Dining on the Playa - What do you bring to eat?

Nickel · Post by **Nickel** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 4:26 pm

I could survive on Cliff Bars alone. Fantastic stuff.

Other than that, just compile a list of the things most of these fine folks have said, and stick to things that won't go bad. Don't bring anything perishable that you don't plan to eat within day 1 or 2 unless you have someone who's done it before and knows how. Such things usually lead to dead food and gross MOOP that you'll have to carry next to you while you drive out and trust me you want to keep that to a minimum. =)

helitack · Post by **helitack** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 4:35 pm

Vienna sausages, pork n beans, sauerkraut juice

skygod · Post by **skygod** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 5:57 pm

I was thinking of trying to eat the best of the whole year during BM week.
I don't know if it's possible to eat well and be green .
I guess pate is def out!

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 11:51 am

Nickel wrote:I could survive on Cliff Bars alone. Fantastic stuff.

I used to agree until I tried LaraBars. Now THAT I could live on. 100% organic. no preservatives, naturally sweetened, gluten-free, but I dont care, the taste is delicious and they are softer than Clif Bars.

No, I am not affilitated with LaraBars

marcimari · Post by **marcimari** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 4:47 pm

I eat mainly from the six playa foodgroups -- string cheese, pepperoni sticks, red licorice, cup-o-soup, orange juice and vodka. Just kidding, I don't really drink that much vodka.....but the others are my staples.

After the first year I decided not to mess with cooking and all the related paraphenalia, so here is my easy playa shopping suggestion. Count how many meals times you will be on the playa. ( 6 days = 9 meals plus 12 snacks. A big bag of cookies, or a tub of licorice can provide several snacks and items to share. Walk through the grocery store and buy one item for each meal. Buy canned or packaged items that you can eat right out of the can or package.
Add some related items (like if you bought some canned chili you might buy some crackers which would be good with the chili and with other things also.)
Add some fruit juice or other beverages, some grapes, or apples or oranges, and you are good to go. No muss, no fuss.

Open a can of corn, a can of white chicken meat, eat right out of the cans with some crackers and a side of string cheese and some red licorice for dessert and you will think you are in heaven. ( and you will be.....playa heaven!)

Sweet Playa Dreams

marcimari · Post by **marcimari** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 4:47 pm

I eat mainly from the six playa foodgroups -- string cheese, pepperoni sticks, red licorice, cup-o-soup, orange juice and vodka. Just kidding, I don't really drink that much vodka.....but the others are my staples.

After the first year I decided not to mess with cooking and all the related paraphenalia, so here is my easy playa shopping suggestion. Count how many meals times you will be on the playa. ( 6 days = 9 meals plus 12 snacks. A big bag of cookies, or a tub of licorice can provide several snacks and items to share. Walk through the grocery store and buy one item for each meal. Buy canned or packaged items that you can eat right out of the can or package.
Add some related items (like if you bought some canned chili you might buy some crackers which would be good with the chili and with other things also.)
Add some fruit juice or other beverages, some grapes, or apples or oranges, and you are good to go. No muss, no fuss.

Open a can of corn, a can of white chicken meat, eat right out of the cans with some crackers and a side of string cheese and some red licorice for dessert and you will think you are in heaven. ( and you will be.....playa heaven!)

Sweet Playa Dreams

drewsky · Post by **drewsky** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 12:46 am

-those little tins of smoked trout form trader joe's
with goat cheese or feta on swedish cracker bread from ikea..

-greek canned grape leaves with rice. served cold

-pineapple chunks. cold from can

-canned hummus from whole foods with corn chips

-dark chocolate bars frozen and kept in cooler

-oatmeal packs/granola with rice milk

-chocolate soy drink boxes

-cold sake

-pop tarts. always incredible on the playa.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 12:56 am

Isn't Whole Foods the company that just got caught sabotaging companies they wanted to buy out?
I won't be buying anything from them.

Ever.

MozyBonz · Post by **MozyBonz** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 11:02 am

my wife!

mojo · Post by **mojo** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 11:14 am

*pets the pink furball*

Good boy, Mozy, good boy!

Shyshdy · Post by **Shyshdy** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 3:14 pm

Do I HAVE to use a camping stove on the playa, or can I use an actual bbq grill? I've never used a camping stove, and my experiments with fire producing items usually end in sirens and tons of "I am SO SORRY!" 's.

mojo · Post by **mojo** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 3:25 pm

Yes, you can use a BBQ grill - but they use flame too???!!!???

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 3:27 pm

My menus have an evacuation plan.

Shyshdy · Post by **Shyshdy** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 3:34 pm

mojo wrote:Yes, you can use a BBQ grill - but they use flame too???!!!???

Yeah, but that's one I'm already well trained on, lol. I've never used a camping stove or anything else that requires fuel to cook stuff, and I don'tto be "that one girl who burnt up the playa in '07", lol. Thanks!

mojo · Post by **mojo** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 3:36 pm

Excellent! I'm sure the people in tents downwind will be forever grateful.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 3:43 pm

Don't forget carrying out ashes afterward.

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 4:06 pm

In today's New York Times there's an article 101 Recipes in 10 minutes or Less which has some very cool, very original recipes which seem easily adapted for the playa. Also the readr's comment section lists another 200+ recipes that's very much worth looking at.

URL is here:

http://news.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/1 ... s-or-less/[/i]

skygod · Post by **skygod** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 6:42 pm

I am this close to commiting to cooking/eating as art for this year.

Ak01 · Post by **Ak01** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 11:46 am

Being that this is my first year I wanted to make sure I came as prepared as possible, and yet didn't make things overly complicated.
I ended up buying 3 "72 hour hiking meal" packs for my main dishes. Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner! W007!
Im goin shopping for snacks later on.

drewsky · Post by **drewsky** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 11:42 pm

yeah.. buy some real food too... cause that processed stuff WILL get old.

sunn · Post by **sunn** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 11:19 pm

First year got by with no cooking: lots of tuna, trail mix, high energy stuff but missed hot meals. Last year we cooked lots of hotdogs on the playa on our little mobile hibachi hotdog wagon, so seemed to eat lots of them as well!

This year: quesadillas, chili, bbq chicken & brats on the grill, burritos, not sure what else yet but our camp's doing a bar and grill so will be making lots of bar appetizers as well. Note to hungry people: come by our camp for happy hour, we'll feed ya. (Testosterone Camp/Summer of Love)

I love to make homemade trail mix and it keeps well in the heat (even the m&m's, yum), string cheese, cherries, grapes, tangerines last great, granola bars.

We put gallon jugs of water in to freeze and rotate them in the coolers, they work great. I accidentally froze pineapple juice but it was sooo good, became a slushy drink (okay, I mixed it with rum so it was especially good!)

EB · Post by EB » Sun Jul 22, 2007 12:03 am

MozyBonz wrote:my wife!

bohemian dawntreader · Post by **bohemian dawntreader** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 3:56 pm

Great ideas!

glint421 · Post by **glint421** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 2:22 pm

my favorites:
canned pineapple and mandarin oranges (the ones with the self opening lids)
granola bars (no chocolate...the harder variety holds up better)
pop tarts taste good cold
chips and pretzels
nuts
dried fruit (good source of fiber, which your new playa diet might lack...you don't want fussy digestion on the playa)
if you look in the juice box section of the supermarket you will find single servings of orange juice that doesn't need to be stored in the fridge...for those of us who like to wake up to some oj
premade coffee in a two liter bottle...add some ice and you're good to go
dried noodles, soup, chilli, popcorn, canned veggies and oatmeal if you have a camp stove...try for something more organic than those ramen noodles we all ate in college because they have lots of sodium
cans of tomato juice (for bloody marys) and hot sauce (and vodka of course)
energy drinks (you can sleep when you get home)
beef jerky fills certain eating desires
cereal
if you like milk in your cereal but fear it will go bad...at trader joes you can buy milk juice boxes that don't need to be in the fridge until they are opened...but between two people you'll use one up for cereal and coffee. single servings of soy milk would work the same. i've never seen those but i'm sure you can find them at whole foods.
apples and oranges for the first few days and some limes (cut limes in your trash bag will help with the smell, too)
bring stuff other than water to drink. a cold coke in the evening can be very refreshing

those wasabe peas from trader joes are good.

put everything in ziplocs or castiners if it's not single serving. keep the dust out of your food!

your appetite does diminish and it's important to eat, so try to have foods that cover various eating desires you might have (sweet, salty, spicy, fruity) so you'll always have something you'll want to eat...gotta keep your strength up

skygod · Post by **skygod** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 4:25 pm

Vienna sausages
Mandarin oranges in light syrup
Home-brew

phil · Post by **phil** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 5:26 pm

skygod wrote:I am this close to commiting to cooking/eating as art for this year.

at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/civex/238964350/

and

at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/civex/1154066466/

(Only one photo is at Burning Man, but fine dining is an art where ever you find it)

Galax · Post by **Galax** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 12:50 pm

Lots of people say gazpacho is great, so I made some to bring. Honestly, though, I have another cold soup recipe I prefer. Basically you just take a bunch of ripe roma tomatoes, a handful of fresh basil, some stock (chicken or vegetable), salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Blend it, chill it, and eat it! This will be my first burn, but I like to make this soup at home in the summer. It makes a very refreshing lunch.

Thecatman · Post by **Thecatman** » Sun Aug 19, 2007 11:03 pm

For lunch, nothing beats a SPAM sandwich with onions and mayo on wheat. Can of Coors or Hires Root Beer to wash it down.

Galax · Post by **Galax** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 8:25 am

Last night I made a couple of different curries, divided them into single servings in baggies, and am now freezing them. My hope is that since they've got both meat and an assortment of veggies, I'll get a couple of food groups in that way, and the coconut milk will satisfy any fatty-food cravings. Besides, I love spicy food! The plan is to boil the bags in a pan of water to heat the curry up, then use the water to make couscous and tea to have with it. (I prefer rice with my curry, but couscous is so quick and easy!) This will also be good comfort food for me.

As I said before, this is my first burn, so I don't know how well this will work (although I did boil some food in one of the baggies to test it for durability and water-tightness). I just thought I'd share, though!

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 8:30 am

Thecatman wrote:For lunch, nothing beats a SPAM sandwich with onions and mayo on wheat. Can of Coors or Hires Root Beer to wash it down.

\/
can tell you never worked in a meat packing plant..

Dining on the Playa - What do you bring to eat?

cooking when it's hot out is...hot