Food options on a trip

What kind of food options does one have on a trip? Well that pretty much depends on the kind of trip. So let’s assume we’re talking about a train trip from Hamburg to Munich. 6 hours straight, a lot of passengers around you and a board restaurant. Out of pure interest, let us further assume that this board restaurant can’t satisfy a foodie’s standard and wishes. On second thought it may be better to prove this assumption. It would be arrogant and considered rude if we didn’t. In order to do that we first need to define foodie.

Bear in mind that I’m improvising here since I have no internet on this trip. Don’t take it as a sign of insecurity though, but as an indication of scientific level. So, to my mind a foodie is a person who enjoys eating. Plain and simple, not more and not less. Now many of you may find this simplistic or incorrect. But let me take this opportunity to explain. You are probably thinking of healthy and tasteful food. Let’s talk about healthy food. The reason why you associate “healthy” with “foodie” has got much to do with contemporary circumstances.

You are probably thinking of this current stream of health conscious people, who behave as if they were around for quite some time. Now it doesn’t take a genius to know that the people who meet my very simple description of foodie have existed for a very long time. So let’s talk about tasteful. What does tasteful actually mean? Once again, you are probably thinking about the food presented to you by fancy restaurants. Or at best, you take your Instagram feed, which consists of countless food posts and food-related hashtags, as reference for tasteful.

But don’t you think that tasteful is a rather personal issue? What I perceive as tasteful might be a bitter disappointment to you. This part is taking too long so I better wrap it up. The board restaurant has a selection of sandwiches. The sandwiches are not freshly prepared. We are talking about fairly old white baguettes with a slice of cheese and some lettuce. You can also choose from chocolates, such as twix and bounty. Obviously there are some drinks and simple baking goods, such as croissants. You just don’t know when it has been baked. This menu offers a rather functional approach to eating than emphasizing the enjoyment. Thus, I believe it does not satisfy the only requirement a foodie has – fun.

So now that we’ve established that, let us move on to the further options. In order to do so, we have to take a look at the trip in a holistic way. Basically, we either have to procure our food before the train ride or after. The outcomes are similar. One option is to prepare food beforehand. As I’m writing this I am eating a mozzarella sandwich with rocket salad. Another option is just to buy food, in which case you have to look for suitable food. By suitable I mean that it is not supposed to smell all through the cabin, since it would be disrespectful towards your fellow travelers. This narrows down your options down to sandwiches, fruit, chips, cookies and salad.

Obviously I have missed a couple of options, but my point is, that in a nutshell, this is what I deal with every time I book a trip.