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Road Gigs and Eating

Only toured as a tech (long time ago), but I now spend a lot of time on the road now in my job. The drive-through gets old quickly, and will kill you if you have it often enough.

The supermarket is your friend. Most have hot soups these days, plus fresh bread. Sealed packs of tuna are cheap. Pre-made sandwiches. Hard-boiled eggs. Slim-Fast and other energy/protein/vegetable/fruit shakes/smoothies. Yoghurts. Fresh fruit. Carrot sticks. If you need the fried stuff, they will normally have a deli section that has that kind of thing. V8 juice (available these days in 'fruit' variety for those who don't like veggies) is great. "Party" platters with cut veggie and dip are great to share.

Hotels have microwaves, and you can get some good microwaveable meals these days.

A pack of plastic spoons/forks/knives will run you a couple of bucks, and a big pack of napkins the same. Will last for ages.
 
Wow. I don't get it, unless as I said earlier, it has something to do with the meat. I eat Taco Bell at least once a week (used to eat it a few times a week), and I've never gotten the least bit sick from it. Just finished 2 bean burritos, a 7 layer burrito, and a cheesy gordita crunch (no meat, just beans of course), and I feel awesome. Will feel even more awesome after tomorrow mornings business... Yep. Sorry you all can't be a part of the Taco Bell fun. Maybe ya ought to give it a go just one more time before writing it off. You also might have eaten it when it was poisoned a few years back. :). I actually did eat it that day, but either got lucky, or I'm immune.
 
Wow. I don't get it, unless as I said earlier, it has something to do with the meat. I eat Taco Bell at least once a week (used to eat it a few times a week), and I've never gotten the least bit sick from it. Just finished 2 bean burritos, a 7 layer burrito, and a cheesy gordita crunch (no meat, just beans of course), and I feel awesome. Will feel even more awesome after tomorrow mornings business... Yep. Sorry you all can't be a part of the Taco Bell fun. Maybe ya ought to give it a go just one more time before writing it off. You also might have eaten it when it was poisoned a few years back. :). I actually did eat it that day, but either got lucky, or I'm immune.

Hi Joe,

I think it's because your still relatively young.

Unless you were born with super DNA you won't be eating any Taco Bell when your 60 years old.

Blue
 
...Just finished 2 bean burritos, a 7 layer burrito, and a cheesy gordita crunch (no meat, just beans of course), and I feel awesome...

My baby sister is a PA and very much in to fitness and health. She is a big time cross country bike rider and is constantly on our cases about eating right. We (with much affection) call her our personal food Nazi.

Anywho, she told me the beans from TB are mostly lard and other assorted fillers with just enough bean juice thrown in to make them look and taste like the real thing.

I used to be a big fan of plain old TB bean burritos until she told me that. Now I make my own refried beans whenever I have a need for some plain old bean burritos.
 
My baby sister is a PA and very much in to fitness and health. She is a big time cross country bike rider and is constantly on our cases about eating right. We (with much affection) call her our personal food Nazi.

Anywho, she told me the beans from TB are mostly lard and other assorted fillers with just enough bean juice thrown in to make them look and taste like the real thing.

I used to be a big fan of plain old TB bean burritos until she told me that. Now I make my own refried beans whenever I have a need for some plain old bean burritos.

Your baby sitter in PA is an idiot. :)

I've heard lots of rumors about taco bell. I eat really healthfully about 90% of the time. I'm in better physical shape than just about any 52 year old I know (do I need to post more naked pictures?), and I just got a perfect bill of health from the most extensive physical I ever took in my life, including anal probes I had to be knocked unconscious for. Tell your babysitter to research before opening her trap, dammit! Here's what's in Taco Bells refried beans:

Pinto Beans, Soy Oil (Trans Fat Free Shortening With TBHQ And Citric Acid To Protect Flavor), Seasoning Blend (Salt, Sugar, Spice, Beet Powder [Color], Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Sunflower Oil, Maltodextrin [Corn, Potato, Tapioca], Inactivated Yeast, Corn Flour, Natural Flavors, Trehalose, Modified Corn Starch And Less Than 2% Silicone Dioxide As A Processing Aid).

PS. There are other idiots on the internet who claim in blogs and forums that there is lard in taco bell refined beans, but there isn't. You can call them and ask yourself if ya don't believe me or this post. 1-800-822-6235.
 
Snacks are a must. PB & J's are the staple of our road diet. I am in a band with two vegetarians so that usually leaves out BBQ and steakhouses for us. Seems like pizza is usually on the menu. In addition to snacks taking a multi-vitamin helps me not to feel like crap everyday because of poor diet.

If we ever do long road trips for weeks or more, I will be the healthy food/vitamin and hand washing Nazi. I've seen too many bands come through town with a flu that travels through the crew and some is feeling like crap for days on end while on the road. It's the worst. And then when the next person gets it, all their buddies are ticked off. Illnesses are hard to avoid, but it is able to be managed to some extent.
 
Wow. I don't get it, unless as I said earlier, it has something to do with the meat. I eat Taco Bell at least once a week (used to eat it a few times a week), and I've never gotten the least bit sick from it. Just finished 2 bean burritos, a 7 layer burrito, and a cheesy gordita crunch (no meat, just beans of course), and I feel awesome. Will feel even more awesome after tomorrow mornings business... Yep. Sorry you all can't be a part of the Taco Bell fun. Maybe ya ought to give it a go just one more time before writing it off. You also might have eaten it when it was poisoned a few years back. :). I actually did eat it that day, but either got lucky, or I'm immune.

Hi Joe. Alas, I can honestly say I wasn't impressed with your favourite fast-food Co's quality, taste etc BEFORE I got sick. If you're ever north of the border, check out the Super Soft bean burrito at Taco Time and let me know what you think. It's the fast-"Mexican"-food chain of restaurants I grew up with so maybe I like it better 'cause it's what I'm used to. I will say, never got sick at a Taco Time.

This damn threads making me hungry. Luckily I've got all the fixings for making my own bean burrito right here at home. [drool]

Cheers,
FF
 
Wow. I don't get it, unless as I said earlier, it has something to do with the meat. I eat Taco Bell at least once a week (used to eat it a few times a week), and I've never gotten the least bit sick from it.

I used to love Taco Bell. Once oe twice a week Id find myself eating two or more items from the value menu (they had the best value menu around for a long while too). I cant say Ive ever gotten ill from eating Taco Bell, but eventually that crap starts to wear on your stomach. Eating even a bean burrito from TB now will make me feel bloated and pretty nasty. It'll give me some pretty bad gas as well. Every now and then I make another attempt, and I feel the same way. Maybe its the powdered beans that are often mixed with too much water? These days, if I want to eat like that, its all about Del Taco.

PS. There are other idiots on the internet who claim in blogs and forums that there is lard in taco bell refined beans, but there isn't. You can call them and ask yourself if ya don't believe me or this post. 1-800-822-6235.

Seems like it would be awfully hard to turn lard into powder form. :p
 
On road gigs it's been a mixed bag. The economics of travelling with a band seem to dictate that you should be trying to save some money. Totally understandable, since the life of a road band can be very much hand to mouth.

But the flipside is that you're TRAVELLING, and you're seeing / experiencing new things and places. Along with that should come experiencing the local cuisine. Sometimes it's good, and sometimes it's a disappointment. This is where a website like Yelp is really helpful. It can give you plenty of options and reviews of the local fare. I personally prefer to go that route because I'm more interested in supporting local businesses than big chains. Granted, there's been some controversy surrounding Yelp over the past couple of years, and that they may be actively filtering perfectly legit reviews of businesses that have refused to advertise on their site. But generally, it's a decent way of finding a good place to eat when you're on the road.
 
Everybody in our band eats what they want. A couple of the guys "watch" what they eat. Me? I'm 6'5" 248lbs. I can eat whatever I want, and, as much as I want. Because I'll just get up the next morning and run it off. If we stay the night somewhere, I'll get up the following morning, and go for my run. Needless to say, they think I'm crazy. But, for the past 12 years, I've always started my day with a run.
 
If I don't have a balanced meal 1-2 hours before I go on (especially protein), I'll get light-headed and stupid halfway through the show, to the point it actually affects my playing and I start messing up. It's happened to me too many times to ignore.

It's called low blood sugar(glucose). Ever been checked for diabetes? If not, I strongly urge you make an appointment with your doc! You may be pre-diabetic and can delay it's onset with proper diet.

Also, with all this eating going on while traveling, I suggest all you touring pros get a portable dental kit (brush, floss, paste, mouthwash ). Brush/floss, at the minimum, every twelve hours. And for sure before you go on stage. Nothing like food stuck in your teeth and bad breath to liven up your show. :eek:

Getting cavities and gum problems later on will eat up way more than the profits made on the road. :atoz: See the dentist two times a year, minimum.

As far as supplements, add vitamin D3 and Omega 3 fish oil to your travel kit along with your B complex. Working at night, sleeping during the day does not lend itself to getting the proper amount of sunlight to maintain a healthy D3 level. If you take a multi-vitamin make sure the D3 is at least 1000 IU, not 400 (which is the old standard).

IMO, combined, B Complex (B12,6,etc.), D3 and Omega 3, will go a long way to keeping your immune system in better shape and keep your brain working at top speed. I add a multi-vitamin on top of those to round out my supplements.

+infinity on drinking lots of water and not drinking soda (it's the phosphoric acid the rots your teeth).
 
Pinto Beans, Soy Oil (Trans Fat Free Shortening With TBHQ And Citric Acid To Protect Flavor), Seasoning Blend (Salt, Sugar, Spice, Beet Powder [Color], Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Sunflower Oil, Maltodextrin [Corn, Potato, Tapioca], Inactivated Yeast, Corn Flour, Natural Flavors, Trehalose, Modified Corn Starch And Less Than 2% Silicone Dioxide As A Processing Aid).

Shortening is the lard equivalent. Even if there is no trans fat, there is a lot of saturated fat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shortening
 
Your baby sitter in PA is an idiot. :)

I've heard lots of rumors about taco bell. I eat really healthfully about 90% of the time. I'm in better physical shape than just about any 52 year old I know (do I need to post more naked pictures?), and I just got a perfect bill of health from the most extensive physical I ever took in my life, including anal probes I had to be knocked unconscious for. Tell your babysitter to research before opening her trap, dammit! Here's what's in Taco Bells refried beans:

Pinto Beans, Soy Oil (Trans Fat Free Shortening With TBHQ And Citric Acid To Protect Flavor), Seasoning Blend (Salt, Sugar, Spice, Beet Powder [Color], Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Sunflower Oil, Maltodextrin [Corn, Potato, Tapioca], Inactivated Yeast, Corn Flour, Natural Flavors, Trehalose, Modified Corn Starch And Less Than 2% Silicone Dioxide As A Processing Aid).

PS. There are other idiots on the internet who claim in blogs and forums that there is lard in taco bell refined beans, but there isn't. You can call them and ask yourself if ya don't believe me or this post. 1-800-822-6235.

Dayum Joe, Sorry I insulted you with my last post man. I felt so bad about it I called my baby sister who is a physicians assistant with more than 24 years experience in her field, and told her what you said about what she said about the TB beans.

As usual it was me who was at fault. She reminded me she was talking about the majority of refried beans sold through food service outlets that were the nasty ones. She did tell me about TB but she was talking about the meat being suspect. Not paying enough attention, I came away with refried beans from TB (or most any other Mexican restaurant) are mostly lard with fillers and a little color and flavor.