When I was first bitten by the fly-fishing bug, it never occurred to me to stop fishing and take a lunch break sometime during the day. I thought nothing of hiking out early and casting for eight or ten hours before returning to my vehicle. In the truck was a cooler, a thermos of hot coffee, and, depending on the drive ahead, some cold drinks, snacks, or a more substantial meal. While actually fishing, if hunger pangs became distracting, I unwrapped and consumed packaged peanut butter crackers or granola bars. Doing so barely interfered with a cast. I mean, by gosh, why would anybody want to waste valuable fishing time eating? That was many years back.
Sadly, due to the ravages of the aging process, I can no longer spend an entire day just fishing. A sore back, shoulder, wrist, or elbow is a less-than-subtle indicator that I need to take a rest. Although aches and pains aren’t preplanned, whenever they arrive becomes a good time to replenish energy levels and top off an empty stomach. Obviously, how you choose to do so and the amount of time and effort you wish to invest in that endeavor is entirely up to you.
Before we jump into this topic, I want to let you know that I’m not going to suggest too many specific recipes. First, everyone has his or her own likes and tastes, and I don’t know what yours are. Also, there are tens of thousands of recipes and books out there. My intent is to introduce you to some concepts, techniques, and equipment that will pique your interest and, if you’ll pardon the pun, whet your appetite. There also will be suggestions as to specific products and techniques for you to explore on your own. You can find a tremendous amount of information by using Google and YouTube on the Internet, as well as on individual manufacturer’s Web sites. For us old guys not shackled to electronic devices, there are still many great books out there, as well.
If you are able to fish close to your vehicle or campsite, an entire spectrum of opportunities becomes available. A cooler filled with sandwiches, potato salad, salami, cheese, and cold drinks is an easy solution. A Coleman camp stove opens up the possibility of preparing almost anything you could make at home. Charcoal or propane grills further extend those choices. On a recent three-day weekend trip, my friend Jeff and I stayed at a Forest Service campground that was walking distance from a great eastern Sierra river. We used my Lodge cast iron Dutch oven for a fantastic meatloaf, potato, and carrot dinner, cooked in the campsite’s fire ring. We used a small charcoal barbeque for grilling a couple of freshly caught rainbows for lunch the next day. At campgrounds, a Lodge cast iron skillet and a Dutch oven could cover most all of your cooking needs — just add a coffee pot, and you’re set for anything.
However, I still enjoy hiking to streams or lakes away from parking areas. The quiet solitude of getting away from too many people and their screaming kids and barking dogs adds tremendously to the quality of my day in the woods. Carrying cooking equipment often seems contrary to the simple pleasures of getting away from it all. And there are plenty of simple pleasures you can enjoy at lunchtime without cooking.
The simplest meals are not much different than a standard bag lunch. If you like sandwiches, consider using a dense bread that won’t compress or soak up the ingredients contained within. Rye and pumpernickel are good choices, and bagels and pita bread also stand up well inside a day pack. You can create deli meat-and-cheese rolls using flour tortillas, which are also durable. If you take small individual condiment packages of mustard, ketchup, mayo, salad dressings, and so on, you can add them to the sandwiches just prior to eating, insuring that the bread avoids becoming overly moist. Toss in an apple or orange and bag of chips, and you’re done.
If that’s still more effort than you wish to expend, there are some very nutritious and good-tasting protein and meal bars available. I avoid those containing chocolate or anything else that can melt and create a gooey mess. Among my favorites are the Bear Valley Pemmican Bars. They come in four flavors, weigh about 3.75 ounces each, and provide at least 400 calories. One of those and a drink will fill you up and can keep you going for quite some time. Although not everyone would agree, I find them to taste quite good, and they don’t give the quick sugar high and subsequent energy drop of the sweeter bars. They also contain a decent amount of protein and complex carbohydrates.
There are, of course, many alternatives to sandwiches. Most grocery stores offer meats that don’t require refrigeration, such as summer sausages, pepperoni, and some salamis. World Market has individually wrapped 1-3/4-ounce summer sausages in a variety of flavors, and you can find many similar products at some online or mail-order gourmet specialty shops. They can even be found at places such as Cabela’s and L. L. Bean and are often promoted around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Trader Joe’s has 8-ounce sausage and salami rolls year-round. And don’t forget beef or turkey jerky. You can find jerky at any market or convenience store, and additionally, they also sell Slim Jims and similar meat products. Moving up in quality (and, in my opinion, taste) the Pacific Gold brand of jerky sold at Costco is excellent. They also have bacon jerky by Oh Boy! Oberto.
A couple of other items can be found on the canned meat aisle in most grocery stores. The first is a small package containing crackers and a premixed can of tuna or chicken salad. The other has the tuna unmixed, and you can add sweet relish and mayo from the included condiment packets. In addition to those lunch “kits,” there are foil-lined packets (soft-sided cans, if you will) of tuna, salmon, and chicken, both plain and in various flavors, such as smoked or lemon pepper. They contain about 3 ounces of meat, require no refrigeration, and have a fairly long shelf life. The last time I looked, I even saw similar packages containing Spam slices. If you’re willing to carry the little extra weight of actual cans, sardines are compact and also come in many flavors. Don’t overlook Vienna sausages and meat spreads. Any of those items can be mixed with mayo, relish, mustard, or vinegar and then wrapped in a flour tortilla.
I’m not sure if it’s an actual law, but I’m pretty certain that it is required that salami-type meats be accompanied by mustard and cheese. Cheeses were made thousands of years before refrigerators, and turning milk into cheese was meant to preserve milk and keep it from spoiling. However, there are some concerns as to how long cheese can be left unrefrigerated. The research I’ve done, along with my own experience, suggests that many types of cheese are perfectly safe to eat during the course of a day trip without being kept cool. Some cheeses can last much longer, while others should be kept cold. The dryer, harder cheeses do best without refrigeration, while the soft, moist types (cottage cheese, for example) really do need to be kept chilled. Typically, cheeses such as hard Swiss and Swiss Gruyère do fine, and cheeses that are sold in a sealed wax outer covering, such as Gouda, also do well for a day trip. There is a type of cheese sold under the Laughing Cow label displayed on an unrefrigerated shelf in World Market. It’s spreadable, available in a few different flavors, and comes packaged in a flat, round cardboard container. Inside, each wedge is individually foil-wrapped. The Swiss Knight brand is packaged the same way.
One strategy (which I’ve not tried) is to wrap your cheese in newspaper to help it remain cool. If you’re concerned, a small water bottle containing frozen liquid can be placed inside a plastic bag, and meats and cheese put next to it. Wrap the whole shebang with your jacket or fleece sweater inside your pack, thus creating an insulated environment to keep your lunch cool. Should you wish to bring along foods that do require refrigeration, small, soft-sided insulated bags work well and weigh very little. Frozen water bottles serve as ice and while defrosting provide a source of cold drinking or cooking water. Iced tea or lemonade can also serve the same function. By utilizing these miniature coolers, you can bring any variety of deli-type meats and cheeses. I have seen complete lunch kits in the refrigerated sandwich meat section in grocery stores, although I’ve not tried any. Larger stores also offer both prepackaged and made-to-order deli or sub sandwiches. They even sell packaged wraps in a multitude of varieties. Leftover cold fried chicken is a natural for a great streamside lunch. Add hard-boiled eggs and potato or macaroni salad in snap-lid plastic containers. Think picnic basket foods.
I’m sure all of you may have tried many of those things, and I hope I’ve ignited a spark of interest about exploring some of the other options if you haven’t already done so. In “The Foraging Angler” in the next issue of California Fly Fisher, I’ll take up the issue of a more elaborate streamside lunch — a hot meal cooked al fresco.
Alibi Ale Works: Truckee Public House
The explosion in commercial craft brewing continues apace nationwide, and Truckee, with a population of sixteen thousand-plus residents that can easily double during the peak visitor seasons of summer and winter, has its share of establishments catering specifically to beer aficionados. Longest on the scene is the FiftyFifty Brewing Company, a brewpub situated in a small commercial center known as “The Rock,” at 11197 Brockway Road. More recently, the Tahoe Mountain Brewing Company established their brewery, along with a taproom, at 10990 Industrial Way. In downtown Truckee, the Mellow Fellow Gastropub opened several years ago at 10192 Donner Pass Road. Although not associated with a brewery, it offers 40 craft beers on tap.
The latest addition to Truckee’s beer scene is the Truckee Public House, owned by the Incline Village-based Alibi Ale Works. It’s also downtown, at the southeast corner of Jibboom and Bridge Streets. It opened this past summer, and seems a definite hit with locals and tourists alike. The Artist and I have visited six or seven times, initially because we were curious, but now because we enjoy the food (more on this below) and the reasonable prices.
The space that Alibi took over was once a bank, then a cross fit gym, so it has an expansive feel, with one wall defined by the bar and another wall by a stage for performances, films, and events (which happen several nights a week, and which have quickly tied the place in with the community). Parallel to the bar is a long counter for patrons who’d like to stand, and in the remainder of the space are communal tables that can be wheeled into different configurations. Furnishings are simple and spare in design. You come for the beer, the food, or to hang out, less so for ambiance.
On tap are 22 of Alibi’s beers; these rotate frequently and often reflect seasonal varieties. Also offered are wine and nonalcoholic options (this is a family-friendly establishment). But what has the Artist and me returning are the nachos, which are the primary element of the food menu here. A large platter easily satisfies the two of us, and we’re impressed by the creativity of the kitchen. Not only are there classic taqueria-type nachos, but you can also order Greek-influenced Mediterranean nachos, Korean nachos, Buffalo blue cheese nachos, Mexican sweet corn nachos, and, if you have a sweet tooth, s’mores nachos. Beer and nachos. . .yum!
The Alibi Ale Works’ Truckee Public House is open every evening until at least 10 p.m. No reservations. And no dogs.
— Richard Anderson
