Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Road Food for the Touring Musician

"Buy local." "Eat organic." Sounds good to me, but these take a priority nosedive when you're hustling down the nation's highways in the cozy confines of a rented Econoline van with an exhausted but willing touring band. For 5 or so veritable hamsters running day after day on the rock-and-roll treadmill, survival is the primary objective--fueling up, staying healthy on little sleep, and, yes, seeking comfort far from home in anything that resembles your favorite comfort food...turkey gravy, anyone?

Consider the typical day:

8:30 am Wake up call. Complain to roommate about getting only 3 hours of sleep, while brushing my teeth.

9:00 Lobby call. Hastily pack my bags and grab an unripe banana and O.J. from concentrate at the complimentary lobby breakfast zone. Jump in the van to travel 7 or so hours to make the 4pm load in and soundcheck at the next club. Just before getting on the highway, we stop at an internationally recognized coffee chain and I get my daily 20oz brewed coffee, to go, of course.

**Disclaimer** to the green-minded, local coffee contingent who turn their noses up at you-know-where:

Our official stance is that we positively adore local coffee houses, and in fact seek them out whenever possible. But, please tell me where you get a consistently good cup of coffee on a highway exit (or a tasty breakfast sandwich on a whole wheat English muffin, soon to be discontinued along with all other hot food items--R.I.P)?

1:23 Quick lunch at another popular sandwich chain just off the highway. I order a hot turkey and cheese. What, no gravy on the menu?

1:38 Back in the van

4:03-7:15 Load in 2,000 lbs of gear, set it up, and make sure everything works and sounds good. Munch on an energy bar and drink 2 waters from the dressing room to regain my strength from sitting nearly a full workday in a van bench. Sometimes, I refer to the activity as "road yoga," but I'm not sure what pose.

7:45 Quick dinner of a Buffalo chicken sandwich provided by the club. Hmmm, would this be "local" if we were playing Buffalo, NY?

9pm Showtime. Ample bottled water and beer served--a big bonus if it's local...or pretty cold and imported from Belgium...

11:45-1:15 Load out.

2:13 am Arrive at hotel and fall asleep, only to do it all over again. And again.

As one can imagine, finding good eats while traveling on the road is a challenge. Case in point: we've driven around a town for well over an hour, after traveling all day, just to find Thai food in eastern Washington state. The result--an additional 5th day in a row of Mexican food. Sometimes, you've just got to be strong. It's a sacrifice we make for the music. BUT, when you're on the road for sometimes 6 weeks at a time, the search for a tasty meal becomes a irresistible quest--the one opportunity in the day to momentarily unwind and feel human. Despite the seemingly impossible odds, the desire for quality sustenance and rich, new culinary experiences keeps the search going.

No comments:

Post a Comment