad.
A 120 dollar "Bucket" of food contains:
- Savory Stroganoff (4-Srv)
- Chili Macaroni (4-Srv)
- Cheesy Lasagna (4 -Srv)
- Hearty Tortilla Soup(4-Srv)
- Pasta Alfredo (4-Srv)
- Teriyaki and Rice (4-Srv)
- Creamy Pasta and Vegetable Rotini (4-Srv)
- Apple Cinnamon Cereal (8-Srv)
- Crunchy Granola (8-Srv)
- Brown Sugar and Maple Multi-Grain Cereal (12-Srv)
MRE - Meal Ready to Eat: this is the food of the military. We have been using them for camping, Day hikes, and our emergency food storage bank. They carry over GREAT for Burning Man, especially for out on the Deep Playa meals. Many of the meal fits contain a water activated heater pack, so you CAN have your warm food on the go!
THIS LINK gives you all the information you could ever need on MRE's. it includes the different manufacturers, their products, links and reviews of various brands / types etc.
The biggest advantage is the extreme durability of the packaging. You can toss one in a pack and hike around all day. There is no risk of it breaking open, getting "squished" or spoiling. We use a pair of paramedic scissors to ease opening up the little pouches, but they open simply enough. A spoon, toilet paper, handy wipe, tabascco sauce, and little extras, like a book of matches make these very handy indeed!
If you decide to make the plunge to MRE's we suggest you find the MRE-C Version. It is a commercially manufactured vareity which has a little more "stuff" than a standard MRE. Also, dont be fooled. The price difference between a military MRE and the civilian version (cheaper) makes a big difference in what you get. Feel free to ask before you buy and we will be happy to steer you in the right direction.
britelite's $0.05 worth
You'll have a terrific meal in the evening. Head home at sunset, and you'll never miss it. Its unpredictable whether the spontaneous camp breakfast will coincide with your random schedule.
Ask yourself: What food will I crave at 3 am, to sustain me through the night? That's the food you'll probably want at other times as well. Its often high-salt: Potato chips, nuts, canned food. Maybe you have a sweet tooth. Some swear by pop tarts.
You'll eat differently on Playa, more like a lizard, with quick bites during the day. The Playa induces too much attention deficit disorder, and you won't cook that meal that you brought. For some unexplained reason you'll crave more protein. Vegetarians have been known to make an exception for the Playa, particularly for bacon. Although it's high protein, high salt and tastier than ever, bacon is not ideal Playa food as the grease is a gut bomb that slows you down in the heat, or late at night. That also happens with potato chips. Indulge, and you won't have as much energy afterwards.
Although sturdy fruits and vegetables are destroyed by direct sunlight in just 10 minutes (not kidding), they will last for weeks in the shadow. The extreme low humidity helps. Hard apples (Fuji), oranges, lemons and limes easily last for 2 weeks. Green or red cabbage will last until next year; even outlive cockroaches and Keith Richards. Amazing stuff. Discard the outer leaves, and make yourself a cole slaw or stir-fry.
If you're into eating bread, do not buy multi-grain from a health food store, as it will go bad in 2 days. Buy the most hard-core industrial supermarket bread you can find. Highly refined and containing preservatives, supermarket bread will easily be tasty for a week, edible for 2. Potato rolls are my guilty pleasure on Playa