Camping Food

What do you eat when you go camping? Got any ideas for me? It’s not that I don’t enjoy the food we eat when we are out in the middle of nowhere, with ice melting in the cooler and feeling like I just will not get these burgers cooked before they acquire a strain of botulism.

Here is our menu for an entire weekend.

Friday night supper – A macaroni salad we brought from home, maybe something made of actual meat. Must eat these quickly as the Miracle Whip and any raw meat will not last in the cooler over night, per my mother.

Saturday breakfast – Pancakes, known when we are camping as Pannekuchen (our sorry German translation).

Saturday lunch – A can of Spaghettios if we are at camp. Sandwiches, carrot sticks, applesauce or fruit in a cup if we are off bumming somewhere. A while back we discovered these tuna snack pack things. There is a packet of tuna, packet of mayonnaise, packet of relish, six crackers, a mint, a spoon, a napkin, even a handi-wipe, all in a clever tray to mix it all together in. This is our usual on the road lunch these days.

Saturday supper – Macaroni and cheese, hot dogs (I believe hot dogs can survive several weeks without refrigeration due to the amount of chemicals they are injected with), a can of vegetables.

Saturday around the campfire if we managed to get one going – S’mores. Duh, that’s a no brainer.

Sunday breakfast – cold cereal, maybe pop tarts. By now the milk is getting warm, and I have to finish it off or dump it.

Sunday lunch – We are often heading home by now, so will usually nibble graham crackers or what’s left of the pop tarts as we go.

Honestly, as boring as this sounds (because it is the same every time), I love this food. It takes me back to a little dome tent pitched along Lake Superior. It brings back all kinds of warm memories, memories of cold wet mornings, memories of loons calling to each other in the night, memories of laughter and love and goofiness.

But that food sure nauseates me at home.