Cooking on the go

Hey Gen!
On the road I usually use my MSR backpacking stove. But I often take it and never use it. I'm usually quite content with cold food....cheese, crackers, fruit, salads, protein bars, stuff like that. If I want something hot, I usually go to a drive-thru window. I don't think anything can beat the McDonald's $1 menu. I can get a double cheeseburger for $1 and then drink my own pop or water, and then have an apple or a chunk of cheese for dessert and I'm happy. Usually once every 2-3 days, I'll splurge on a good restaurant meal...something a bit more gourmet than McD's.

I'm getting a chuckle about your hair dryer simply because I've never even owned a hair dryer. I've had long hair and short hair and, either way, have always preferred the dry natural method. However, I'm not laughing at you. Believe me, I've in the "I don't mind getting old but I'm going to fight it every step of the way" stage. Meaning, I have a very elaborate skincare routine that I do whether at home, on the road, camping, or backpacking. I feel naked without all the goop on my face these days. :-)

ETA: I have seen those butaine stoves that come in their own little case. Very nice. I've considered splurging on one of them. It certainly looks easier to use than my MSR. How do you like it? If I ever get to the point where I think I'll bother cooking more while on the road, I'll probably invest in one.

Judy,

Wow you are my idol, you mean you REALLY never owned a hair dryer? That must be great...If I don't my hair is flat, and I mean really really flat, you know the kind of hair that's very very straight and you cannot do anything with? But I don't make a big deal out of it, I just put my head upside down and blow it dry! And I don't know where you live but in these parts, believe me when it's minus 45 Celsius outside you can't just leave the house with your hair wet!:o(( I did it a few times though...Not a great idea :o)

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I can get a double cheeseburger for $1 and then drink my own pop or water, and then have an apple or a chunk of cheese for dessert and I'm happy.

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Okay, I admit it I'm a McD's cheeseburger addict too, especially when I'm in a rush. I probably ate like 5 McDonalds cheeseburgers a week on my last trip to the west because I didn't have much time to stop... yuck! don't want to think about it too much. The most fascinating thing, I don't know if you noticed, but even though it's a chain, their food don't taste the same at all depending in what part of America you are. They try to make them all look the same but they're not. And you can find stuff in some McDonalds that are not available at others like pizza, subways, poutines,...fried chicken!

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I usually use my MSR backpacking stove

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MSR : is that a brand or some kind of stove? I'm not really familiar with all American brands...

Gen

When I was a kid growing up my mom had a hair dryer. I remember using that. I've just never been much into doing my hair. I've worn it long and straight, mid-length and short and I just don't mess with it. When it was long, I just let it dry naturally or would braid it when wet so, when it dried, I would have natural waves. I washed it at night then. When it was mid-length, I also let it dry naturally but did use a combo curling iron/dryer so I guess I have owned a hair dryer. Dang...forgot about that. Anyway, I didn't use it to actually dry my hair completely just the ending part of the drying to finish the ends of the hair. Does that make sense? I tend to get up quite early and, if I shower right away, there's a lot of time for my hair to dry before I typically need to go anywhere. Now I'm wearing my hair fairly short....It's just below my ears with a bit of layering. I like that kinda messy look so popular now. So I just let it dry most of the way and then put some goop in it and mess it up. Easy!

I live on the WA state coast. Believe me, it NEVER gets that cold. We seldom get below freezing. Well, we can get a pretty good windchill factor going from the ocean, but if I leave the house in the morning with damp hair I'm usually in my car and then get to my destination so a little damp hair is no biggee. Believe me, if I had to go out in temps like that...brrrrrr!!!...I'd probably be blow-drying, too.

Anyway....we all have our quirks. I'm just all thumbs when it comes to hair.

Now, Gen, you might want to watch "Supersize me"....eating at the dreaded McD's that much might make you too sick for those marathon blitz drives! (Seriously, that movie is amazing!) Actually, I'm just teasing ya a bit. Although it's hardly a healthy meal, when once is on a quest, speed and convenience can sure outweigh healthy choices. :-)

MSR....yeah, it's a brand. Here's a webpage showing the types of stoves I'm talking about. http://www.backcountrygear.com/catal...anister_stoves
They're just very convenient and small to pack so, if I don't use it, it's no biggee. I take miniature cooking gear, too. Like this type: http://www.backcountrygear.com/catal...ail.cfm/MSR158
I prefer traveling with as light-weight of gear, and as small, as possible. Of course, I'm driving in a little car so that makes sense. And we used to backpack a lot. Less now but we still try to do it a time or two a year. So this is the type of gear we already had.