Is it possible to eat cheap, and well, traveling the U.S.?
A friend from Italy is in the process of planning a road trip around the United States and recently e-mailed me to ask where he could find cheap food on his trip.
I'm also planning a trip around the States this summer and have been thinking about the same thing. Sadly, I've come to the conclusion that in the U.S., cheap food is bad food.
There may be some taco trucks in LA, some Airstreams serving tasty stuff in Austin and a handful of other exceptions, but by and large, when it comes to eating cheap in the U.S. you're looking at fast food.
Even at the supermarket, packaged foods are generally cheaper than natural foods like produce. The strange thing is that this is totally the opposite of the rest of the world.
As Wade of Vagabond Journey fame writes on his blog, in the rest of the world, "the poor are the people eating fresh vegetables and recently slaughtered meat, and dairy that came from the breasts of cows that are still kicking. Processed food from squeaky clean supermarkets is usually the reserve of the wealthy and middle classes of the world... but this is reversed in the USA: fresh food is for the rich, processed food is manufactured in bulk for the masses."
Indeed, travel Asia, South America and even Europe, and the cheapest food is on the streets. Not only is it cheap, it's also fresh since most street vendors only carry what they can sell in a day.
Of course most of you probably already know why food in the U.S. is the reverse of the rest of the world -- industrial farming and fast food.
As is brutally illustrated in the documentary Food Inc, it's a simple matter of economics; the biggest buyers of food in the country are fast food chains, so the bulk of our food production is aimed at serving the needs of fast food restaurants.
Unfortunately all the reasons -- which are undoubtedly a little more complex than just industrial farming and fast food -- don't change the basic facts: vagabonds on a budget, traveling the U.S. have fewer cheap, tasty eating options than almost anywhere else in the world.
So what do you do if you're trying to travel the U.S. on the cheap and still eat something decent? The truth is I don't know. For my trip I plan to hit the supermarkets and cook for myself since I'll be camping most of the time.
But for those who aren't planning to camp there really isn't an easy answer. There's good, cheap food to be found in cities, but out on the open road there are far fewer choices. If you have ideas, be sure to post them in the comments below.
[Photo by [Jezza], Flickr]
2010-06-01 12:40
Eat at local establishments, try ethnic foods (I recently had so much at an Ethiopian vegetarian Restaurant in Grand Rapids, MI, for 11 bucks, that I couldn't eat it all and felt guilty about it because, it just didn't seem right to waste Ethiopian food)
2010-06-01 18:39
We've been full time road-tripping around the USA for a little over 3 years now.. and eating well doesn't have to be expensive. We do a combination of eating out at local establishments and cooking in our little solar powered RV, trying to buy local whenever possible. We highly recommend anyone considering extended travel through out the USA to consider RVing - it's one of the most affordable ways to go. Once can easily pick up a used road worthy RV and sell it at the end of their journey with little lost. And then you have the benefits of a full kitchen next to your bed, and you can park in amazing places.
Also, try to avoid falling into the trappings of the American 'must have meat at every meal' obsession - and that will help the budget (and health) too.
Another idea is to consult services like Yelp for recommendations for places within your budget that the locals recommend.
2010-06-02 07:57
Not sure where you would be staying if you are not camping in the USA since we have so few hostels and motels are expensive. Hate to add to weight but look into backpacker/hiker equipment for stoves. A hikers cook stove can go a long way for eating healthy.
Shop farmer's markets for fresh foods, fish/meat markets for fresher though not always cheaper flesh products. Learn the local wild foods for foraging and where NOT to pick sprayed goods. Also try asking gardners if they'd sell you a couple tomatoes or other produce from their home garden.
We skoolie the roads and backwoods of the USA full time now, on tight budget. This works great for us.
2010-06-02 08:00
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2010-06-02 08:32
One meal at most American restaurants is enough to feed a small family. So if you have a car bring an ice chest and containers to put the leftovers in. If you are not driving bring a friend and share a plate. If you stick to local places and plate share you could save a ton. Also keep in mind that certain areas of the US will be cheaper than others.
2010-06-02 10:16
This post is a wake up call to the U.S. It's time to go back to our "roots" and get back to basics when it comes to food. As for eating healthy and cheap, there's always Subway restaurants. You could get a sub or try a pizza (not all Subways offer pizza).
Seeria, Ryan, and Beth make good points. We don't have enough hostels and restaurants tend to "supersize" portions so you can eat for a few days. You can find farmers markets and Trader Joes in Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, and other states. Whole Foods isn't too bad, depending on what you're buying.
2010-06-03 20:34
This is a timely post for me. I'm planning a long-term trip through the US and this is one of my main concerns. I would like to cook and eat in hostel kitchens, but finding grocery stores without a car can prove challenging--not to mention finding hostels. :)
A friend and I once spent a month traveling in Italy, living on Wasa crackers and tuna fish; this might turn out to be a similar experience.
2010-07-01 08:35
There's a lot of truth in this. However the US is also known for insanely large portions. So if you're traveling with a partner, buy one meal and split the cost. I frequently travel with sister and we split meals all the time. If you're traveling solo and staying at a hotel with a fridge, buy meals that can split into two days.