Kosher Food and Drink

As frequent readers of my restaurant reviews may have figured out, I travel domestically fairly frequently for work. It’s not the every-week-every-month-every-year grind that some sales and consultancy workers endure, but it’s enough that it has certainly had an impact on my personal life. I am blessed with older children and an understanding spouse, so what would have been a disastrous level of travel five years ago is only mildly inconvenient these days.

If you don’t keep kosher and you travel frequently, life isn’t so bad. Doubly so if the company’s paying! Every place has some decent restaurants; even some of the more rural places I’ve been to have the local spots that are worth a visit. However, if you keep strict kosher, you quickly find out that remote places can be pretty tricky to deal with.

I am sure everyone has their own way of dealing with all this, but I felt like it’d be worthwhile to lay out my own process.

First: plan ahead and do some research. Is there a local Vaad? Is there a local Orthodox synagogue? Is there a local Chabad? Do not assume there is a local Chabad. While it’s trendy to claim Chabad is everywhere, I can assure you, Chabad is not everywhere.

If any of these institutions happen to exist, they should be able to quickly point you to any local kosher options. For example, I travel to Dayton (Ohio) fairly frequently. Dayton doesn’t have any Orthodox synagogues besides the local Chabad. The Chabad, however, does offer a kosher meal service that they deliver. It’s not cheap, but it is very good, and having fresh food (even cold) can be a major morale booster.

Second: choose where you stay carefully. If you can get locally-sourced kosher food, you’re going to want a refrigerator, and preferably a microwave. Microwaves can be easily kashered, and hot food can really hit the spot after a long day. Not all hotels provide refrigerators and microwaves, especially (paradoxically) the really nice hotels. Call ahead before you book, and determine which hotels have what you need. Some hotels oriented towards longer-stays will have full-sized fridges and kitchenettes, which are phenomenal if you’re going to be there a while. For example, here’s a brand guide from Marriott:

The hotels in the Select and Longer Stay categories are more likely to have these sorts of in-room amenities.

I regularly stay in Las Vegas in upscale hotels like the Aria and the Cosmpolitan (not my choice). These places do not have refrigerators, which means I’m tossing leftovers – a soul-crushing move when you’re coming back with great food from Burnt Offerings or Jerusalem. It’s survivable because I can get kosher food delivered very easily, but it feels like a real waste.

Third: if you’ve determined that there is no local source of kosher food, you’re going to have to fall back to whatever you can bring, and local grocery stores, Walmarts, etc. Plan ahead. The good news is that in the US, this can be pretty workable. For example, the widely-available Morningstar boxed meals will hold in your fridge for a few days, and can be easily heated up in your (kashered) microwave. Fresh fruits and vegetables will also hold well enough on the table of your hotel room for a few days. Bread and canned tuna or PB&J can make easy sandwiches. And, of course, snacks and disposable plates/utensils are easily available almost anywhere.

If you simply must have meat, shelf stable meals and canned fish are an option. I will typically pack a few with me. Be aware that TSA may not want you to transport these through the security checkpoint, and they may need to go in your checked bags. I like to bring a few kinds of fish with me so I don’t get bored, and I similarly try to vary shelf-stable meals, too.

I have a preference for the real kosher MREs as a lunch option when I’m on-site. They pack compactly into a backpack, they don’t taste terrible, and if you vary the flavors you bring, you won’t even get too sick of them. People will look at you a little funny, but if you keep kosher, you’re used to that anyways.

A word of warning, though: do not eat shelf stable meals every meal. Besides the simple nutrition issues (like excessive sodium intake), these things will screw up your digestive system pretty badly if they’re your entire diet for a week. Even just some canned fish and vegetables is a better bet than a steady course of shelf stable meals. If you need to season things, some easily-available French’s Fried Onions or hot sauce can help.

I try to be prepared for remote meal prep by bringing my own can opener, some quart-sized plastic bags, and a small set of plastic utensils. These don’t take up much room in your luggage, and will prove useful in any number of situations. Bringing a decent knife is also a good idea, albeit that will mean you have to check your bag.

Finally: if you are going to be staying for a couple weeks or more, consider buying a cheap slow cooker at your destination. These are about twenty bucks, which means you’re not out much money when you leave it behind. They open up a lot of options for you in terms of making good hot food, even if it’s something as trivial as vegetable soup from fresh vegetables (hope you brought a knife!). Just make sure your hotel is OK with you running a slow cooker in your room. For easier cleaning, consider using disposable liners.

As you can see from the above, the key here is preparation. The art of eating well – and kosher – on the road effectively means doing the planning ahead of time, and selectively bringing a little extra with you when required. There’s usually no need to compromise on kashrus or bring mountains of food with you – you just need to game it out before you leave.

Safe travels, and good eats!