By Kamil Kaluski
Like so many over the Thanksgiving weekend, I took a quick, 200-mile road-trip to visit my family. There was a time when I used to do the Boston-to-New York drive in about three hours but those days are gone. I’m older and somewhat more responsible now, there is ton more traffic and construction, and so it is now a four-hour drive, if we’re lucky.
Being human, I like having coffee, water, and snacks on the road. But many such snacks, ones that aren’t fruits or veggies, are usually full of carbohydrates and/or sugar – things are I really try to eliminate from my diet. What I will probably never eliminate from my diet is meat. But meat isn’t always easy to eat while driving. Or is it?
Beef jerky. The right kind is low in sugars/carbs, is easy to eat while driving, and is damn delicious. The good folks from Old Trapper send me samples of their Teriyaki and Hot & Spicy beef jerky in anticipation of road trip and it was delicious, if slightly chewy. I liked the fact that it had ingredients that I could actually pronounce, although salt levels are a bit high. It wasn’t filling but didn’t leave me starving, which is what a snack is supposed to do, and it was relatively clean to eat.
If there’s a downside is that jerky aroma filled the car, which may have some passengers complaining. But who cares, the driver gets what she/he wants – those are the rules. The Hot & Spicy wasn’t as good of a choice as the Teriyaki because it made me thirstier. The Teriyaki seemed more of a flavor than a dressing/sauce one would get on a chicken in a meal, but was still damn good. Both flavors left me craving for more but I think I’d like the Old Fashioned best.
Today we ask – what other good road snacks are there? I’m looking for something similar to the above: easy to eat, relatively healthy, and not needing refrigeration.
Bonus question: Jeff and I both like to eat. Crazy, right? For ages we’ve been talking about starting Foodiverse, or just writing more about food here. Any interest in that?
Jeff Glucker
My go-to is fresh veggies: carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, fresh broccoli and cauliflower, and green/red/yellow/orange pepper slices. Healthy and delicious. Won’t make you thirsty, and the very best part is that other than my youngest, I don’t have to hear the constant clamoring of “hey, can I have some?”
My go-to is fresh veggies: carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, fresh broccoli and cauliflower, and green/red/yellow/orange pepper slices. Healthy and delicious. Won’t make you thirsty, and the very best part is that other than my youngest, I don’t have to hear the constant clamoring of “hey, can I have some?”
With a nice bonus of not being sticky/greasy/crumbly! I usually do the same but I’m only human. Every now and then I’ll fall victim to a sweet tooth and the non-vegetable fall back is Peanut Butter M&M’s or a small jar/can of mixed nuts. Whatever can keep my hands clean and stuff out from under the seats.
Carrots and celery.
I will mindlessly eat anything on a road trip. Doesn’t matter if its beef jerkey or carrots and celery. If it is beef jerkey, I will want more. Until I make myself sick. Carrots, i can self regulate. Basically I’m a dog that if left with a bowl of kibble will be ok. Given too much steak, it will not end well.
CARROTS! I’ve spent literally months working for FEMA during catastrophes around the country where fresh food was problematic. Bags of baby carrots will keep for a few days, are nourishing and satisfy a need to nervously chomp on something in tense situations. Funny thing is, I don’t touch them when not working …
I really like Biltong; it’s a south african snack that’s similar to jerky, but it’s cured and not cooked. Tastes like eating slices of steak, and it’s great on the road.
My pal brought some back from South Africa, it’s really good.
I’ve been to SA and have not heard of this.
That said, Polish sausages called kabanos are great but need to be refrigerated. Well, no… there are dried versions but I don’t love them as much.
Goober Grape is survival food. On a long road trip you can spoon it out and not stop driving. I frickin’ love it. Protien, fat, carbs… dip some celery in there and you’re good. It seems to tolerate being left in the cab of a truck unrefrigerated for a week, but I wouldn’t push that any further.
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I responded before I read the text, as usual.
The problem with jerkey is that it’s been stripped of all the fats you need to digest it. It’s overlean, and you can’t survive on it for long without taking in some grease. Okay for a 3 – 5 hour ‘road trip’, but a multi-day hammer down expedition is going to require a bit more balance. For an afternoon drive, just bring some sports drink and maybe some roasted nuts.
Go ahead and eat something bad for you on a day trip! It adds to the get-away-from-it-all feeling and it’s not like you’re going to gain a pound or stop your heart ’cause you ate some popcorn. Take a 3 mile hike the next day, atone for your sins, see some sights. Stressing out about your diet will give you heart problems.
Excellent point. I assume the fat gets stripped down in the process of making it jerky?
You’re just starting with the leanest beef possible, not “stripping” any fat out.
Not all beef jerky is fat free; very low fat is more common.
You’re just starting with the leanest beef possible, not “stripping” any fat out.
Not all beef jerky is fat free; very low fat is more common.
Why worry about oral intake? Just mainline an amino acid solution, throw in a urinary catheter, and you’ll never have to stop.
Right. Jeff does that when he’s flying.
Dried fruit or trail mix with low salt and lots of fruit and nuts. Also the Egg McMuffin ever since David E Davis wrote a column in C&D back in the 80s extolling it as ideal road food. I also usually keep Clif bars or similar plus liquids.
G.O.R.P. “Good ol’ raisins & peanuts” was what I learned to call “trail mix” back in my Boy Scout days. It was not limited to, but had to contain, raisins & peanuts. (Some of the peanuts had M&Ms wrapped around them.)
When I had a glove box I too kept bottled water and granola bars (another generic term) rotating through there.
I like sunflower seeds, though the hulls can make a mess if you’re not careful. Easily vacuumed up, though.
Amphetamines.
You have a whole case of Crank, don’t you?
When the kid and I drive the 1000 miles from east TN to DFW (The Sunrise-Sunset Challenge) we stock up on dried meats, snack sized Cheez-Its, and M&Ms or something sweet. And a few gallons of MtDew KickStart. Nothing that’d make us have to make any unnecessary or unplanned “pit stops.” We’ve seen some restrooms in the SE that would gag a maggot.
Being a challenge we hit the McDs at off times for 2 Cheeseburgers and 20 McNuggets. No waiting to make, no messes.
The drive to TN is a 2 day drive with a stop in Nashville to visit Lane Motor.