Amtrak's Hiawatha service trains do not have food service offerings, and that's fine by me. Here, a northbound approaches the Sturtevant, Wis., station. Photo by Brian Schmidt
It's been said that nothing could be finer than dinner in the diner, but there's nothing wrong with "brown bagging" it, either. Fred Frailey noted in a recent blog post that he stopped off for provisions before an overnight trip on the Silver Star. I think this is a marvelous approach. Last year, my wife and I set off on the Southwest Chief from Chicago in a bedroom with provisions for the planned three night journey: snacks, gum, and a bottle of wine for each night. There was no need, we thought, to fight our way to the lounge car each time we wanted some M&Ms.
Sure, we did have, as the saying goes, dinner in the diner each night, and for the cost of a bedroom on Amtrak, we should. But sometimes I think people get too hung up over on-board food offerings. Don't like it? Don't patronize it!
Somewhere, as we grew further apart from our European ancestors, the American diet changed. Some days I'll have just pita chips and humus, granola or trail mix, and maybe some fresh fruit for lunch. That is just about a perfect light meal to take aboard for a medium distance train journey. No need to worry about what the cafe car will stock, or what it costs.
It is also, from what I understand of my friends "across the Pond," quite European – at least on the continent. Maybe that's a custom we could learn from.
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