[LEL17] Food choices at the controls

[Phil W]

I noticed the discussion on food at controls  and thought I'd pull it out into its own thread.

We have had the idea to add the following checkboxes to a section of the rider area, so you can indicate if you are

Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten intolent
Have a nut allergy

It will give us an idea of the numbers of each amongst the riders and help controls to plan their food choices and qtys. Are these the main categorisations to be concerned with without going overboard? We will be getting the text translated into each of the languages of the website so would like it to be right first time.

[Kim]

Lactose intolerant?

[alfapete]

Lactose intolerant?

Thought that might be a step too far, but Mrs alfapete has put me right. 65% of the world population is lactose intolerant, especially those from Asian and Afro-Caribbean parts of the world

[fuaran]

The vegan food would be suitable for those who are lactose intolerant.

[hellymedic]

The vegan food would be suitable for those who are lactose intolerant.

It would. I am not lactose-intolerant but I know that there might be times on a long ride that I could murder a bucket of milky tea.
I would need lacto-free if I were.

I appreciate this could be difficult but the supermarkets do now supply lacto-free (which, incidentally has a much longer shelf life than ordinary milk).

[Phil W]

Thanks all.

I'll add lactose intolerance into the list.  Armed with the information controllers can at least make intelligent choices with regards to suitable food and qtys. Plus also think about labelling of food  during the event.

[Kim]

Plus also think about labelling of food  during the event.

That's more important than providing eleventy special options, IME.  Especially when people have specific needs that don't fit into a nice simple category (and under audax conditions what would otherwise be minor digestive trouble can ruin your day).  Information is power.

[hellymedic]

Sufferers of some food intolerance are VERY sensitive to minute traces of offending substances contaminating their food, which is a right PITA for concerned.
How you keep a severely peanut-allergic person away from contaminants is a challenge!

[IanDG]

Need to be sure that those who request get. Nothing worse than the meat eaters choosing the 'veggie' options and leaving no choice for the 'veggies'.

My (worst) One experience was a group meal in a Chinese restaurant with revolving table where everyone decided they wanted to try the veggie option so when it finally got back to me there was only a few spoonfuls left

[eck]

Unforgettable moment on H-B-K-H.
The Berlin control was some sort of sports complex with food served from a hatch.
All that seemed to be on offer was soup with a HBFO sausage floating in it.
When the lady handed this to McNasty he said he was vegetarian.
So, she fished out the offending article and handed him the bowl of "vegetarian" soup.

Neither that setback nor the minor inconvenience of the famous broken frame stopped him from completing the ride.

[Tomsk]

I'd be happy with an all-veggie menu. Easier to prep and store ingredients, fewer food safety issues. More or less as we did at Gt Easton in 2013: Porridge, toast, cereal, jacket potatoes, baked beans, cheese, tomato soup, Haribo [techically not veggie 'cos of the gelatine, I know], crisps and other salty snacks, DIY sandwiches [ok, I think we may have had ham as an option there]. And an ice cream van anchored in the car park 

If I really need it, I know where to go to satisfy dirty Full English breakfast cravings, at least from Lincolnshire southwards. 

[Chris S]

Easton was one of our favourite controls in 2013 - it was basically a kid's tea party  .

[postie]

I only eat very spicy food on long rides, helps settle my stomach 😈 ideally a vindaloo at every control.

[Phil W]

I only eat very spicy food on long rides, helps settle my stomach 😈 ideally a vindaloo at every control.

Funnily enough spicy food made up a lot of what I had on the Wild Atlantic Way Audax outside of the sleep controls. For exactly the reason you say!

[L.Lagopus]

My (worst) experience was a group meal in a Chinese restaurant with revolving table where everyone decided they wanted to try the veggie option so when it finally got back to me there was only a few spoonfuls left

You must have an extraordinarily pleasant life. 

[Exit Stage Left]

Do not underestimate the terrifying power of the 'Lazy Susan'.

[cress]

Fwiw the control at gt easton was the saviour of my ride. Just when I could handle beans and pasta no more a kids party turned up and I was flying high to the finish on that.

[IanDG]

My (worst) experience was a group meal in a Chinese restaurant with revolving table where everyone decided they wanted to try the veggie option so when it finally got back to me there was only a few spoonfuls left

You must have an extraordinarily pleasant life. 

I wish

(I say some stupid things when I've had a few beers)

[MikeFromLFE]

I'd be happy with an all-veggie menu. Easier to prep and store ingredients, fewer food safety issues. More or less as we did at Gt Easton in 2013: Porridge, toast, cereal, jacket potatoes, baked beans, cheese, tomato soup, Haribo [techically not veggie 'cos of the gelatine, I know], crisps and other salty snacks, DIY sandwiches [ok, I think we may have had ham as an option there]. And an ice cream van anchored in the car park 

There's a lot to be said for that approach (with a burger van next to the ice cream van!)


Sent from my brain to my iPad using my fingers and Tapatalk

[bhoot]

As I recall food at Eskdalemuir was all vegetarian, and also very yummy. We stopped intending to get a snack and ended up having a fabulous three course lunch.