View Full Version : Picky Eaters?
Tuckahoe
12-09-2009, 00:11
After reading the Spam thread, I began to wonder if there are others that might be as picking as I am.
I dont think of myself as a picky eater and am willing to try a lot of new foods. But when it comes to the sorts of foods that hikers and such eat, I find myself turned off by it. Dont like Spam and much of the canned sorts of meat including chicken. I wont eat Ramen, boxed mac and cheese, or any of the Knorr sides.
I find that even on the trail, I cant being myself to eat any of those things and I found myself, eating a lot less than I would at home. Last time on the trail I only ate 1 packet of instant oatmeal, 1 3.5 ounce Bumble Bee chicken salad and crakers and a single serve dehydrated meal from Hawkvittles. But beyond that I couldnt bring myself to eat much.
Anyone else?
I always try to avoid processed foods but the convenience of some of the choices you mentioned cause me to supplement with them. I do not mind the flavor just the ingredients and the large dose of sodium.
As far as hunger poorly cooked oatmeal can slow your hunger down but instant oatmeal hardly needs to be cooked. After two weeks of intense hiking nothing will be satisfying enough to last more than an hour. Summertime heat can also take away some appetite.
Were you staying hydrated?
Kaptain Kangaroo
12-09-2009, 05:16
I find that the first few days on the trail I don't have much of an appetite (and I really like mac&cheese, ramen etc.) after 5 days or so I start to get hungry & eventually I develop the typical thru-hiker thing where I will eat just about anything.
Cheers,
Kaptain Kangaroo
bring what YOU like and eat IT... hyoh...
garlic08
12-09-2009, 09:51
I totally agree with you on not being able to stomach the typical hiker fare. It's mostly just glop. Some love it--not me. There's nothing wrong with bringing real, basic food on a hike--breads, cheeses, nuts, dried fruit, dried legumes, as much fresh vegetables/fruit/eggs/meat/whatever as you can carry. There is no rule that states you have to eat Spam, Mac'n'cheese, Ramen, or even carry a stove for that matter.
Listen to your body in terms of appetite. If you don't have an appetite and are loosing weight too quickly, or are craving strange things or are binge-eating (half-gallons of ice cream in one sitting, for instance), something is probably wrong with your diet.
mweinstone
12-09-2009, 09:53
coffie with blueberry pancakes and buiscuts with white gravy and bacon.
almond butter and bagels and cheese and pepperonie and sardeens
cooscoose and steak and tea and burban
dry pears cashews and jolly ranchers
more burban
typical matthewski mealplans.
skinewmexico
12-09-2009, 12:07
It's just calories.
ShelterLeopard
12-09-2009, 12:38
I'm okay with hiker fare. I love the Korr sides, but I've been spicing up my thru hiking food plan (for month one).
One thing is salmon in packets (a whole slab)- fry it in a frying pan to heat it up, maybe make some rice or mashed potatoes to add something to the meal, and then whip out the barbeque sauce for the fish. (Which honestly, tastes pretty close to chicken.)
Also a falafel sandwich with tahini sauce. (Only for shorter trips. Otherwise I don't bother carrying the oil and tahini, and so I never make falafel because it tastes bad when made wrong. But made right it is SO good.)
I also make killer buttermilk biscuits. Again, usually only on shorter section hikes because I carry a large (albeit light) pot and lid to cook 'em in.
And I cook fresh bacon on trail. Not canned bacon.
ShelterLeopard
12-09-2009, 12:38
Matthewski meal plans ROCK! I know, I was on the receiving end.
Many Walks
12-09-2009, 13:11
After reading the Spam thread, I began to wonder if there are others that might be as picking as I am.
I dont think of myself as a picky eater and am willing to try a lot of new foods. But when it comes to the sorts of foods that hikers and such eat, I find myself turned off by it. Dont like Spam and much of the canned sorts of meat including chicken. I wont eat Ramen, boxed mac and cheese, or any of the Knorr sides.
I find that even on the trail, I cant being myself to eat any of those things and I found myself, eating a lot less than I would at home. Last time on the trail I only ate 1 packet of instant oatmeal, 1 3.5 ounce Bumble Bee chicken salad and crakers and a single serve dehydrated meal from Hawkvittles. But beyond that I couldnt bring myself to eat much.
Anyone else?
Agree, on shorter hikes personal preferences continue to keep less desirable foods off the menu and it's easier to be selective in meal planning to the point where gourmet cooking is possible. On longer hikes that changes. Half way into a thru most hikers are eating pretty much anything that can't get away. There is so much great info on this site about trail food you can find everything to satisfy your personal likes while hiking. Keep in mind, most hikers probably don't prefer the typical “glop”, but after a full day of hiking with lots of miles and you're setting up cold and wet in the dark even that is better than nothing. Some days you just won't care about getting too involved with cooking.
CrumbSnatcher
12-09-2009, 13:51
i would give away my oatmeal creme pies & poptarts if they were smashed! id buy food i thought i would eat then give it away to hikers when i heard they were low on food, or that i knew i wouldn't eat anyway.
hated mac & cheese ever since i was 15 and living on my own,my first job i had to wait three weeks for payday. i would eat one meal a day and alot of it was mac & cheese! never got over that. my last thruhike, i called the restraunt tour. i would do big days like franklin to NOC or crawford notch to pinkham notch so i could eat town food. just the way i prefered it that time!
LaurieAnn
12-09-2009, 14:15
But when it comes to the sorts of foods that hikers and such eat, I find myself turned off by it. Dont like Spam and much of the canned sorts of meat including chicken. I wont eat Ramen, boxed mac and cheese, or any of the Knorr sides.
I'm like you... and that is why I cook and dehydrate my own meals and make my own bars and such. Not to mention that the sodium content in many of those foods is ridiculous and way more than even a thru-hiker would need.
I'm like you... and that is why I cook and dehydrate my own meals and make my own bars and such. Not to mention that the sodium content in many of those foods is ridiculous and way more than even a thru-hiker would need.
I'm glad to see there are others like me. I don't normally eat a lot of preprocessed/prepackaged food at home and have found it doesn't taste any better on the trail.
I think I'm going to have to spend a whole day acquainting myself with what is on offer in US stores before I hit the trail! I loathe peanut butter, yet may force myself to eat it. I'm sure there will be room for creativity. It's the lack of good tea that I'm more concerned with ;)
garlic08
12-10-2009, 19:15
I think I'm going to have to spend a whole day acquainting myself with what is on offer in US stores before I hit the trail! I loathe peanut butter, yet may force myself to eat it. I'm sure there will be room for creativity. It's the lack of good tea that I'm more concerned with ;)
Hah! I hiked most of the PCT with a Brit, who consumed a liter of proper tea each morning while breaking camp. He had to call his mum, in a panic, because he could not find any acceptable tea in this country either. His trailname started as Mr Tea, then he got elevated to a peerage and became Lord Tea, then when that got to his head and we needed to demote him, we called him Sir Lipton--the ultimate insult.
You will not like our cheese, either, until you get to Vermont. Lord Tea lived off Idahoan instant mashed pototoes and packaged salmon for five months. He loved 'em.
Farr Away
12-10-2009, 21:34
You can find Vermont cheddar in a lot of the grocery stores around here. I don't know about resupply places on the AT, but it's possible.
You can also find good tea - but not in grocery stores.
Bags4266
12-10-2009, 21:45
I'm like you... and that is why I cook and dehydrate my own meals and make my own bars and such. Not to mention that the sodium content in many of those foods is ridiculous and way more than even a thru-hiker would need.
Also me, this is why I have a dehydrator on my x-mas list. I can experiment thru the winter and be ready for the early spring
mister pooh
12-10-2009, 22:46
I think I'm going to have to spend a whole day acquainting myself with what is on offer in US stores before I hit the trail! I loathe peanut butter, yet may force myself to eat it. I'm sure there will be room for creativity. It's the lack of good tea that I'm more concerned with ;)
If you are a chocolate consumer, be warned that Cadbury and KitKat in the US is not the same as it is in the UK. Here it's manufactured by Hershey and has just a little bit of that Hershey's "sourness."
There is a chain of stores in the US called World Market where you can get UK foods (PG Tips, Heinz Salad Cream, HP Sauce, real Cadbury, etc.), but unfortunately there are none close to the AT.
Tuckahoe
12-11-2009, 00:01
Tintin, please, please, please bring some real Kendal Mint Cakes with you.
It is nice to know that there are a few other picky eaters. When it comes to commercial foods, I really liked Hawkvittles and I found the single serve a perfect portion.
The benefit of a short hike or re-supplying every few days allows those inclined to carry some fresh items as well.
LaurieAnn
12-11-2009, 10:38
If you are a chocolate consumer, be warned that Cadbury and KitKat in the US is not the same as it is in the UK. Here it's manufactured by Hershey and has just a little bit of that Hershey's "sourness."
There is a chain of stores in the US called World Market where you can get UK foods (PG Tips, Heinz Salad Cream, HP Sauce, real Cadbury, etc.), but unfortunately there are none close to the AT.
I notice a big difference even with the Canadian Cadbury offerings but we have a wonderful British Imports place in town. Last Christmas I bought Bryan this little Dairy Milk imported from Britain.
http://www.gjstudios.com/laurie/dairy-milk.jpg
Tintin, please, please, please bring some real Kendal Mint Cakes with you.
I'll bring a few and see what folks have to say... they're a bit too sweet for me! Guess they're integral to our hiking culture and it's a nice place to visit as well. If you've ever had Green and Blacks chocolate, then there is no going back to cadburys!
I'm a grumpy sod in the morning without my tea so I'll have to find a way to make it happen. I could leave a box at my mates in Boston, but he'll probably throw the lot in the harbour. I'm sure there could have been other ways of expressing colonial disdain than by wasting perfectly good tea. Lipton isn't too bad if you use two tea bags... so I've convinced myself many a times.
I went for a training hike the other day and had a clotted cream tea at the end of it - there is no better reward after a long walk than IMHO than warm fresh scones, fresh clotted cream and piping hot tea! Maybe I will be at the receiving end of some truly amazing trail magic... please!
ShelterLeopard
12-11-2009, 11:19
I'll bring a few and see what folks have to say... they're a bit too sweet for me! Guess they're integral to our hiking culture and it's a nice place to visit as well. If you've ever had Green and Blacks chocolate, then there is no going back to cadburys!
I'm a grumpy sod in the morning without my tea so I'll have to find a way to make it happen. I could leave a box at my mates in Boston, but he'll probably throw the lot in the harbour. I'm sure there could have been other ways of expressing colonial disdain than by wasting perfectly good tea. Lipton isn't too bad if you use two tea bags... so I've convinced myself many a times.
I went for a training hike the other day and had a clotted cream tea at the end of it - there is no better reward after a long walk than IMHO than warm fresh scones, fresh clotted cream and piping hot tea! Maybe I will be at the receiving end of some truly amazing trail magic... please!
True, Green & Blacks is good, but I've found even better... (Over the years I have been refining my chocolate collection) Scharffen Berger and Santander ring a bell... Though there's a Vermont local chocolate that I like even more... and Champlain Chocolate as well... Vermont food is the best.
Hike with me for a day and maybe you'll get lucky- I sometimes make scones in the afternoon, and I make good baked food on trail. And I bring loose tea. (But clotted cream? Not my..er...cup of tea.) Bigelow is a fairly good tea company, I find.
Hike with me for a day and maybe you'll get lucky- I sometimes make scones in the afternoon, and I make good baked food on trail. And I bring loose tea. (But clotted cream? Not my..er...cup of tea.) Bigelow is a fairly good tea company, I find.
I'd be very grateful if you did... though think you are setting out a bit earlier than me? I fly into Boston on the 5th. Will spend a few days with my buddy and then fly to Atlanta. I will spend a week with a few other friends from across the pond. I aim to set off on the 15th unless my friends decide to join me for a few days and then I'll set off a bit earlier.
Good luck mate and thanks for the tips!
ShelterLeopard
12-11-2009, 11:37
I am not a fast hiker, I will tell you that- you'll probably catch up to me! See you on the trail.
If you are a chocolate consumer, be warned that Cadbury and KitKat in the US is not the same as it is in the UK. Here it's manufactured by Hershey and has just a little bit of that Hershey's "sourness."
There is a chain of stores in the US called World Market where you can get UK foods (PG Tips, Heinz Salad Cream, HP Sauce, real Cadbury, etc.), but unfortunately there are none close to the AT.
Cost Plus World Market is the full name. In the US...well, most wouldn't consider products by Hershey's or Milky Way to be "true chocolate". They are more what we consider to be candy bars ;)
I order Mint Cakes from the UK and suck up the shipping fees :D Love them that much...or when my In-Laws are in the UK she picks me up a couple boxes. What I love are the minis - that are like a bite or two, wrapped in clear plastic.
DrRichardCranium
12-11-2009, 12:32
I'll bring a few and see what folks have to say... they're a bit too sweet for me! Guess they're integral to our hiking culture and it's a nice place to visit as well. If you've ever had Green and Blacks chocolate, then there is no going back to cadburys!
I'm a grumpy sod in the morning without my tea so I'll have to find a way to make it happen. I could leave a box at my mates in Boston, but he'll probably throw the lot in the harbour. I'm sure there could have been other ways of expressing colonial disdain than by wasting perfectly good tea. Lipton isn't too bad if you use two tea bags... so I've convinced myself many a times.
I went for a training hike the other day and had a clotted cream tea at the end of it - there is no better reward after a long walk than IMHO than warm fresh scones, fresh clotted cream and piping hot tea! Maybe I will be at the receiving end of some truly amazing trail magic... please!
We've got a store in my home town of Fredrick, MD run by a guy from England, and it has all sorts of British stuff in there. Marmite, curry crisps, frozen meat pies, etc. And tea, of course.
I know what you mean about tea. American tea bags are just too skimpy. I've gotten hooked on those "PG Tips" I get from the English store. I have a cup every morning (yes, with milk!).
I'm doing a thru-hike starting in March 2010, & Frederick MD is just about a 20-25 minute drive from the AT. Maybe I should bury a box out by the trail.
We've got a store in my home town of Fredrick, MD run by a guy from England, and it has all sorts of British stuff in there. Marmite, curry crisps, frozen meat pies, etc. And tea, of course.
I know what you mean about tea. American tea bags are just too skimpy. I've gotten hooked on those "PG Tips" I get from the English store. I have a cup every morning (yes, with milk!).
I'm doing a thru-hike starting in March 2010, & Frederick MD is just about a 20-25 minute drive from the AT. Maybe I should bury a box out by the trail.
Make a map and turn it into a thru-hike treasure hunt! I'll be bringing as many as is reasonably possible, though will be going for another brand as PG tips doesn't pack down as well with their pyramid design. Hope to have a tea and chat with somewhere along the trail. You'll have to recommend some biscuits, sorry, cookies to dunk in them though.
I wonder how many other national stereotypes I can reinforce on my hike? I have good teeth which seems to surprise many Americans. I put that stereotype down to anti-socialist propaganda against our "socialised" health care... but lets not get into that ol' chestnut!
Snowleopard
12-11-2009, 16:13
I'm a grumpy sod in the morning without my tea so I'll have to find a way to make it happen. I could leave a box at my mates in Boston, but he'll probably throw the lot in the harbour. I'm sure there could have been other ways of expressing colonial disdain than by wasting perfectly good tea. Lipton isn't too bad if you use two tea bags... so I've convinced myself many a times.
There is no need to subject yourself to tea bags from US grocery stores.
Try mail order from http://uptontea.com/shopcart/home.asp?UTid=1812-15-5650752&afterCart=/shopcart/home.asp&
They have a huge selection of loose tea -- e.g., they have 83 varieties of Darjeeling tea. If I place my order by noon, I usually get my tea the next day. Add a couple of days more for delivery to places further away. Have them mail to a Post Office or other mail drop a couple of days ahead of you.
There is no need to subject yourself to tea bags from US grocery stores.
Try mail order from http://uptontea.com/shopcart/home.asp?UTid=1812-15-5650752&afterCart=/shopcart/home.asp&
They have a huge selection of loose tea -- e.g., they have 83 varieties of Darjeeling tea. If I place my order by noon, I usually get my tea the next day. Add a couple of days more for delivery to places further away. Have them mail to a Post Office or other mail drop a couple of days ahead of you.
Thanks for that. I've jotted down the website in my notebook I'll be taking along with me. Awesome stuff!
Tuckahoe
12-11-2009, 17:51
Forget the tea... Nothing like a Dr. Pepper!