Breakfast on the plane
Hello Everyone! It’s so nice to be writing to you again. I feel a little bit rusty but it’s probably from all the sheet metal I’ve been captured in for a while. I bet you can’t guess what this one is about… Yep, food and travel! You’re so smart; you must have eaten your vegetables.
I’ve been off again (no, not off my rocker though I did fall out of the swing a number of times as a child). Another work event to another land where I endured at least 17 hours of travel time ONE WAY. Yuck. Making sure I was in tip top internal physical condition, I ate a lot of greens and foods with Vitamin C like Red Bell Peppers and Kiwi – I bet you thought I was going to say Oranges; nope, I go for the highest content right off the bat – and foods high in Calcium like herbs, sesame seeds, and doubling duty leafy greens.
A beautiful thing about airlines now a days, when you book the reservation, they allow you to specify a dietary requirement and now display a list of choices such as Vegetarian Strict/NonDairy. Isn’t that cool!? So needless to say, but I will anyway, normally my food will come out before anyone else’s food (Ha ha-ha ha-ha Ha) and I also receive comments from fellow passengers who say mine looks and smells better then their food. I will say my plate does look infinitely fresher then a fellow passenger’s – because why??? Oh yeah, it’s not processed. I knew I would get that one right. One flight segment I had polenta with carrots and fresh peas, grilled zucchini slices and roasted yellow cherry tomatoes with a bowl of fresh pineapple (which is great for the digestion by-the-way), kiwi slices and orange slices. Delicioso! The gentleman sitting next to me poked at his meal because he could not tell that it was scrambled eggs. Yikes!
I want to share with you a few tidbits I have picked up along the way since I first began eating in this style and traveling more than the average Salmon. And yes, I pick the Salmon because the Salmon will beat the &*#^ out of itself upstream to find a happy place every year. I promise, my tips are not that laborious.
*When attending an event, normally, the event coordinator will send over an enrollment form & if they are any good at all about taking into consideration food allergies, there will be a section to fill out your requested style of meal in that area. What I say is this,
“I do not eat meat product of any kind (yes that includes chicken because chicken is a meat), or fish (also a meat), or eggs (was supposed to grow up and be a meat one day), or dairy (includes butter, cheese, milk products – remember yogurt is a milk product, etc. – not sure? Ask me). I am also allergic to nuts. Yes, seriously. I realize as you are reading this you probably think I am a nut but let’s leave my conversations with my medical professional out of this. Thank you and I look forward to attending your event!”
*As a precautionary measure, when booking a flight with a specific meal, call the airline to confirm they received your selection a couple of days before you are to depart and are following through with your request.
*Pack snacks. Fortunately, I am not in danger at this point to where I suck wind after someone opens a bag of nuts forcing me to be stuck with an EpiPen. But regardless, I do not want to BE stuck with an EpiPen in the first place. So, yeah, I pack snacks.
*When traveling to a different country, learn important key phrases or words to at least aid your request in menu choices or allergies, etc. I’m currently learning a few phrases in Spanish because I’ll visit Peru very soon. Here are a couple I know will come in handy: Yo como solementa verduras (I only eat vegetables), Soy alérgico a las nueces (I am allergic to nuts), Usted ha visto mis zapatos? (Have you seen my shoes?), Mis pies son si realmente ése pequeño (Yes, my feet are really that small)… What can I say, I like my shoes. You’ve met them before – Curby – I’m going to really need Curby on this 4 day hike. We will have some serious bonding time on that adventure.
*Look up local restaurants who may cater towards your genius taste buds and try them out! When traveling in the US, you can’t stop me from doing that one. Recently, I tried Ria’s Blue Bird Cafe in Atlanta, GA, and wow-za! that was goooooooooood food (and if you could hear me say good, that was some southern good. You know the kind of good that extends out to about 4 syllables long? Yep, that one!)
*When flying, take 2 minutes and research your airport to find suitable options available that your tummy can say a big whopping Yes! to instead of a signal to the brain telling you later to stand in an unsettling line for the restroom. Being in airports and planes already presents a stressful environment for the body. Help yourself out a little by making the right choice in fuel.
*As a last resort, I will pack a few single packets of Vega protein shake powder, because I know that with enough smiling when asking the nice person in the kitchen to use the blender and blitz my multivitamin drink for the day, it shall come to pass.
*Oh, and don’t forget, you have a very busy brain and it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to clear a path to the brain to let it know you are FULL! Yes, 20 minutes! Think of that expression about mindlessly eating… well, that’s true. Your mind’s and stomach’s arrival to the same place in time will not commence for 20 minutes until after the shovel in your hand has left the plate shoving the first crater-sized mound of food into your mouth! Taste your food. It takes longer to eat and the savory satisfaction will be there if you give it half a chance to be savored.
Implore Vida 