TomWillington

Hi,

Will be in the middle east region starting soon for possible upwards of 3 months depending on how things go. I've recently done a big motorcycle tour of Europe and found my small cooking pot and stove to be valuable companions, but for this trip I was thinking of leaving them behind. Well actually, they are in Switzerland and I'd rather not buy new ones, but seriously, I'm always packing as light as possible, especially on this trip, and I am wondering what other options there are.

I'm not particularly picky when it comes to food, so although it can be nice to have hot meals, I am willing to for go the ability to make my own in favour of less weight and space, not having to figure out where to get little fuel canisters, and generally being easy. Of course the occasional meal can be bought at any one of a number of places on the road, and I've also read many instances of being invited for meals, but in the most general sense, lets discuss uncooked meals on the road.

I'm thinking most things having a bass in bread, and eating lots of raw veggies, power foods like nuts and fruits, and pretty much getting my meat when I'm in a position to buy it from a stand/restaurant.

Any other thoughts on this? Am I being stupid and it is in fact too valuable something to leave behind? I don't really drink hot drinks in the morning or can easily forgo this... Thanks for your thoughts, Tom

raybo

I always carry a stove when I tour and recommend you do, as well.

If you can't afford a new store, make one from a couple aluminum cans.

If you don't want to carry a stove, here are some links to foods that don't require cooking:

Snack foods people take on tour

Foods that require no cooking

Here are 24 links (including the two above) about food/cooking on tour. Not all of them will be of interest to you but some may provide more options.

Ray

lee kenney

see instructables.com re alcohol stoves. crazyguyonabike re fuel sources

lee kenney

see instructabuls.com re stoves.crazyguyonabike for fuel supply issues

TomWillington

Wow, sweet! That pretty much says it then. And even if I start out without one, can easily grab that stuff just about anywhere and put one together! Thanks

staehpj1

It is easy enough to avoid cooking, but I figure that a pop can stove and stand is light enough (it can be less than an ounce for stove and stand combined) that I am inclined to always carry one. In fact even the pot can be made from a can and it is possible to keep pot, stand, and stove at around an ounce. I carry a windscreen and a real pot, but still it is only a few ounces. Check out https://zenstoves.net/ for lots of info on this.

You mentioned that you would be "pretty much getting my meat when I'm in a position to buy it from a stand/restaurant". That doesn't necessarily need to be the case. There are lots of canned, dried, or foil packed meat products that do not require cooking. Canned or foil packed tuna or salmon, dried chipped beef, potted ham, and jerky all come to mind.

Altair 4

Given the OP's destination of the Middle East, ham might not be the best choice.

MichaelW

You will need some utensils. A spoon for yogourt and a small plastic-handled paring knife with a peeler. Swiss army knives take too much water to clean. and you cant boil.
Beware food hygene with raw food. Basically peel then eat.
On my non-cooking camping trips I keep some emergency rations such as tins of fish and biscuits. Middle eastern cheese tends to be soft white style. There is one that is preserved in olive oil. You also have dates, olives (tins or sachets).
If you are eating evening meals in towns, you probably wont be able to camp wild.

There are some improvised stoves that you can make from tin cans with a hacksaw blade or very tough knife to punch or cut bits out.. A petrol stove is made by filling a can with some sand. A wood stove (for small twigs) needs more metal removed.

Machka 

Leave the stove behind! There are lots of meals you can make without cooking. Take a stroll through your local grocery store to get some ideas. They will likely have some very different choices in middle eastern grocery stores etc., but taking a good look at what is available in your grocery stores can give you a good idea of the possibilities.

BTW - with regard to meat ... you'll likely find quite a bit of sheep, goat, and fish.

rothenfield1

If really want to go Spartan, MRE's are an option. They really aren't that bad.
https://www.mreinfo.com/

staehpj1

Has anyone actually used MREs for a major portion of their diet on anything more than a very short tour? It would seem like this would either require that you carry food for the whole tour or arrange mail drops along the way both of which would be a hassle. Carrying food for the whole tour sounds like a bad idea on any but the very shortest tours and downright impossible on a long tour. The mail drop option works OK in the US, but maybe not everywhere (do they do general delivery in the middle east?). Besides, if you pass a post office you also pass a store with real food that is undoubtedly better and usually much cheaper than MREs.

It seems like the usual method of buying food daily or at least as close to daily as is possible would be a much better way to go.

Gotte

My friend and I recently toured in Germany, and to keep cost low, bought bread, cheese, ham, dried sausage and chocolate in budget supermarkets. It was great at the start, as we could stop and eat alfresco whenever we wanted. But after three days, boy, were were sick of bread, cheese, ham, dried sausage and chocolate.
Well, okay, maybe not the chocolate.

Pscyclepath

Some of us in Uncles Sam's service have had the pleasure of living on them for extended periods... several months at a time, with an occasional break for a B- or T-ration meal ;-) You get to where you know every component of every menu by heart.

It's okay, but you really appreciate anything else when you have the chance.

Altair 4

https://survivalacres.com/information/mres.html points out the pros and cons of MREs. Constipation seems to be an unpleasant side effect.

Pscyclepath

MRE's are pretty much self-regulating. If you're plugged up, eat the bean packet. If you need to shut the plumbing down again, eat the cheese packet. ;-)

WalksOn2Wheels

This has to be my favorite post about camping food, ever.

X-LinkedRider

I never carry a stove as there is always too much bulk and clinging associated with them for my taste. I do however ALWAYS carry my JetBoil. you can always buy more attachments like pots, pans, and skillets but I only really ever use the Rapid Boil Thermos to cook ramen noodles, oatmeals, soups or anything else requiring hot water. I also find this comes in handy for making teas along the way. Couple these things with some beef jerky, peanut butter w/ bread and some fruit snacks or dehydrated fruit and you should feel pretty well full whenever you need to.

All in all, the JetBoil is slightly costly at around 80-120 dollars but its way more efficient on fuel than most stoves and weights far less, but most importantly takes up the least amount of space.

electrik

Oh god, be careful with the MRE I have heard some horror stories about a weeks worth coming out in one, uh, movement.

Chris L

I do this too, but I've never toured in the Middle East, so it may not work so well over there. But then, every where has different options. Usually I'll eat out at lunch (which is often much cheaper than eating out at dinner time), then I'll get a few basics from a grocery store somewhere and make up some salad sandwiches for dinner, which can be surprisingly filling. I also bring a cooler bag, so I can carry a couple of days worth of salad ingredients in that (I wouldn't try to keep it any longer than that, and the heat of the Middle East might make even that problematic). But then, you might find a better local option when you arrive.

Cyclebum

No cooking. No problem. Stock up with basics, enough for 2/3 days, supplement at food outlets as available or desired.
Won't be much different than here. Water may be more of an issue than food. Can be in western US.

Now if you were talking about some really remote area like darkest Africa or Siberia, be an entirely different matter.