Eating on the road

My grandparents have long been concerned that I am wasting away. I remember the odd comment shortly after I returned from South Africa in 2012 from my maternal grandmother that I was nearly skin and bone. While I have never actually been skeletal in appearance, I don’t doubt that the concept of this trip’s physical demands have re-awakened the concerns for my wellbeing. So, I thought I would try and write up a little about what I have been eating in order to keep my body rolling as the kilometers tick by. Breakfast often consists of two torillas rolled up with peanut butter and honey in the middle. Tortillas are relatively impervious to being crushed in the bottom of my food bag, and I suspect they have some sort of additive in them to prevent them from ever spoiling (Not that a package in my posession ever lasts that long). Honey is usually quite easy to find in grocery stores, but, unfortunately peanut butter is not. The french don’t seem to like it all that much. When it is available at a grocery store in France, it usually costs around 4 euro for a ~300g container. In Canada you could get a kilogram of peanut butter for the same price. Where the French lack peanut butter, they make up for it with nutella. Nutella, or its off-brand counterparts are half the cost for double the volume. So, I’ve taken to adding a spoonful of nutella to a banana in the morning as well. I try to find fruit/vegetables to have while riding for snacks. Granola bars are also really easy to eat while riding. The French don’t seem to care much for granola bars - I lucked out walking across the bridge to Germany the other day when I was near Basel and found a plethora of granola bars for less than the normal 2-3 euros. It has been nearly two weeks since I ran out of my packed supply of Clif Bars. I’m still holding out hope I will find a place here that sells them. Lunch and Dinner menus change depending on what I am able to find along my route. I usually try to find a place to grab some lunch after an hour or two of riding. Boulangeries and Patisseries are the usual go-to’s. I’m usually able to grab a sandwich and a pastry, then supplement that with an apple, banana, or orange that I try to keep a stock of in my little grocery bag. Pastries are probably the chief reason I will not be wasting away on this trip. Chausson au pommes and pain au chocolat are my downfall. When I am not able to find anything (because literally everything is closed here on Sundays) I usually just resort back to tortillas, peanut butter, and honey. Every once and a while I plan ahead far enough to consider what I am going to eat for dinner. What I eat usually depends on how tired I am, and again, proximity of grocery stores to my route. I don’t usually bother cooking anything unless I am already set up at a campground. Pasta and rice are always relatively easy things to make on a little burner stove, supplement that with a little protein (sausages, chicken breast, cheese). Last week I had some of those cups of soup that you just add water to -- the weather was miserable all day and I needed something warm. In retrospect, it probably would be possible to do this trip without cooking equipment. It would also be a little bit lighter than my current set up! It is really nice to have the flexibility to be able to cook myself a hot meal though! That’s what I have been eating over the past four weeks or so. If anyone has any simple meals that can be made on a little one-burner gas stove, feel free to send me an email! I would love to have some additional meal ideas in reserve! Best, Gavyn.