I've been reading all the food convos with interest. I haven't had Amtrak food since summer 2021 on the Lake Shore Limited. If memory serves right, it was a vegan pasta something or other. It was not terrible, nor was it anything to write home about. I do remember thinking the presentation was...lacking, lol, but I chalked it up to pandemic chaos at the time. Over the years, traveling as a vegan has definitely become more manageable, but I prefer not to be caught hangry while traveling, so I plan, plan, and plan. Later this year I have a 4-night/3-train sleeper trip and then 3-nights/2-trains, so I'll definitely be bringing a small high-end cooler with as much food as I can fit into it!
I was thinking of starting a "vegan travel food" thread here as I didn't see anything like that when I searched. A place where those to whom that applies could share our favorite train-friendly vegan meals and snacks. I'm new to this forum, and I feel netiquette requires me to first inquire whether this has already existed in the past and if so, was there some kind of ugly uprising resulting in the thread being stomped out of existence, and no one wants a repeat?
It's more of a niche thing, but I found it hard sifting through so many different threads and posts to find just a few vegan mentions scattered throughout. I wondered if a separate thread might be useful. I'm envisioning it having more to do with what we bring with us, not what Amtrak provides.
But that brings me to what Amtrak provides, and man was I disappointed to see these new menus! Choices for vegans are even further reduced. It's not the battle I choose to fight, but there is an element of disappointment all the same to pay for a sleeper car that advertises "meals included" knowing that there's a good chance I'll either have to eat the exact same thing for lunch and dinner every day, or else bring a heck of a lot of food. (Doesn't seem like Amtrak ever offered any vegan breakfast unless purchased in the cafe car, but I could be wrong. Definitely, no dessert for the vegans! LOL)
I would be bringing a fair amount of food anyway, because I can't be certain that any given train will even have the vegan meals on hand, or that I won't end up with a bustituted segment or a missed connection, etc. But originally I was thinking of that more as an emergency backup, whereas after seeing the new menus I now feel like I need to bring the majority of my meals with me. I'll be on the Coast Starlight, the Zephyr, the Lake Shore Limited, and the Empire Builder. Me and my cooler and my shelf-stable eats, lol.