Arisia food

[magid]

On the room reservation form, I wrote in a request for a fridge, not knowing if this was possible or probable. The confirmation letter noted my request for a fridge. Um, does that mean I will have one, or not? I can bring rather different food if I'll have a fridge. So I called the hotel, and the woman who answered said that it means they will have a fridge in my room. :-)

So I have lots of flexibility for con food. Last year, it was trickier: this is what I brought. Cheese and crackers are always a good thing, also baby carrots, probably grape tomatoes. Dried fruit is convenient and easy to carry. Oh, and I'll need rolls and grape juice, and an herbal tea bag for havdalah. Other than that, I'm undecided. Certainly there will be junk food, and more real food. I want food that tastes good when not hot and is not messy to eat. Heck, I ended up feeding more than just me last year: anyone have any suggestions/preferences?
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Comments

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

And then a quiet voice, from nowhere in particular, whispered, "Bread pudding."

Bread pudding at the con

[magid.livejournal.com]

Sorry to disappoint the quiet voice, but it's unlikely: that would mean making bread tonight for bread pudding tomorrow night, which is unlikely.

OTOH, I might be able to offer bread pudding next week, instead...
(Somehow, I assume the quiet voice would prefer chocolate bread pudding. :-)
h

[cellio]

No self-interest here, as I won't be at Arisia.

When I have refrigeration available for these things, I usually take egg salad or tuna salad (bread is optional; pitas are non-messy), or if I feel like doing meat, cold cuts. With at least a cooler, I take apples, baby carrots, radishes, yogurt [1], cheese, and green salads (either regular veggies or something like tabouleh). I generally have some sort of crackers on hand and, of course, bread of some form. (And caffeine, in quantity...)

[1] I tried yogurt with just a cooler for the first time at Darkover. I left home with large blocks of ice, not cubes, and it held up fine. I was prepared to eat the yogurt first if the cooler didn't stay cool enough. This suggests that other more-perishable food, such as anything with mayo, would probably also do fine, but I haven't tried.

(My blocks of ice came in two forms: plastic containers filled with water and frozen, which went on the bottom, and 24oz water bottles, filled and frozen, which went on top of the food.)

[magid.livejournal.com]

Pitas are less messy. Unfortunately, I've been spoiled by Israeli pita, and most of the stuff around here is just not worth eating. We do great loaf breads, they do great flat breads.

Egg salad is good (I've been eating too much tuna for it to sound appealing right now), thanks.
There's no way I'm schlepping a cooler, though: I'll be taking public transportation to the con, so things need to fit into my suitcase-cum-backpack or into whatever other bag I carry (I assume I'll have one other). Though perhaps I can convince my brother to drive something over for me, if he's driving...

Salad also sounds good (hm; must bring a couple of bowls, too). I can get all the veggies prepared in advance, take a bag with salad dressing, too.
Not fond of radishes, myself, and yogurt hasn't been so appealing for a while. (I do have one container of soy yogurt in my fridge, though, waiting for me to experiment with "tandoori" chicken, which a friend made for me once. Yum...)

I'm likely to stay dairy, just because it's easier. Shabbat dinner is fleishig, though.

Thanks for the suggestions.
A

[cellio]

Pitas are less messy. Unfortunately, I've been spoiled by Israeli pita, and most of the stuff around here is just not worth eating.

Oops. :-) I've never had the real thing, so I wouldn't notice.

Salad: yes, veggies keep fine in zipper bags if you don't add the dressing. Carry that separately and you're fine.

On coolers, I meant that at cons where I don't have a fridge (which is most of 'em) I can use those foods in a cooler. Obviously they would also work fine in a fridge. :-) Sorry for the confusion; if you'll have a fridge then you should not have to lug a cooler there.

I've never done anything with soy fake-dairy and would love to know more about the "tandoori" chicken. I used to love the stuff (never made it; just did restaurants), back before I went kosher.

[queue.livejournal.com]

From a back issue of my Compendium (http://www.aq.org/~kevin/compendium)

I cut into the chicken so that the sauce could get into it some. I didn't follow a recipe, since I didn't have any garam masala. The sauce was soy yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger powder, cayenne, garlic powder, garlic granules, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt, pepper, turmeric, chili powder, and clove powder. I was only supposed to cover it for the first half hour and then cook it uncovered for an hour, but I had to worry about keeping it kosher so it stayed covered the whole time. It turned out really well. Just the right level of spice, but more like a curry than tandoori.

You should just be able to take any chicken tandoori recipe and substitute soy yogurt for regular yogurt.

[jbsegal.livejournal.com]

The PP has a supply of dorm fridges.
They offer them free to suite-holders. Not sure if they charge regular peons.

If you're checking in early in the day, you can probably get one for sure.

[magid.livejournal.com]

They didn't note anything about an extra charge to this peon, nor did the woman who answered my question mention it. Even if it does cost a bit, it's worth the flexibility I get.

After stopping at Trader Joe's

[magid.livejournal.com]

I now have cheddar cheese and water crackers (some with sesame seeds, some plain), lox and chavrie (with the intent to bring capers), crystallized ginger bits and dried cinnamon apple slices, chocolate-raspberry fruit gels.
I already have almonds, sardines, kalamata olive humus, capers.

Still to get: lettuce and other greens (including scallions), tomatoes, little bottles of grape juice. Also anything else that strikes my fancy. Perhaps some more sweets, if anything looks interesting.

Still to make: egg salad with baby peas and scallions (must remember to retrieve the mayo from the fridge at work), lots of challah rolls.

I think this will end up being enough, even with luring (non-Jewish) people to let me into my room (on Shabbat; apparently the last of the mechanical locks went away last year) with the offer of food...

Re: After stopping at Trader Joe's

[magid.livejournal.com]

Also to get: a pound of baby carrots.

[teddywolf.livejournal.com]

Your brother is driving and could likely be persuaded to schlepp stuff. Timing is the question, he hasn't had quite enough sleep recently and wants to call some local advertising agencies to see what it would take to join a voice actor's stable.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Cool. Thanks! (Now I really have to get the laundry done...)

I assume we can work out timing tonight (when you're heading down vs Shabbat start time, that kind of thing).
(I still don't have dill, btw, but I do have all the other herbs and equipment requested.)
e