What foods are best for the playa????

[Ugly Dougly]

Snap into a Slim-Jim!

[Simon of the Playa]

wasn't that the aesthetic meat foundation, and their demonstration of just what mechanically separated chicken is, playa style?

[Simon of the Playa]

dinner is served...


http://www.armory.com/~images/?s=bm1997&i=003

[Teo del Fuego]

About half of the ones I bought were the new fangled zip locks with the plastic "zipper" closer. AVOID THESE AT ALL COST! Not a single one ended up being water tight!

Same exact experience last year. Double bagging wouldn't even help.

[Captain Goddammit]

Another no-refrigeration, dust-proof playa ration: Pop Tarts.
If you have a toaster, Eggo waffles are great on-playa too.
Spaghetti, all pre-made and packed in Tupperware, is great.
Canned food in general works out well too.

Shit, now I'm craving spaghetti, Eggos, and EZ cheese (not all mixed together!) right now!

[Elorrum]

canned foods are easy. They don't spoil or need special handling to keep them clean. I like soup. I have two stoves, a cannister gas backpacker burner, and a quiet alcohol trangia type military kit that has two pots and all nests together. The alcohol stove is not super hot or fast, but it does not sound like a torch, and sometimes that is quite nice. (Pepsi can alcohol stoves are easy and fun to make and there are lots of links to instructional sites.) I like little cans of fruit, chilled, and eaten with dry cereal. I rinse the can with some cool water and enjoy that as a sweet gulp of liquid. I make a big bowl of trail mix with all kinds of dry fruit, and nuts, then put it into baggies, a lot of baggies. These are easy to grab from the food box or bag and easily transported in pocket, pouch, or pack. I enjoy Trader Joe's for some interesting treats and make sure I have something fun to try on the playa. Wasabi/nori chips are a new discovery. T.J.'s has a 3 bean salad in a can that has a nice lemony vinaigrette dressing. It was a suprisingly good addition to a pot luck I went to with my neighbors last year. Although I am a solo camper, I make sure I have items to share and add to a communal meal when the occasion arises. First time I went to a pot luck with just a chilled can of food. Very playa friendly item.

[jcliff]

Nuts! High in protein, quick and easy, enough salt to help get your electrolytes back in balance. I ate drastically less food on the playa than I did at home and a handful of nuts was normally all I needed mid-day to keep me going until dinner in my village.

[Liz Estrada]

donuts and coffee.

[Roberto Dobbisano]

tea and crumpets.

[spork_the_magical]

We pre-make almost all our food and freeze in ziplock bags. It helps the cooler stay cold and we just reheat on the dashboard or in a small plastic tub in the sun. Two years ago, we made Toll House cookies on the dashboard! This year we're trying nachos. We're also freezing meals in individual serving sizes so we can eat our own portion of whatever each person wants whenever we are around.

We also bring cans of stew and chili (heat in the sun/dashboard), crackers/cheese/tuna or canadian bacon, cereal & soy milk, homemade banana bread and other packaged foods. Thin Mint cookies in the cooler are delish!

We freeze water in empty 2-liter bottles, bottles of fruit juice and cartons of soy milk to use as "ice packs" and for cold drinks. My favorite playa snack is cottage cheese and canned fruit or grapes. Yum!

[Ugly Dougly]

... I ate drastically less food on the playa than I did at home and...

Word up.

For those who don't want to lose weight, "The Pink Shit" is one way to go:

[marcgorcey]

Packaged and canned goods are easy, as has been pointed out.

I recommend a 'must have' as granola bars as hunger can hit instantly (I find) and that's the easiest way to gas up quickly.

[theCryptofishist]

Granola is an offense against god and nature and all that is holy and wholesome.




But if it works for you, go for it.

[diane o'thirst]

Yes you can have animal-based milk on the Playa!
And not powdered, either.
Horizon offers milk in steri-paks. I used to get a whole case of it at Costco every year.

Yo-to-Go Smoothies — also in steri-paks — and trail mix: I all but lived on that in '06. I treated myself to saffron mash potatoes and BBQ turkey-chicken sausage on Burn Night.

If given the choice between preparing pasta and preparing rice for your carbs, choose rice. Pasta creates grey water, as do potatoes. Yeah, I know, I just said I had them. That was at the end of the week. The rest of the week was rice and couscous.

BTW, couscous is probably thee perfect Playa dinner. Throw some cashews and raisins, dried peas, cook it in water if you have veggie campmates and chicken broth otherwise, and gather everyone around with crackerbread aplenty. Dip into the dish with fresh pieces of crackerbread and you have minimal cleanup and no cutlery/dishes to wash. Takes ten minutes to prepare, start to finish.

We had pancakes back in '02, as well. Pancakes with stewed fresh peaches. Peaches keep well out there so long as you keep the crate covered. Get a whole crate and you're golden. We painted the pits gold and strung them into necklaces.

Chai, of course. Green tea chai, even better. Chai with Horizon chocolate milk from the steri-pak, GODLIKE!

I managed to keep chocolate intact and tasty for a whole week. The secret is in letting it live in its own dedicated hardside six-pack cooler with a couple of those freezable gel packs.

[DoriumLux]

If given the choice between preparing pasta and preparing rice for your carbs, choose rice. Pasta creates grey water, as do potatoes. Yeah, I know, I just said I had them. That was at the end of the week. The rest of the week was rice and couscous.
.

Good suggestions. I don't cook much on the playa but if you want rice then try Ben's Instant rice. It just has to be heated in a pot. No water. It's a favorite of mine. They have a bunch of flavors too.



I'm also really partial to precooked Indian food you can get at Trader Joes.



Quesadillas are always freaking fantastic and if you make stew freeze it in a ziplock bag before arriving to the playa. Cup-O-Noodles are also super cheap and easy. Bring or make hummus and it's great snack with pita bread.[/img]

[DoriumLux]

If given the choice between preparing pasta and preparing rice for your carbs, choose rice. Pasta creates grey water, as do potatoes. Yeah, I know, I just said I had them. That was at the end of the week. The rest of the week was rice and couscous.
.

Good suggestions. I don't cook much on the playa but if you want rice then try Ben's Instant rice. It just has to be heated in a pot. No water. It's a favorite of mine.



I'm also really partial to precooked Indian food you can get at Trader Joes.



Quesadillas are always freaking fantastic and if you make stew freeze it in a ziplock bag before arriving to the playa. Cup-O-Noodles are also super cheap and easy.

[Roberto Dobbisano]

Whatever Guillame, the chef makes is fine with me...

Mostly Provencal, but with a little asian fusion thrown in near the end as fresh legumes becomes less readily available.

i hate nouvelle cuisine though, and cannot stand the watery body fluid mixture known as "Indian Food"...

C'est degulasse.

[Sail Man]

Trader Joes for pre-cooked indian rice mixes, and a variety of other foil packed meats, stews, etc. Try their soups in a box, the tomato is awesome.

Buy giant ziploc bags, put ice from artica in them and when they melt you have either drinking water, shower water or both if you lean your head back, open you mouth and stick your tongue out like this...

Another tip, put your food in the waterproof river style bags, per Dr Pyro the food stays frozen wayyyy longer.

Sorry Wrong credit there, actually it was chiefdanfox. that suggested that. I am truly sorry for any copyright infringements I may have caused

just being anal and fixing one of my very rare screw-ups

[Barry Bennett]

ginko balboa so you remember the burn this time.

[theCryptofishist]

Trader Joes for pre-cooked indian rice mixes, and a variety of other foil packed meats, stews, etc. Try their soups in a box, the tomato is awesome.

Buy giant ziploc bags, put ice from artica in them and when they melt you have either drinking water, shower water or both if you lean your head back, open you mouth and stick your tongue out like this...

Another tip, put your food in the waterproof river style bags, per Dr Pyro the food stays frozen wayyyy longer.

Sorry :cry: Wrong credit there, actually it was chiefdanfox. that suggested that. I am truly sorry for any copyright infringements I may have caused :D

just being anal and fixing one of my very rare screw-ups

You should have just faked another seizure.

[Indigenous Alien]

Avocados! Bring some that aren't ripe yet - the green hard ones - they'll take 2-3 days to ripen. Mix with salsa, bit of lime, tortilla chips, and voila!

Also, I cannot stress this enough: 2 CASES of V8! That stuff is liquid gold and nice and salty to keep your electrolytes replenished.

A lot of people talk about pre-cooking and whatnot, but if you're flying in, that's not an option. If you're flying in, bringing a cooler may not even be an option (depending on how much luggage you've got and the airline restrictions).

Oh and on an unrelated note, here's a tip for newbies who are flying to BM: double check the weight restrictions for your baggage. Pack your bags TWO DAYS before you go, WEIGH THEM, and that way you won't get slapped with $75-100 fines for overweight bags and potentially miss your flight.

[Roberto Dobbisano]

i like to take ALL 17 of my electric adapter devices, which have naturally coagulated and evolved into a higher being, that I call "Cordzilla"(tm) and put the whole heaping slinkin' mess in my carry-on...


ever see Buckwheat from the Little rascals when he's surprised or Frightened?






thats the exact same look the TSA gangstas have when I check in.

[theCryptofishist]

Also, I cannot stress this enough: 2 CASES of V8! That stuff is liquid gold and nice and salty to keep your electrolytes replenished

Always remember that things are so "One Man's Meat is Another Man's Poison" out there. I cannot abide tomato juice in any form and have difficulty with canned tomatoes in general. In this case "liquid gold" is lead weights.
Just letting you know.

[H.G.Crosby]

I like to eat at least Two debutantes a day, just to stay hydrated.

but that's just me.

[oneeyeddick]

Also, I cannot stress this enough: 2 CASES of V8! That stuff is liquid gold and nice and salty to keep your electrolytes replenished

Always remember that things are so "One Man's Meat is Another Man's Poison" out there. I cannot abide tomato juice in any form and have difficulty with canned tomatoes in general. In this case "liquid gold" is lead weights.
Just letting you know.

Word !!

I even order pizza with "very little " sauce.

You will NEVER see me with a bloody mary in my hands.

[Deb Prothero]

OED and Crypto;

You bring up an interesting problem.

When I pack for the playa, I think of those who might come along and need a little pick-me-up so I bring things that I might not necessarily choose for myself. I do this to accommodate the other person's preference.

What is a good drink for people who, like you, don't like V8 or tomato but will increase the electrolytes? What is a good mid-day meal replacement like drink like a V8.

Personally I love V8 and it will get me through several hours. On the other hand I can't tolerate the sweetness of everything else. I never buy sodas. And if I buy Gatorade, it's a small quantity to share and then give away when I get home.

Most drinks are way too sweet for my taste.

If you came along to my camp, and needed a little something (like Winnie the Pooh) what would make you a happy camper?

I know OED is completely addicted to cola products but what other things will suffice?

[StevenGoodman]

The BEST food for the playa, is food you will ACTUALLY EAT! I know, this ia kind of simplistic and boring, but it is true. When you get to the playa, and get dehydrated, people don't want to eat.

But people bring fancy and strange food they don't eat at home. And they don't eat it! Amazing?

I bring sandwich stuff, sausage, bacon, onions, tomatoes, cheese, stuff I eat at home. I bring a few things in cans, in case.

But I don't bring Tasty Bites, or dehydrated stuff, or Meals Ready to Eat, or any of the strange stuff. I wouldn't eat it at home, why would I eat it on the playa?

Martini Steve

[Deb Prothero]

You're so right, Steve.

For food I stick to stuff I'm goin' to eat and it's usually stuff I eat at home too. I'm fond of a good smoked sausage with cheese and crackers in the afternoon. And it's easy to share.

I try to bring drinks for others though and was hinting at Crypto and OED for a suggestion. For myself, I'm happy with coffee in the AM; V8 or another fruit/vegetable juice in the mid day and then in the evening a chai drink. Evenings tend to involve an alcoholic beverage.

As for food, I'm happy with my oatmeal in the morning; light snacks for lunch and then a cobbled together meal for dinner depending on what others are doing in the camp. By sunset, I'm actually ready to eat something hearty and a barbecue always smells so good out there.

Eating in the heat of the day is almost impossible so I just snack on granola or something really light that will get me through.

[H.G.Crosby]

I can survive on Mike and Ike Zours for over 4 1/2 days.

[theCryptofishist]

I have finally found a drinking regime that works for me. Only took me (counts...02, 03, 04, 05, ...) six years to work it out.

I'm particularly difficult to pack for. No juice, no soft drinks, no bottled water. I'm taking the fake gatorade that alacer does and I'm trying out some salt pills that I found at whole paycheck. If I don't have an incident, then we assume I got it okay.