This entry will focus on my experience, thoughts, and suggestions on a singer's traveling victuals. A simple google search hasn't lead to a great single resource, so I thought that I'd contribute some of my findings.
As an itinerant singer/musician, I have found myself somewhere between homeless and lavishly established throughout my burgeoning career: I've lived out of my car, slept in bus stations, and I've stayed in gorgeous hotels, and generous home-stays. Given the plethora of circumstances that you might experience, I will break down my thoughts - in no particular order of importance or ranking - into a few posts: one about the few staples of a traveler's diet, another when having access to a kitchen, and this current post about access to a microwave.
Allow me to set the scene and provide some perspective: I am a singer who lives on a small and very tight budget. I have to try to keep healthy, and spend as economically/conservatively as possible. This is not a glamorous life, and these posts are not about glamorous culinary sophistication.
I am currently singing Nicias in Massenet's Thais with Maryland Lyric Opera. During this particular production, lasting just shy of 4 weeks, I am staying in a hotel with a refrigerator (no freezer) and a microwave. The hotel additionally provides a single cup coffee machine, an ice machine (in the corridor) and running water (non-potable), no breakfast.
The following are some general considerations that I have when planning a diet: Cost; Ethics; Pleasure; Nutrition. I want to buy the highest quality at the lowest price to make or prepare meals from food stuff that is grown, manufactured and packaged with high standards - following some common wisdom of ethics - that taste good and contribute to a healthy lifestyle.
An additional factor that has a significant impact on meal preparation, and meal execution is Travel - How am I getting to my gig? If I am driving from home, I can take some house hold items, but that is another post. Since I flew from Berlin to Dulles, and will be on the road for the next 6 months,and I didn't have the luxury (space in my luggage) of bringing any kitchen tools. I do have a car rental during my stay here, which is a huge luxury, and plays a major role in access to food stuffs.
Now that the scene is set, on to the itinerant "epicurean" adventures.
To focus on cost, ethics, and nutrition skip the restaurant! Go strait to the deli section of the mega-mart(s) or grocer(s) of your choice. You'll have to do your own cost basis analysis on how to balance healthy, organic, within your budget to determine where you go to buy what. I left out pleasure from the list above. It is nearly always more fun to go out to eat than to prepare your own meals in your hotel room. Please don't misunderstand. I derive a lot of pleasure from cooking, but I don't love preparing food and eating said food 3 feet from where I sleep on carpeted floors.
As a meat eater, I sometimes pick up a rotisserie chicken. A whole chicken is an obvious and easy solution for a hot/cooked meal, and unlike the other prepared hot foods at the super market, a chicken is usually inexpensive and provides for several meals. There are obvious cold meal solutions, deli meats and cheese for sandwiches, raw veggies (crudite), salad fixings (more on this below), caponata, canned fish (cans that have a pull off top, alternatively some of these fish come in foil packaging as well: tuna, sardines, salmon, anchovies, mackerel, herring, crab, clam - but do your research about brands, farm raised or wild caught and mercury levels etc), spreads like obazda, pate, hummus, baba ganoush, harissa, romanesco, tapenade, cream cheese, pimiento, nut butter (as in peanut butter - the natural kind, only peanuts and salt please), nuts, some cheeses, breads, crackers, fruits, olives, and pickles (any pickled veggies will do).
No stove, no problem! Having some knowledge of the microwave is an essential alternative in my current scenarios. Microwaves cause water molecules in food to vibrate, producing heat that cooks the food - simple.
"Essentially, microwaves cook by producing electromagnetic waves that force polarized water molecules within the food to oscillate. We experience this atomic-scale movement as increasing temperature. Imagine water molecules as antennae, interacting with the waves in the oven much like a radio antenna does with radio waves. The more water in the food, the more effective it is as an antenna. Plant foods have a high water content relative to most foods—making them very effective antennae indeed."
Methods include boiling, steaming, "baking", re-heating, and confit (cooking in fat, not frying). Based on my research, if something in your microwave is browning that means it is moments away from catching on fire. If there is no moisture, or if/when the water molecules evaporate then the object in the microwave is starting to decompose and burn. You run a severe and probable risk of starting a dangerous fire and/or damaging the microwave if you run it empty (or run a it with a metal object inside). That being said, if you use small intervals while monitoring the food you can crisp up some tortillas or even toast bread, but that is varsity level microwave technique dear reader.
Ideal meals to make: Soups, Pasta, Noodles, Rice, Oats, Quinoa, Eggs, and Veggies.
Tools needed:
- Microwave
- Iron
- Ironing Board
- Microwave safe glass or ceramic bowl/plate (dollar store)
- Microwave safe glass or ceramic mug (dollar store)
- Chop sticks (get a pair at a Chinese take out place or dollar store)
- Utensils: Fork, Knife, Spoon (dollar store, or see if the hotel will give you some - or pocket a place setting at the restaurant - there are always plastic ones around, but you'll want something more durable).
- Sharp knife - bring, purchase, or borrow one
- Tin foil
- Paper towels
Meals that I made this first week:
- Scrambled eggs (Butter, Salt, Pepper, Eggs)
- Bone Broth (I buy one that is water, beef bone extract, sea salt and yeast extract - avoid ones with sugar and high in sodium. Go with bouillon, but don't skimp on this - go with the good stuff, no preservatives, no sugar, low sodium, not your cup noodles package, ok!?)
- I crush and chop as finely as I can garlic and ginger root, 2 table spoons of grass-fed organic butter, don't skimp on these either! I add an egg 3/4 of the way through the cooking process and then finish with cilantro. maybe sprouts and Microgreens)
- Salad with canned fish (Arugula, Bib lettuce, cilantro, a little olive oil, a touch of apple cider vinegar, salt/pepper, olives, sprouts, some cheese [feta], tuna or salmon or mackerel)
- Cucumbers and Cherry tomatoes (and some casual celery)
- Piadina (ham, arugula, cheese, olive oil, salt/pepper on a tortilla or wrap)
- Nachos (salsa, torilla chips, cheese)
- Quinoa
- Sweet potato
Additional Meal ideas:
- Mac and Cheese
- Eggs scrambled, poached, soft boiled, over easy
- Mug Omlette
- Quesadilla (or Italian Panini, Piadina, Tigella)
- Potato and Sweet Potato
- Spaghetti Squash
- Rice (Egg "fried" rice)
- Nachos (with cheese and sauce)
- Savory and Sweet Egg scrambles/bread pudding
- (variations with bread, cheese, milk + bacon/spinach/tomato, vanilla/cinnamon/blue berries, cocoa powders/banana/chocolate)
- Egg and Cheese Bagel
- Steamed broccoli + quinoa and edamame (cilantro sesame dressing)
- Egg white omelette
- Pita caprese pizza
- Noodles
- Rice bowl
- Oatmeal
- A warm dip like Bagna Cauda could be made in the microwave
I am really excited to try Microwave Mug Lasagna - https://youtu.be/BtDIcYc098A?t=294
Disclaimer: I don't really have a good reason, but I prefer not to cook meat in the microwave, reheating is fine, but raw to cooked - though it doesn't make sense - is a something I am resistant to. That being said, there are recipes for meats (even fish) if you are craving some flesh out there.
Check out these great and instructive links:
https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/making-the-most-of-your-microwave
Great blog by a mother who wanted to help her college aged daughter
Great Buzz-feed video offering 24 microwaveable meals
The 24 meals can be broken down into a few simple recipes with variations:
Thanks for reading,
Joe
PS: my next post with have more details about individual meals, recipes, and a shopping list.
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