Roadside Lunch in the American Southwest

Logistics

No matter what your travel preference is - fast food or sit and order - at lunchtime you have to be where the food is. Because we favor back roads, and because we are frequently in a park or forest after a morning hike, often we're not where the food is. So we have mastered a culinary travel masterpiece: Sheila & Dale's Excellent Roadside Lunch. The meal process start-to-finish takes 10 minutes, costs $10, tastes good, there is nothing to wash, and it can be done almost anywhere.

Shopping List

One package (6 ct) Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins.
A long time ago our roadside lunch menu featured a fancy multi-grain bread. The trouble with bread in the southwest is that it desiccates so fast that you eat crunchy sandwiches. We moved on to buns, which are a lot more resistant to drying out. But now we have discovered an even better sandwich foundation: Oroweat Sandwich Thins. They have the longest lived softness and moistness of anything we have tried. Taste good too!

27 oz. Swanson White Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water.
You can get 6 x 4½ oz. cans - or - 9 x 3 oz. cans - or - 3 x 9¾ oz. cans (9¾ oz. can requires an opener). Pouches of chicken are good too, if you can find them. FYI there was a time when we alternated chicken with salmon. We dropped salmon on account of its lingering, fishy, ineradicable aftertaste. Just personal preference - maybe you like canned salmon aftertaste - not passing judgment here...

12 oz. Miracle Whip in a squeeze bottle.
It should last for 4-6 lunches (8-12 sandwiches) and is easy to find when you need to resupply. Put this in the cooler after opening. You can use regular Mayo, too, although we were both raised on Miracle Whip and will stick with it forever.

4 oz. Inglehoffer Thick-n-Creamy Horseradish.
Depending on your tolerance for major sinus assault, this will last for 4-6 lunches (8-12 sandwiches). We carry a 4 oz. spare because it's hard to find Inglehoffer on the road. BTW, Woeber's is good too, it's just more fun to say "Inglehoffer". Put it in the cooler after opening.

One box Hostess Snack Size Fruit Pies (12 ct).
Leave them in the box so they don't get crushed. Our original dessert was a cup of fruit cocktail in light syrup. Nowadays you can hardly find it. Instead it's "100% Fruit Juice" or "No Sugar Added". YUCK.

6 Plastic or paper plates
3 Crystal plastic forks (strong for mixing)
3 Plastic knives
3 Plastic mix containers (42 - 48 oz.)
1 Roll Paper towels
3 2½-gallon zipper bags
3 Wet wipes

Now you are supplied with enough stuff to make 3 lunches for 2 people.

We put it all in a soft-side cooler we got at Bass Pro. Real nice because we can sling it over a shoulder when we walk to a picnic area. We used to have it all in a cardboard file box which is great for the car but not so convenient at lunchtime. Speaking of the car, we pack this just inside the driver's side back door for easy access.

Restock as needed.

Assembly Required

Drain 9 oz. of chicken.
Use a fork to mix the chicken with Miracle Whip in a disposable plastic container, breaking up chunks, adding Miracle Whip as needed for consistency.
Open 2 buns and spread on horseradish to taste.
Divide the chicken mixture between the 2 buns.
Eat your sandwich. Yum.
For dessert slurp down a fruit pie. Savor the sugar.
Trash goes in a 2½ gal. zipper bag to be dropped in the first garbage can you encounter.
Wet-Wipe your hands.

You're done. Hit the road.

Ambiance

We are prepared to have lunch just about anywhere and admittedly some spots are, well, unlovely. But on most travel days we are fortunate to find spots that are very nice. And on hiking days we often eat in magnificent surroundings. We sure miss those molded plastic seats at Wendy's, though.