Yesterday, I drove from Cincinnati, OH to Mooresville, NC to attend a funeral this weekend. The long drive is unpleasant enough without having to stress over where to stop on the road for food. I was at LEAST smart enough to grab a Vegi-Max sandwich from Subway (YUMMY) as the trip began - and by the way, both my husband and step-daughter had Vegi-Max sandwiches too and I'll take credit for that thankyouverymuch. As we drove along, it occurred to me that I have made this trip before and had not found any Subways along the route that carry these Vegi-Max patties so I began to worry. I don't dislike salad, but thinking that's the only option for me for a quick meal during a road trip is not a pleasant thought. If I'm forced to eat salad then yes, I do in fact dislike it.
When I started getting hungry for dinner, I did a quick internet search (smart phones are the bomb) and found a Chinese restaurant up ahead. I was stoked because as I recall, my brother always liked going to Chinese restaurants due to the plethora (or so I thought) of vegetarian offerings other than salad. Vegetarians traveling through Virgina take note: The Peking Chinese Restaurant in Wytheville, Virginia has a 4 page menu with ONE vegetarian entree, Crispy Tofu with Broccoli. On one hand, I was pretty disappointed that there was only ONE entree available. On the other hand, I was relieved that it wasn't a salad. So, with mixed emotions, I ordered the Fried Tofu and quite enjoyed it, actually. I had asked if they had vegetarian egg rolls but since they did not, the waitress was kind enough to bring me some crispy fried wonton noodles and duck sauce. That was nice of her, but still.
I am really curious as to what the trick is to being a vegetarian and also being able to take a road trip. Do you have to pack a cooler full of grapes? What is the deal? How do you do it? I don't yet know and I doubt I'll find out in time for the return trip. At least I know where I can get some good fried tofu in Virginia.
Duck sauce??? hhuummm Was that legal? Tell me ain't so. I'll give you the benifit of the doubt and assume it was an origami duck. On your way back, stop by the side of the road, find a deer, track him and eat what he eats. It will probably be a very creative vegitarian meal...leaves and berries. Well I know that falls in the "salad" category but it will be a "wild" experience.
ReplyDeleteDidn't know they had tofu in the Virginia.
ReplyDeleteNo you are pretty much right. There are some chains that have good sandwiches (ie. Wawa), but you want to take some stuff with you if you want to eat healthy and not feel weighed down (or if you don't want to stop at diners and continually eat breakfast). Whole foods has a lot of good options for on the road goodies, like their mock-chicken finger bite thingys. Most of the time we are reduced to fast food and that means a few things: subway/quiznos like you have found, a few options at chain mexican like taco bell or chipotle (for a slightly healthier FEELING option), most burger joints have veggie burger options these days. However part of being vegetarian for me, also means not supporting most of these places when possible, as they reap havoc on our earth, displace farmers, treat animals horribly and are a huge component of unhealthy eating and diabetes in the US. So it's definitely a mixed bag, planning ahead when possible helps a lot.
ReplyDeleteExcellent info about Whole Foods Mock-Chicken Finger Bite Thingys! I will check them out on my next road trip. On one such trip, I packed sandwiches made with faux meat and they were actually pretty tasty.
ReplyDeleteYeah, vegetarian road food can really be tricky if you want something besides eggs and cheese. I've started taking dehydrated seitan with me on trips, which makes a very nice trail mix when mixed with seeds, nuts, and dried fruit. Maybe something like that could work for you and your readers...
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