Wisconsin wedding
So I'm a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding in two weeks. I got the invite for the rehearsal dinner the other day and it's going to be at a steakhouse called "Piggy's" in La Crosse. Piggy's!! >:( I went to their website to check out their menu and I found one salad that has possibilities for being vegan. I used their "ask the chef" option to query them on their willingness to accommodate vegans, but no response yet. I know there are a couple of Midwesterners on this site and I was wondering if you guys could give me tips on how La Crosse is for vegans. Are they going to crucify me if I ask too many questions or make "difficult" requests?
ALSO, does anyone have suggestions for things I could make ahead of time and put in my checked luggage so I can get some nutrients and have some back up in case I'm faced with a buffet of wilted iceberg lettuce? I'm planning on making a large batch of homemade Larabars.....but I'm stumped for things that can travel in my luggage without leaking on my dress!
Thanks! :)
Pack your dress seperately in another suitcase and the food in something else.
Make some pasta salad with chopped black olives, chopped red onions, cherry tomatoes, artichokes and some kind of dressing. Pack it with those blue freezer packs around it.
Make some individual dinner pies.
I think the only thing to really worry about is vegan protein. How long will you be gone? I'd pack some soy or seitan jerkey. I've make seitan jerkey by making seitan and then deyhydrating it. This is a strongly flavored recipe I've used for jerky before. I might use slightly less herbs and spices next time: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Seitan/Detail.aspx.
will you have access to a kitchen or will it be all restaurants? Everything else is pretty easy. Grocery stores carry pasta, veggies, fruit, salad fixings. Are you flying in? If so, is the airport in another, larger city? Does that city have a HFS where you could pick up some things?
Watch the containers that you use when Packing. If your luggage throws off any scanners, it will get rummaged through, and will be carelessly repacked. Oh, and the extra time that it takes ccould delay your luggage until the next flight, which for a not so common destination could be several hours. Upon inspection, food items and similar products may be discarded. All of this came from the TSA website that I was reading before my trip. Airport staff are assholes, and the TSA people hate their jobs, much like most governement workers. My advice for packing, use non-ridgid containers, And disperse the food items throughout the suitcase, any big blob of stuff will cause the TSA gestapo to go ape.
Airport staff are assholes, and the TSA people hate their jobs, much like most governement workers. My advice for packing, use non-ridgid containers, And disperse the food items throughout the suitcase, any big blob of stuff will cause the TSA gestapo to go ape.
Hasn't anyone ever told you that generalizations are not nice? Frankly, I'm thinking that if you had a bad experience, your own attitude may well have been to blame. Many people hate their jobs, but are still decent to others.
And really. Gestapo? Bit much.
I love La Crosse, very nice people indeed. They do have a nice co op on the edge of downtown. It serves lunchy food, and has a bakery. I'd imagine they would have a Vegan option of two, or you could buy food to make there.
Hasn't anyone ever told you that generalizations are not nice? Frankly, I'm thinking that if you had a bad experience, your own attitude may well have been to blame. Many people hate their jobs, but are still decent to others.
And really. Gestapo? Bit much.
<SARCASM>
But they're so handy, a lot like racial profiling. Now, I'm not going to make any more off-topic comments in here, so feel free to say what you like.
</SARCASM>
Thanks for the advice everyone! I will be there about 3.5 days. I am flying into La Crosse via Minneapolis/St. Paul. I would LOVE to make seitan jerky, can you do this in the oven or do you have to have a dehydrator? I won't have access to a kitchen, we're all staying in some hotel and I'm assuming breakfasts will be continental (so maybe some fruit?) and all other meals will be in restaurants of some sort. Thanks for the Kwik Trip tip, I'll keep my eye out! Hopefully there'll be one within walking distance of my hotel.
Thanks for the advice everyone! I will be there about 3.5 days. I am flying into La Crosse via Minneapolis/St. Paul. I would LOVE to make seitan jerky, can you do this in the oven or do you have to have a dehydrator? I won't have access to a kitchen, we're all staying in some hotel and I'm assuming breakfasts will be continental (so maybe some fruit?) and all other meals will be in restaurants of some sort. Thanks for the Kwik Trip tip, I'll keep my eye out! Hopefully there'll be one within walking distance of my hotel.
I used to dehydrate regular meats in the over by putting it on its lowest setting and leaving the door cracked. With a gas oven, i'm not sure how wise this would be. At any rate, it only took me about 8 hours to dry thinly sliced meats.
I make it on a cookie sheet in the oven. I've been thinking about trying a Seitan O' Greatness recipe and instead of cooking a log, I'd slice it and make seitan jerky directly from that. It sounds easier than boiling and then dehydrating a regular seitan recipe.
My advice because an oven is hotter (even on it's lowest setting) than a dehydrator:
1. Set your oven to the lowest setting it goes
1. It's easy can overdry them. They get more solid and hard when they cool, so pull them out before you think they're completely done. If, once they're cool, they're still a little under-dehydrated you can always put them back in again.
2. When they finally get near the done point they dry a lot faster, so check on them more frequently.
The good news is that you can make it 3 12 days, even if you just bring nuts and seeds to munch. The other thing is that you could have the ingredients for a complete protein meal waiting for you at home.
CeltKat said:
Call them. Ask to talk to the manager first. Explain to that person what your situation is & could you please schedule a time to speak with the person in charge of the kitchen. Make suggestions & think of the ingredients they already have on hand, although they too, should be willing to purchase an extra ingredient or two to accommodate you. Personally, as someone who loves to cook, I think a chef would love to make something for a more discriminating palate. ;)
I am going to be on an airplane all day tomorrow. I am packing a soft lunchbox cooler in my carry on and am freezing a few sandwich-sized containers of rice and beans, plus whatever I'm having for lunch in the airport, a couple apples, almonds, whole wheat crackers... Better safe than sorry! I have also traveled several hours with frozen food in containers and it stays cold- maybe you'll have a little fridge in your hotel?
I am going to be on an airplane all day tomorrow. I am packing a soft lunchbox cooler in my carry on and am freezing a few sandwich-sized containers of rice and beans, plus whatever I'm having for lunch in the airport, a couple apples, almonds, whole wheat crackers...
I didn't know you could take food in your carry on! :o