Founder Files: Snacks on a Plane & More Snack Talk

This past Saturday, I did The Great Saunter, a 32-mile walk around the shoreline perimeter of Manhattan, hoofing it up the West Side’s promenade, across Inwood Park with its cherry trees and sprightly spring blooms, and down the East Side with views of the many bridges that staple the island to Queens and Brooklyn. It’s a spectacular way to take in one of the world’s great cities, appreciate its urban planning, and get your steps in for the month. (The Saunter takes place every first Saturday in May and it sells out quickly so get on the mailing list now.)

An 11-hour walk is also a great excuse to pre-obsess about snacks. And my friend Liz, who got me to Saunter in the first place, packed the best one: Spherical Saunter Snacks Bites.

Here’s the recipe:

And some snack-packing gear...

I guess this is going to be my snack-themed newsletter, because I also want to share the many smart recommendations for plane snacks I got from readers who answered my query a few newsletters ago.

But first, a quick aside: Several of you referred to a story about plane snacks that I wrote for the New York Times in…gulp…2002. This could mean you have a great memory, or that I wrote something memorable, or that I’m old. Let’s not think too much about it.

In the story, I acknowledged that I was terrified of flying even though I was a frequent traveler. I’m happy to report that I finally conquered this anxiety after, oh, 30 years. My cures: exposure therapy, taking half a Xanax before takeoff, and getting seats as close to the front of the plane as possible, because at the front of the plane you feel and hear fewer of those Ka-thunks that make you think, What was that?! I actually look forward to flying now.

Back to Snacks

Laura, who had read my story of yore, wrote:

It made me think of plane food in a totally different way, as a chance to be creative, a little indulgent and healthier. My favorite is making a big grain salad (farro, couscous, quinoa, lentil, whatever I have) with lots of dill, chickpeas, parsley, good olive oil, lemon zest, mushrooms, and almonds. Everything tastes delicious when thrown into that—sometimes I leave it as is and sometimes I throw leftover chicken or steak on top. Also, I am a huge dork and invested in buying the adorable tiny travel tins of Maldon sea salt, which makes everything more delicious.

Laura eats well in the sky! Next came a very practical, no-nonsense trio of travelers:

I take a peanut butter sandwich (the rest of the loaf and the jar are in my checked bag on long trips) and an apple, along with my favorite tea. —Rosemary

I always make sure I have Fiji water, the original Swedish fish, earbuds and a great book. Thank you. —Siobhan

Water and chocolate. —Jan

I’ve rounded up more plane snacks and supplies into a post here.

Before I go, a few things I recently purchased:

I got 8 of these napkins in white/butterscotch (should have ordered 12), a Hoptomist for my desk, and a housewarming gift.

And a few things you shouldn’t miss this week:

By the time you read this, we’ll probably have our Tournament of Salads winner, but as I write, it’s down to Sohla’s My Big Fat Halloumi Salad or Ali Slagle’s Not Just Another Chicken Caesar. As @curry.and.chips commented on IG, they’re both winners—but you can see how our judges arrived at their salad scores here or by following all the great salad posts and videos tagged #f52tournament. Did you play or follow along? Let me know your thoughts—[email protected]—so we can tweak our competition’s formula before the next one: The Tournament of Summer Sides.

Also, Nea made a not-too-sweet galette to make use of all that in-season rhubarb.

This snacker is now signing off,

Amanda

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