Food suggestions on delayed trains

[neroden]

There is a point: prior to dining cars, most stations had a station restaurant, which rather alleviates the problem. This is still basically the situation in Japan, with takeout at every station. The desultory level of service at Amtrak means that you can't rely on finding restaurants in every station.

 

[basketmaker]

Well they say a person can go 30+ days without food (4-5 days w/o water) so there is always that option.

 

[20th Century Rider]

This Dinty Moore stew has history! Reminds me of those Sunday evening meals in the mostly deserted college cafeteria... and the cook was seen opening up stew cans and heating them up... and being stranded on an Amtrak train during a snow storm. So just what is Dinty Moore Stew???

Madera Tribune, Number 277, 26 December 1952
Real Dinty Moore Dies At 83

"NEW YORK—(W—Dinty Moore, the “corned beef and cabbage king,” is dead. James H. Moore. 83, owner of the famous Dinty Moore’s restaurant near Times Square, died of a blood clot yesterday in his apartment above the restaurant. He had been ill for a year. Moore, born in New York of Irish parents, was once a pushcart food peddler and opened a restaurant in 1908 specializing in such dishes as corned beef and cabbage and Irish stew. His tables soon became frequented by New York theatrical and sports celebrities and other notables. A close friend and customer, cartoonist George McManus, gave him the nickname “Dinty” and helped perpetuate it in the comic strip “Bringing Up Father." Moore later adopted the name for his restaurant."

 

[20th Century Rider]

I'll tell you what I have in my refrigerator right now... MOTT'S No Sugar Added Applesauce

Ingredients: Apples, water, ascorbic acid (vitamin C).
View attachment 26541

That vitamin C will help prevent scurvy on a 'delayed for days' Amtrak train!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Well they say a person can go 30+ days without food (4-5 days w/o water) so there is always that option.

Many Americans would probably benefit from 30+ days of solid food fasting but going 4-5 days without water would be inadvisable. You need fresh water to help remove impurities, regulate temperature, and maintain proper chemistry.

 

[basketmaker]

That's more than six four Superliner coaches packed to the gills. I don't think Amtrak has ever often seen that many passengers or coaches on a Western long-distance train.

edited: basic math error

I remember we had 450+ on the an eastbound CZ one winter. About 250 of them boarded at Winter Park in the middle of a blizzard. Had to do several "spots" to get everyone on board. Luckily the resorts let them stay in the shuttle buses until we arrived. But most of the baggage was sitting outside and covered with a few inches of the white stuff by time the train rolled in. This was at the old Winter Park stop not Fraser or the Ski Train stop. Overall it was one big happy crowd coming down from the mountains into Denver. Glad I had an "Economy Room" (now Roomette) back then.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

I would not like Subway because there would be things on the sandwiches that I would not like. And some of those things might leave a taste even if I removed them.

The standard catered box should be turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato.

Mustard and mayo in packets on the side. Bag of chips. Piece of fruit.

This was everyone should be able to piece together something.

If they could order a few salads for gluten free and vegetarians it would be ideal but picking the bread / meat off isn’t the end of the world.

 

[MARC Rider]

Well they say a person can go 30+ days without food (4-5 days w/o water) so there is always that option.

yeah, but they get kind of cranky due to the low blood sugar, so it's really in Amtrak's interest to feed them something before a riot breaks out.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

The standard catered box should be turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato.

I would not want the tomato already on the sandwich - they can "leak" and get on the turkey and bread. The cheese I would be able to pull off.

 

[MARC Rider]

How were they stuck? Did the runways close? Were all other aircraft in use? Did all the pilots strike?


It's the same "let them eat shelf stable cake" attitude. MRE's normally come with wages, pensions, and stipends.

According to the article, it was diverted due to a "maintenance issue." Sounds like I'd prefer the army barracks in Goose Bay to a flight over the North Atlantic beyond the "point of no return" in a plane with a "maintenance issue."

And what's wrong with "wages, pensions, and stipends?"

 

[Devil's Advocate]

According to the article, it was diverted due to a "maintenance issue." Sounds like I'd prefer the army barracks in Goose Bay to a flight over the North Atlantic beyond the "point of no return" in a plane with a "maintenance issue." And what's wrong with "wages, pensions, and stipends?"

The thread was split up afterward but this was my previous reply...

I have no problem with the flight terminating in Goose Bay for medical or technical problems. The issue is what happened afterward. One of the largest airlines in the world should be capable of ferrying a replacement aircraft to either continue the trip or bring passengers back in a much more timely fashion. United has more than one Goose Bay fiasco (see below) but if you love Amtrak's service standards then United seems to be cut from the same cloth.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/united-179-goose-bay-1.4985858

 

[Old MM]

I would suggest: Saltine crackers (or even the reduced sodium kind), or other crackers (NOT flavored), or pretzels. And cheese.
Most people who are lactose intolerant can eat cheese, and it has protein.
The crackers, or pretzels, are soothing and unlikely to cause upset to people from 1 to 101.

 

[Willbridge]

As someone who has eaten a lot of MRE, any other countries field ration packs were always a welcome break in the cycle of MREs. While the French may have been quite proud of their ration packs, the legionnaires were all ways willing to swap meals for something different too.

In Berlin from time to time we had to eat C-Rations that were due to expire (they'd be replaced, as a precaution against a blockade). They really were not bad on an occasional basis, as the French noticed. We also carried cases of them and bottled water on our trains through the Soviet Zone in case of another stand-off. The problem with military rations or Amtrak cafe cars for LD coach passengers is repetition of a small number of items.

 

[MARC Rider]

The problem with military rations or Amtrak cafe cars for LD coach passengers is repetition of a small number of items.

Actually, looking at the MRE menus (SECTION C (dla.mil) ), it looks like there's more variety than Amtrak ever had available, even under traditional dining. Anyway, Amtrak wouldn't use official military MREs; those can't be resold. However the vendors that make the military MREs would have no problem making whatever kind of MREs that Amtrak wanted. For one thing, the meals wouldn't need to have the 1,250 calories specified in military MREs that young healthy soldiers need while in the field.

 

[Rover]

Nature's Bakery Fig Bars

https://www.naturesbakery.com/

 

[BCL]

I'm trying to think of what kind of backpacking food I had. I will say that freeze dried stuff isn't that bad, but then again anything that's just meant to be reconstituted with hot water will have its limitations. I'm thinking that many would complain if all that was available was Cup Noodles.

But with backpacking foods it gets a bit interesting. Knorr (formerly Lipton) Sides are a staple. It might not agree with everyone for various dietary or cultural reasons, but dry salami is extremely calorie dense and easy to serve. That and Quaker instant oatmeal.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

.

But with backpacking foods it gets a bit interesting. Knorr (formerly Lipton) Sides are a staple.

Ooh, didn’t think of these. I’ve been known to eat just these for dinner.

 

[Rover]

Starkist Tuna Creations Pouches

 

[TheVig]

After reading all the posts, I think this sums up the consensus. lol

 

[joelkfla]

Nature's Bakery Fig Bars

https://www.naturesbakery.com/
View attachment 26553View attachment 26554

Yeah, if I were stuck on a train for 4 hours, I would love to hear, "Here's your dinner: 2 fig bars."

Starkist Tuna Creations Pouches

View attachment 26555

Gross!

 

[MARC Rider]

I'm trying to think of what kind of backpacking food I had. I will say that freeze dried stuff isn't that bad, but then again anything that's just meant to be reconstituted with hot water will have its limitations. I'm thinking that many would complain if all that was available was Cup Noodles.

But with backpacking foods it gets a bit interesting. Knorr (formerly Lipton) Sides are a staple. It might not agree with everyone for various dietary or cultural reasons, but dry salami is extremely calorie dense and easy to serve. That and Quaker instant oatmeal.

The problem with backpacking food is that you have to boil water and reconstitute the stuff. That's the advantage of MREs, they can be eaten as is, even cold, though they do come with a flameless heating pack that allows them to be heated by the eater without kitchens, food preparation staff, etc.

 

[MARC Rider]

Nature's Bakery Fig Bars

https://www.naturesbakery.com/
View attachment 26553View attachment 26554

Not enough protein. Maybe if they added a salami and cheese charcuterie pack. Also, a decent meal substitute should be at least 700 calories.

The point with emergency rations is not some sort of fine dining experience, it's to provide reasonably palatable food (so people eat it) that keep the passengers from getting cranky. The problem with high-carb foods is that they're like the old myth about Chinese food, an hour later you're hungry again. Thus, more balanced rations will keep people satiated for a longer period.

 

[tgstubbs1]

There is a certain nutritional balance, but kind of high in fat and sodium. Also, daily recommended protein is over 70 g.

Here's from the Hormel website:

Nutritional Information
Serving Size: 213.0g
Servings per Container: varies
Amount Per Serving
Calories:
160.0
Total Fat:
7.0g
Saturated Fat:
3.0g
Cholesterol:
25.0mg
Sodium:
940.0mg
Total Carbs:
16.0g
Fiber:
1.0g
Sugars:
3.0g
Protein:
9.0g
Ingredients
Ingredients: Beef Broth, Beef, Potatoes, Carrots, Tomatoes (Water, Tomato Paste), Contains 2% or less of Beef Fat, Corn Flour, Textured Vegetable Protein (Soy Flour, Caramel Color), Salt, Modified Cornstarch, Potato Starch, Mushroom Extract (Mushrooms, Maltodextrin), Caramel Color, Disodium Inosinate and Disodium Guanylate, Sugar, Flavoring.
Soy

 

[blueman271]

I‘ve never had Dinty Moore on Amtrak but I’ve had it for midrats more times than I count. Not as good as beanies and weenies but much better than the shepards pie and “salisbury” steaks we get.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

After reading all the posts, I think this sums up the consensus. lol

While I get the joke there seems to be a strange attitude towards people with food allergies.

In reality it's very easy to have options for the most common food allergies. It just takes a little bit of will and planning.