Upcoming Conference

[christianmom247]

Hi! I'll be attending a conference next month where I'm likely to have no access to safe food. The nearby restaurants will have very long lines and limited selection during our short meal breaks. I won't have access to any fridge or micro, even in the hotel room. Any ideas on what I can take to eat besides a large pack of Kind bars?

[cyclinglady]

Will you have access to a grocery store?  Check online for a small grocery within walking distance.  Or will the hotel have a breakfast buffet?  If so, you can snag fresh fruit (bananas, apples).  Bring your own cereal, boxed milk (shelf stable) and make use of your ice bucket in your room.  It can act as a mini cooler to chill down juice or milk.  Small jar of peanut butter (good on apples), canned meats (e.g. salmon, tuna), crackers,  Go Picnic gluten-free Meals to Go, bagged salad (great with the canned salmon), veggies that you can eat raw.

 

Bring a small bowl, spoon, knife (if you're checking luggage), small cutting board, can opener and a folding mini cooler or buy a cheap foam cooler and you can toss it out at the end of your trip. 

 

I'm sure others will have ideas that I've forgotten.  I used to haul this stuff around even before my diagnosis because of my food allergies and I didn't like eating out very often by myself while on business trips.   

[kareng]

Hi! I'll be attending a conference next month where I'm likely to have no access to safe food. The nearby restaurants will have very long lines and limited selection during our short meal breaks. I won't have access to any fridge or micro, even in the hotel room. Any ideas on what I can take to eat besides a large pack of Kind bars?

Have you asked the hotel about a fridge? Many have them for people with a medical need. They aren't supposed to ask what the nature of the medical issue is. Call and ask about the hotel store or any stores nearby that might sell food items like a Quick Trip or grocery.

gluten-free beef jerky. WF has shelf stable pepperoni I think is gluten-free.

Go picnic boxes. Little squeeze packs of PB or Almond butter. Crackers. Nuts. Dried fruit - raisins, etc. Chex cinnamon or choc cereal. Instant noodles & gluten-free oatmeal if you have access to hot water ( coffee maker or the water for tea at the hotel breakfast). Pudding cups.

Apples & grapes & bananas do well at room temp. Really most fruits, tomaotes, etc. Might be able to buy a yogurt, chips, candy, banana to supplement.

A small cooler - get ice from the ice machine - Cold cuts & cheese. frozen sandwich. Salad - freeze the chicken. Yogurt. Hard boiled eggs. You might have to eat the cooler sandwich and salad the first day and then move on to the shelf stable foods. I find the little cheese sticks that are individually wrapped are OK for about 5 hours unrefrigerated and don't really go bad after that either its just they get soft.

Being a few paper plates, plastic baggies, plastic forks, spoons and a small paring knife. Maybe a cutting mat but I usually us a paper plate to cut an apple. Just to be prepared if there is something you can eat. Maybe a couple of the individual serving sizes of wine? gluten-free beer? You can ice up a bottle in the sink pretty quickly.

I'm not sure if you are driving or flying so that may effect how much you can bring. I got the mini crock pot that is made for heating up pre- cooked food in a few hours. You could bring a can of Bush's beans or freeze some chili and use that. Then come back to your room for lunch. They sell them at Target and Walmart.

Adding- bring a few napkins. I never have them when eating in your room.

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[notme45]

If you tell the hotel that you have a restricted medical diet then you might be surprised at how willing the hotel is to allow you to put food in their refrigerator.  It also wouldn't surprise me if the hotel actually does have a set of microwaves and min-fridges that they just don't admit to having unless you push a little bit.  Call the hotel and if the first person whom you speak to isn't willing to help then ask for a manager.  

 

Worse case scenario is you ship a cooler to yourself and fill it up with ice from the ice machine.  Microwaves are cheap these days.

 

By the way, the "find me gluten free" app is very helpful for finding places that sell gluten free products and or have gluten free menus.  You can see a web based version of the app if you google "find me gluten free". 

[anti-soprano]

don't forget nuts, assuming you can eat them.  I recently discovered that nutella on potato chips is a gift from God.  You may have to pack a bib for that one, though.