Quote:
Originally Posted by Mariness
How many of you pack junk food when you're provisioning? How do you decide how much - and how do you keep it all from disappearing the first 2 days?
Hubby has declared Pop-Tarts and Pringles to be the perfect cruising food ("The foil keeps them dry!") and has actually gone on (need I say all-male) trips where that was in fact the primary diet.
I have therefore told him that his input will no longer be required for provisioning decisions.
But I'm not averse to some junk food, just to living on it exclusively. So what say you - leave it behind, pack some and it's gone when it's gone, or pack some and become a cookie-nazi as you carefully ration out the supply?
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Mariness,
I'll add my thoughts here, but first I'd like to point out two things here that some may have forgotten.....
1) That is food, diet, and culinary desires are PERSONAL choices, and while there are pluses and minuses of different choices, these are truly personal choices....
No, this isn't as controversial as "Anchors" or "Blue
Water Boats", etc. but I'd like to remind everyone that these are rather personal choices and therefore, in my opinion, are no real "right" or "wrong" answers....
Furthermore, on-board personal food choices will vary in other ways, due to both
where you're cruising/voyaging and
how your boat is set-up.....
(galley design, ease of
cooking, ease of sailing shorthanded,
refrigeration, food stuffs
storage, etc. etc...)
2) And, don't forget that wonderful words: "Compromise", "living in harmony together".....
You may find that just to insure a pleasant
cruise, and live together in harmony, that you'll bring whatever junk food your hubby desires.....
3) And, to detail the aspect of "personal choices"....in my personal opinion, just because I do enjoy a few Oreos with a cool glass of skimmed milk, doesn't mean that I also don't appreciate some British chocolate biscuits with a cup of tea......
Also, just because I might munch on some Pop-Tarts right out of the package, on a late night watch, etc......that doesn't mean that I'd rather not have some fresh baked pastry with starwberry preserves (one of my favs!!)
And, while I'm not a big fan of Pringles, I do eat them occasionally.....but prefer some nice cheese and crackers....
I hope you all see my point here.....
My diet is not compsed of only Oreos and Pop-Tarts, but I do find they have a place in my life.....and that means I DO try to keep some on-board.....
4) Now, Mariness, onto your specific questions.....
Make your decisions based on 3 parameters....(this IS what I do...)
a) what / how much junk food you eat at home....
b) where you're going to be cruising / for how long....
c) how adept are you both (okay maybe just him) on changing your eating habits / desires based on where you're at, and what is available there....
So, since I do like Oreos and Pop-Tarts (and usually so does my crew), and sometimes my crew just needs Pringles (2 of my brothers are true Pringle junkies), I DO bring enough to get us thru long passages, and/or enough to last as long as frozen food (in my 5 cu ft freezer) and fresh food (in my 5 cu ft frig)......
That means I carry as much as a 6 - 7 week supply....and while I do remember that when they're gone~~they're gone....I'm not a "cookie-Nazi".....
Fresh fruit is the tough part here though....as I REALLY DO LOVE fresh apples, bananas, oranges, etc. (yeah, I do carry canned fruit, but nothing beats a nice crisp fresh apple!!!)....
So, on long passages and/or when venturing far flung areas, enjoy the fresh stuff while you have it.....and stock up anywhere you find fresh produce....
5) Mariness, make NO mistake, I'll also bake bread on-board (as needed), and I've done some pastry baking (scratch), but not too good at it.....(Betty Crocker Brownie Mix is really GREAT though!!!)
I also tried to make chocolate mouse (also scratch) a while back.....and yeah, it tasted okay, but looked a bit strange....
And, when in foreign
ports and/or doing provisioning in places off-the-beaten-path, I DO use local supplies / local products...and I DO find them to be quite acceptable.....(although I do miss Oreos sometimes!!!)
6) Mariness, please understand that while I am a
single male, who LOVES
women (but currently don't have a "first-mate" / "admiral"), I don't live like I'm a teenager!!!!
I'd rather cook a nice meal, snack on some nice junk food when availaible, and enjoy local tastes/cultures/deliacies along they way.....
Heck, I LOVE voyaging
offshore / cruising in
remote places.....but I'm not looking to "drop-off-the-face-of-the-earth", and eat flying
fish, hard-tack, and/or granola the rest of my days!!!!
7) Thinking about all of this reminds me of my younger days, cruising with my parents.....
Absolute true story here:
During one of our many cruises....this one (in 1972, I think) from Southern
Bahamas thru
Martinique, we meet a Dutch couple in the
BVI on their converted
canal boat, my Dad and I helped them with an
engine problem (they didn't sail to windward very well).....a week or so later we connected with them again in St. Marteen (Dutch side, of course)......
It was July 4th and there was a US
Navy Ship there (Frigate, Cruiser, etc.????) and the US
Navy was going to shoot off a fireworks display.....
Our Dutch friends didn't really grasp what we "yanks" do on Independence Day, but to share the experience (and repay our
engine repair assistance), they invited us over for dinner on board.....
I have NO recollection of what we ate for dinner, but desert was a tin of OREO cookies and some fresh milk!!!!
I hadn't had an Oreo or a glass of cold fresh milk in almost a month, and wow was that a really super 4th of July!!!!
Oh, and the US Navy put on a great show too.....but that was almost 40 years ago, I still remember those Oreos!!!!
Still not sure why my Mom wouldn't provision with Oreos....but thesedays, on my own boat, I DO!!!!
(On a side note, my Mom is 89 yrs old tomorrow.....and I'm visiting her right now.....and she confirmed that until their passing on, about 8 years ago, she (and my late father) still corresponded with them via the mail every few months for 30+ years.....so, you see Oreos can truly bridge the waters between nations / cultures.....)
I'm not sure if I answered all of your questions in my long-winded post....but....
In a nutshell, bring what junk food will make you BOTH happy.....eat it a bit sparingly at first (until you get an idea of how/where you can replace it, or adapt to more local snacks), and have fun!!!!
And, for me, on a rough
weather night watch, I love M & M's (Dark Chocolate M & M's are my fav!!!)
Fair winds...
John
s/v Annie Laurie