As you read this, I will be in Charleston, South Carolina,
preparing to board the Nantucket Clipper for a cruise on the
Intracoastal Waterway to Chesapeake Bay. There will be wonderful
food to report on, I’m sure.
As you read this, I will be in Charleston, South Carolina, preparing to board the Nantucket Clipper for a cruise on the Intracoastal Waterway to Chesapeake Bay. There will be wonderful food to report on, I’m sure.
But first I have to get there.
My itinerary calls for a flight from San Jose to Houston, with a snack, then a flight from Houston to Savannah Georgia, with a snack.
I guess there’s no point in requesting a special meal. I’ve done this on long flights, and been pleased with the results. For example, I’ve requested the seafood meal and received smoked salmon for a starter and a lovely plate of cold shrimp as a main course.
But this time it’s two “snacks.” This could mean anything from a cup of yogurt and a muffin (for my early morning flight) or a small sandwich and a cookie, to a bag of pretzel-like objects (that mix with a few pretzels, a few salty bagel chips and some other unidentifiable starchy bits).
So I’m going to pack some reinforcements.
It’s not that I think what they serve is so bad. As the airline business has struggled and airlines have cut frills, the simplification of the food has been the silver lining. I’d rather have something simple and fresh than a pretend “real” meal.
But without knowing what the snacks will be, an early flight that may not allow time for a pre-boarding coffee and bagel, and only 39 minutes between flights, I need to be prepared to feed myself, even if everything goes according to plan.
If there are delays either in an airport or in a plane, all the more reason to have treats on hand to keep up both my strength and my spirits.
The first item on my list is water. I can probably fit three 16-ounce bottles in my tote bag. All travel advice tells you to drink plenty of water, and I start before I even get on the plane.
After all, the airport is an artificial environment, too. I may buy a larger bottle in the airport to carry right on the plane, as well.
I’ll also carry some kind of durable fruit, probably an apple or a small whole grapefruit. I learned the danger of fragile fruit the hard way. Once, on a business trip, my host provided a fruit basket in my hotel room. When it came time to fly to my next set of meetings, there was still some lovely fruit left in the basket, so I packed it in my canvas briefcase and forgot about it.
As we began to descend, my colleague and I sniffed and remarked on the unmistakable odor of banana.
I had been using the canvas briefcase as a footrest, and the banana I had packed was thoroughly pulverized. Liquid, almost. And it had seeped into every crevice of my camera.
I also have some home-dried apricots to take along, and I’ll add some home-roasted almonds to the bag. You could also use prepared trail mix, or add a couple of small boxes of raisins to mixed nuts.
Other items in my survival kit:
1. A ham and cheese sandwich. I’ll probably eat this as soon as my first flight takes off, since I have no way to keep it chilled. It’s a breakfast-like combination of flavors that will taste right with a cup of coffee.
2. A plastic bag of chocolate chips. These will allow me to enjoy the soothing flavor of chocolate without having to commit to a whole candy bar all at once.
3. Individually wrapped string cheese. I cannot vouch for the safety of eating these after they’ve been out of the refrigerator for awhile, but I do it all the time. These will be perfect to augment the snack on the second flight.
4. Rye crackers. These are more durable than many other types of crackers and will be a good base for the string cheese.
5. A bottle of hand sanitizer to help fend off the microbes.
Here are our methods for preparing dried apricots and roasted almonds, for later in the summer when the bounty is available.
Home-dried apricots
You can use overripe and imperfect apricots for this. If you know somebody with an apricot orchard, ask if you can go pick up the fruit that’s fallen to the ground.
Step 1: Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits. If the fruit is good and ripe, you can split it with your fingers and pull the pits out.
Step 2: Cut out any bruises or other spots.
Step 3: Spread the apricots on a rack that will allow air to circulate from below as well as above. (We use wooden racks but you could also use oven racks loosely lined with wax paper or parchment.)
Step 4: Set the racks in a sunny spot. It will take from a few days to a couple of weeks for them to dry, depending on the weather. We don’t sulfur them so they will be darker than commercial apricots.
Step 5: Gather the dried fruit into plastic bags and freeze it. Freezing kills any bugs that may have landed on it or laid eggs, as well as mold.
Home-roasted almonds
Use raw, shelled but un-blanched (the brown skin is still on) almonds. If you buy them in bulk, freeze them in gallon bags. Pull out a bag at a time and roast about two cups at a time.
Step 1: Spread almonds in one layer on a large microwavable plate.
Step 2: Cook in a microwave oven on high for two minutes.
Step 3: Let cool thoroughly and repeat at least two more times, mixing the nuts around on the plate and letting cool well between each session in the microwave.
Step 4: Test when cool for taste and crunchiness. I like at least three heatings for good crunch and nutty flavor.
