Author Topic: Food, Tech Dinners, etc (Merged Topics)  (Read 42480 times)

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casper

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Food, Tech Dinners, etc (Merged Topics)
« on: Mar 08, 2005, 10:20 am »
What kind of food or meals do you guys tote around to rehearsals?  I find myself spending way too much money on fast food junk.  I don't need anything exceptionally healthy, but fast food gets old!  Any ideas?  (I do have access to a fridge and microwave)

thanks!

Kat

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« Reply #1 on: Mar 08, 2005, 01:28 pm »
Well, I love to cook, so therefore I have a tendancy to cook a big pot of something good in my slowcooker, (chili, chicken, pasta, whatever is in my house) and put it in tupperware. That way, I know that I'm eating something healthy that will keep my energy up. If it's tech week and even the idea of putting stuf in my crock pot seems like too much effort, I buy several frozen meals (love rice bowls) and keep them in the freezer in the the theatre office =-) Fast food just drags your enegy down, in my opinion. Good luck! We all understand this dilemma. ~Kat
"I've done so much, with so little for so long; now I can do anything with nothing."

linka

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« Reply #2 on: Mar 08, 2005, 01:38 pm »
I wish I were fond of cooking. Or wish that you were nearby so I could  beg food off of you! During rehearsals, I seem to snack a lot so I don't then need a big meal or crave fast food as much. I eat a lot of baby carrots and hummus (thanks Jules Aaron for getting me addicted) and I carry around a jar of peanut butter and crackers or bananas or dried fruit in my bag. Then in the morning, I stop off at the deli at Safeway and either get some tuna salad or egg salad or chili and plop that on one of those precut bags of lettuce. And i have a zillion containers of yogurt in the fridge when I have access to one. It usually keeps me going until I get home.

Wow. I never thought of my eating habits before. What a good exercise.

lejenna

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« Reply #3 on: Mar 08, 2005, 01:41 pm »
I carry carrots and cookies (the very crunchy kind) and sometimes chips... usually not, though.  I find that these things make excellent chew toys for me during tough rehearsals (i.e. I bite into them rather than the director).  Other than that, the food that I carry varies.  If I have access to a fridge and microwave (very rare treat in the spaces I'm sm'ing) I'll try to pack a sandwhich or soup or a salad.  Fast food can get old really fast.  Is there a natural food store or a grocery anywhere near you?  I've found that these places (at least here) are starting to put in sandwhich counters for the grab and go crowd.  It's still spending money on food, but at least you're not left saying "Ewww, that soybean paste that taco bell uses as it's deep frying oil is oozing out of my pores...."

casper

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« Reply #4 on: Mar 08, 2005, 02:01 pm »
thanks everybody!  i honestly do feel like this junk food is ousing out of my poors.  i am going to have to give in to carrots.  i couldn't stand them as a child, but i don't mind them now...they just have to be cooked.  i will make the attempt again at them raw.  peanut butter is a great idea.  i will eat that on anything!

any more ideas/suggestions?

smejs

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« Reply #5 on: Mar 08, 2005, 05:03 pm »
I'm a huge fan of the Stauffer's animal crackers you can get at Sam's Club and Wal-Mart (and a few other places)...fairly filling and not terribly bad for you, including being low fat.  Am also a fan of a box of Wheat Thins (I prefer reduced fat, but hey) near the table.  The little pre-packages bowls of apple sauce or puddings are handy, too.  If I have a microwave, I do often do pre-made frozen entrees...but sometimes the timing doesn't work out.  I do make sandwiches for work, or salads, and definitely do make large batches of stuff at home and put in tupperware like a previous response...I find if I don't vary it, I get bored and more likely to order out should the opportunity arise.

linka

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« Reply #6 on: Mar 08, 2005, 08:18 pm »
ick! cooked carrots! =)

Actually, this last show, I started to take around those bag of raw bagged veggies so I wouldn't turn orange anymore. Now I'm addicted to raw cauliflower.

But, yes, peanut butter is my friend. Handy too because I suffer low blood sugar so it sometimes gives me that pick me up I need.

Frozen food wise, I find that I don't get as "ill" from it if it's the organic meals from like Trader Joes. Otherwise, I tire of frozen meals pretty quickly. They also have those soups that you can add water that are tasty too.



Okay, now I'm starving. Off to eat!

nmno

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« Reply #7 on: Mar 09, 2005, 12:07 am »
I don’t really do anything special for meals while I’m in rehearsal.  I guess my favorite is mixed greens with walnuts, gorgonzola, & dried cranberries with raspberry dressing. Although sometimes I specifically DON’T bring a lunch so I force myself to leave the building, (ie, take a break).  I do like to keep a stash of “quick and quiet” food like dried fruit, cheese slices, pita bread. I don’t like eating while people are working, but if I need to I can sneak a nibble without anyone noticing.

During tech, I live by Aram Sandwiches!  I find that I never make time to eat lunch, I forget, and then it’s time to start tech and my next chance is a 10 min break, which usually gets spent answering questions, et al -    But with the arams, I just need to save myself a few seconds of break time to grab a slice & pop it in my mouth, without a big commitment or mess.  They are sort of a pain the in butt to make, but many grocery store delis sell them (safeway, alberstons, Costco).

For my tech treats to share, I like to set out one from each of my Tech food groups: SALTY - goldfish, pretzels, popcorn. HEALTHY - raisins, banana chips, carrots, sugarsnap peas. SWEET - Tub o’ Red Vines, caramels, honey roasted peanuts. and CHOCOLATE - Kisses, M&M’s, the options are endless.  I usually buy a couple from each group, spending no more than $40 (petty cash), then rotate what I put out.  If I can, I’ll do something cute and related to the show (like orange slices & cracker jacks for a show about little league).

benthehack

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« Reply #8 on: Mar 11, 2005, 02:52 am »
If I don't fuel my body well throughout the first week of production I am utterly useless. I usually drink about ten cups of coffee a day, but come the start of a run (and during) I'm completely off of it (Chai Tea substitutes).

Easy food? Make your own soup and tupperware it (the best things created, tupperware). Freeze this 10-12 containers of this soup and take one a day - you won't have to refrigerate it during the day because it's frozen but of course you will have to have a microwave. I'm sure the healthy soup full of vegetables that you made will keep your energy up (Ginger Carrot, very healthy and tasty, keeps one from getting sick (mostly))

Crock pot - already mentioned - golden, but always make enough for a few days. Always. I never cook for just one day - this doesn't make sense to me.

Stir fry things, full of veggies and protein are not that hard to make - maybe a little more expensive, but you will feel good after. I don't find fast food makes me feel very good, so I don't eat it.

Snacks - spend twenty minutes on Sunday cleaning veggies and fruits, even simple things like apples, bag them and make sure you have them with you throughout the week. If you don't like veggies, start. Stay away from sugar (a terrible thing to suggest). If you can stay away from things like sugar, wheat and yeast, and excessive fats, you are putting yourself through a mini-cleanse, and your energy will increase throughout the week.

While pitas do contain wheat, if you can use them in moderation with veggies and spreads (hummous is great) they will provide quick bursts of energy through the carbs.

But simply during rehearsals, I make sure I have a bag of veggies to keep me busy, because I like to eat all day. Energy bars are great (very easy to make but way easier to buy, as long as they are healthy).

The healthier you can make the foods you eat the more energy you will have - a very simple equation.

casper

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« Reply #9 on: Mar 11, 2005, 05:34 pm »
thanks to everyone for all of the awesome ideas.  (i have found this a fun thread!)  i have really been trying hard this week not to eat out and have had great success!  i probably saved about $30.  i went to the grocery store and got some dried fruit, peanut butter, sugar free pudding, pistachios, peanuts, and other things for snacks.  i also got salad fixings, sandwich stuff and the fridge pack of water bottles and lemonade.  i spend so much money on the vending machines for my drinks.  anyhoo, thanks again for the suggestions.........keep 'em coming!

Gina

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« Reply #10 on: Mar 16, 2005, 09:53 am »
I like to cook a couple meals on my dark day closest to tech (when I have one) and make individual glad ware containers...the I have a variety of homecooked meals to choose from in stead of beef stew for a week straight. Sometimes I'll make a big easily portable meal to bring  in for the Green Room....great morale booster (just make sure is a tired and true recipee, I don't want to make my production staff into guinee pigs--thats what roomates are for.)

Snack Wise- Chips and Salsa are amazing! Carrots and hummus as mentioned before. Look at kid's afteroon snacks...easy, portable, no clean up---that's what I'm looking for.

Also....vending machines are evil, while convienent but you save about 50% by just buying a six pack of soda or water, ect and storing it rather than hitting the machine over and over....and when the machine is out---ahhh.

Well that's my two cents.

lejenna

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« Reply #11 on: Mar 16, 2005, 07:58 pm »
So................. is it a good thing or a bad thing if you find yourself trying to put together your regular dinner based on what people have posted that they eat during a tech weeks? :?

Mac Calder

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« Reply #12 on: May 05, 2005, 12:42 am »
I am a uni student and a SM/Light Designer/Sound Op/Sound Designer/Light Op, so being full time and having one or two shows on the go at once means I will often leave at 7am and get home at 3 or 4am... god I am pleasent in those 8am tutes!!!

I have found the BEST thing in the world is home done air popped popcorn. There is no butter, so there is no fat. 1 cup makes a hell of a lot, it is uber cheap, has substance, and takes two minutes. For AU$30 (read: Jack all for anyone outside of AU) I purchased an air popper and about 10 100g bags of popping corn.
That will last months, and popping corn is like AU$0.6 for a hundred g.

I take a large bowl and put it in the middle of the production desk - this takes me up a notch with the directors and cast. I love using spices, so I experiment with the popcorn's flavour, using a number of spices, and a light spray of "Pure and Simple" (that cooking spray that stops things sticking, or rather assists the spices to stick). Low fat, high taste, and just enough to get me through the rehearsals.

When it comes to meals - Snitzel ?sp? - cook it the night before, and refridgerate. Cut into strips, shove it in some pittabread with mayo and letuce, wrap and keep cold (although it is still edible after 8hrs in the car without refridgeration, it is not advisable)

Anything that can be reheated quickly - ie I used to take hotdogs (Aussie hotdogs (Frankfurts), not sausages) and place them in a bowl with boiling water for a few minutes then eat with bread.

Stews, anything.

During tech week, I live on cheese rolls, fruit and vegetables. Then I make sure I have meat for breakfast.

centaura

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« Reply #13 on: May 05, 2005, 10:16 am »
I find that I either tend to forget to drink, or end up drinking lots of pop - all carbonation and little hydration value.  So, as I don't like plain water, I find ways to 'trick' myself into drinking water.  I fill a water bottle with water and pour a little Crystal Light (a very low calorie koolaid/softdrink flavoring) into it.  Takes a little bit to figure out the right amount to put in (though they've started to make little water-bottle sized servings).  Then whenever I run out during the day, I can just refill the water bottle at any sink or water fountain and put some more in.  Saves money over pop, has almost no calories, and by using the same bottle for several days I'm also recycling.  It also covers up the flavor of local waters when they taste a little off.

As for fast food - its something that I can't avoid.  But I will tell you what I tell my new actors at the begining of a tour.  You can eat healthier at fast food places, you just have to stop a moment and really read the menu.  I find that folks tend to walk into McDonalds and order the same thing every time, without really thinking about what they're doing.  A lot of the fast food places have been adding healthy options to their menus.  Wendy's salads are great, and they also have baked potatoes.  If I must have a sandwich, I get the side salad and not the fries.  Sandwich shops, a deli, or places like that are also favorites for me.  Where you can get fresh ingredients that haven't been deep fried.  If you have a fridge, you can get a bottle of whatever your favorite dressing is and keep it in there - the main source of fat for fast food salads are the dressings the restaurant gives you.

While home cooked is best, if you don't have that option, take a minute and explore all the different fast food around.  With some effort, it is possible to avoid a lot of the deep-fried, and trying new things can be fun!

-Centaura

giabow

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« Reply #14 on: Jun 22, 2005, 08:30 pm »
I usually bring iced tea or water to rehearsal.  There's always coffee (if you're brave enough to drink it) and tea available in the lobby, for those days when you want something hot.

As for food, I try to eat before I go to rehearsal.  On those days where I have to get a meal during/before/after rehearsal, I usually go to this little Mexican takeout place down the street from the theatre.  They make chicken tacos to die for.

Oh, and also Iced Coffee from Dunkin' Donuts to get me through 9am rehearsals on Sunday.

 

riotous