On Jan 29, 11:30*pm, "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>
>
> Not a basket but I do always take food. *I have an insulated bag from Built
> NY that always stays in my van. *During the colder months I keep some
> bottles of diet soda in there. *Maybe some water. *But during colder months
> I always keep a case of water in the trunk. *If I fear freezing weather, I
> will usually take the beverages out though. *In the bag, I always keep some
> craisins, Cornnuts and peanut butter filled pretzels.
>
> When my daughter is coming with me and we might be out for a while, I pack
> cheese and apples for her. *I always wind up packing a lot extra because if
> we go to see my parents, they will usually want some as well. *And if my
> husband is along, he will want them.
>
> If we do not have a planned restaurant stop and if we think meal time will
> roll around, then I will usually pack something. *Usually sandwiches, baby
> carrots and apples.
>
> Now if we are going off somewhere with my husband driving and we don't
> really know where all he will be taking us, I might then take shelf stable
> stuff like tortilla chips, a bag of tortillas and a can or two of refried or
> kidney beans. *Maybe even a can of green beans. *He has no food issues
> (aside from the gout that he refuses to think is food related) and can grab
> something to eat anywhere. *But daughter and I are on special diets and
> restaurant food is not always suitable for us. *I also always keep one of
> her old lunch boxes in the back of the van. *In it are a couple of chip
> clips, plastic bags and a can opener. *I think there may even be a little
> sharp knife in there. *Can't remember because we haven't had to use the bag
> for a long time.
>
> Before my dad's health declined, I would often pack a picnic lunch for all
> of us if we were going several hours away to the zoo or some such place. *I
> would usually buy assorted things from the salad and cold food bars at
> Central Market. *Like potato salad, beet salad, falafel, hummus, cooked
> chicken breasts and maybe a bag of chips, some cheese and fruit. *Also
> drinks. I would keep this in a large insulated bag (I have serveral of
> these) or if it was a hot day, a larger, hard sided cooler until we got
> there. *Then I would take the food to the picnic table in plastic shopping
> bags that could be thrown away after we ate. *That way we wouldn't have to
> trek way back to the van to put something back.
>
> I like to plan these sorts of things in advance and always try to. *In my
> mind there is no reason to eat crap food just because you are out. *I know a
> lot of people like to use this as an excuse for eating the crap food. *But I
> don't buy that. *Yes, once in a while something will crop up where you'll
> have to eat somewhere that you didn't plan to or just go hungry. *But if it
> is a planned outting, then I either research the restaurants in advance and
> find something suitable or I bring food.
>
> But really I can usually find suitable food in a grocery store if need be..
> We once took a road trip down the coast in CA. *I had wanted to eat lunch at
> this little diner that we all liked. *They had the *best* salads in that
> place. *I don't know how they did it but they shaved the red onions paper
> thin. *Onions can sometimes be overwhelming but I think Scott Conant would
> even like these! *My daughter even loved their salads and in those days she
> wasn't much of a salad eater unless the greens were baby Swiss chard. *She
> loved that stuff.
>
> But for some reason, my husband wouldn't stop there. *I think the timing was
> off for him or something. *And he continued to drive further and further to
> places we'd never been before. *We could only find fast food places and I
> refuse to eat at those type of places, with a few exceptions. *Finally he
> insisted that we try this really foo foo little place. *Horribly expensive.
> He seems to be one of those people who thinks expensive is better. *But they
> didn't have any sort of food on the menu that a kid would eat. *Nor did they
> have anything that I would like to eat. *I made the mistake of ordering a
> fried olive platter. *I surmised that since daughter and I liked olives, we
> might like this. *We did not and neither did my husband. *I just think there
> are some things that shouldn't be fried. *And thankfully I've never seen
> that on a menu since. *This place did have salads on the menu but I was
> unwilling to pay those prices. *Husband did eat something. *Can't remember
> what. *But his meal and our fried olives plus three drinks cost me what it
> would normally cost for a dinner for the three of us in one of the
> restaurants we normally frequent. *And this was lunch!
>
> We wound up finding a little mom and pop type place. *I had packed baby
> carrots and in this place I bought some apples and cheese and something
> else. *Can't remember what now. *Pretzels or bread or something. *Daughter
> and I wound up eating our lunch on the beach. *It was good food and it was
> far cheaper than that restaurant.
>
> I don't mind going out to eat if I know I am going to get food food there..
> I don't even mind paying a high price for something that is expeptional such
> as something you don't commonly see elsewhere or that is in some way
> special. *Like cassoulet because it takes a long time to cook. *But I don't
> like getting crappy food in a restaurant, especially it is overpriced crappy
> food!
>
>
How long did it take you write this??