<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hello the List:

My own summary is that, like any other restaurant you have to pick and
choose, and a lot depends on your waiter.   With railroad cooking the chef is
cooped up in a crowded space below floor level and everything is coming at
him at once.  He is also living away from home for up to a week at a time, on
long distance trains.   If you seek advice from the waiter this usually
helps.  Specify NO FLOUR in the sauces; vegetables or salad PLAIN, NO SAUCE;
and, IF IN DOUBT - DON'T!

If in a sleeper consult the Chief of Onboard Services at the start of your
trip.

I do include one interesting article, more of an advertisement, but could be
helpful in an unknown situation.   Personally I always take along food with
me that will tide me over, and the only hazard I ran into in taking my own
bread with me, for toast in the morning, was that at the end I ask for the
hotel for the remains to be made into a sandwich.   This they did, on a bread
board with other bread scraps - and I itched and itched and itched!

A final note on railroad cooking, and the very helpful official of Wisconsin
State Dept of Transport, is that Milwaukee is really within the Chicago
commuter belt, and railroads have had a love and mainly hate relationship
with commuters dating back many, many years.  Take it from me - I have had
fifteen years of it on the Cambridge line from London - the food finally
disappeared completely, and by that time the quality was NOT missed!

So - here are the responses verbatim:

Tired of cooking? Wish you had a fast meal?
Are you ready to try a new gluten-free meal that......

1.      Is ready to eat in ten minutes
2.      That requires no clean-up
3.      You can take anywhere (an airplane, to work, to school, etc.)
4.      That actually cooks itself in it's own container!
5.      Does not require refrigeration

If that sounds too convenient to be true, then you haven't seen Gluten
Solutions' new Self-Heating Meal by the Gluten-Free Cafe.  All you do is
pull a string outside the package, and the meal starts cooking itself -
right before your eyes.  It even comes with a fork, a napkin, and salt and
pepper.  You can eat it right out of the container, and then just throw
everything away!  Check out the new, Self-Heating Five Bean Casserole at
www.glutensolutions.com in the Instant Meals section.  You'll also find 9
other new items that will help you stop cooking and start relaxing.

Regards,

Bryan Van Noy
Gluten Solutions
www.glutensolutions.com
1-888-845-8836  Orders & Service

Hi John,
 I took that train from Seattle to Oakland 2 years ago and had a
wonderful experience. Not only was the scenery gorgeous, but the staff was
warm and accomodating. At dinner I ordered plain meat, or fish baked
potatoes and they answered all of my questions.On that trip we had a brunch,
dinner and breakfast. Enjoy!


I have some professional involvement with Amtrak for my employer, the
Wisconsin Department of Transportation.  Wisconsin DOT has been trying
for years to improve the food service on the Milwaukee-Chicago run.
Even though our Governor is the Chairman of Amtrak's Board of Directors,
this has proven extremely difficult due to a number of institutional
issues.  Amtrak's food service operations are not very flexible.  As a
passenger, I have noticed that a lot of the guys who end up working in
Amtrak food service seem to be former trainmen; I suspect that many of
them were given food service work after an on-the-job injury; at heart
they are brakemen, not chefs.  I would strongly suggest you take along
enough easy-to-prepare GF food to survive the trip, and assume than
anything the dining car can make that is safe is a "bonus."  It would be
unfortunate to find yourself in the middle of Wyoming with the train
running behind schedule and nothing safe to eat except potato chips and
tea.

--John Shaw

John,
I recently traveled on Amtrak with my 3 year old celiac daughter. We went
from New York to Chicago.  I assumed that the items on the menu would not be
gf, so I brought her food along.  They were very nice about bringing her food
into the dining car, but they would not heat anything up for me.  I hope this
is helpful.

Jeanne in NY

Amtrak has a very limited menu which varies from route to route.  We travel
by Amtrak frequently and they have always had something that I could eat. Do
not expect any changes to be made.  I can usually eat some of the instant
soups, chips and fresh fruit that they have in small restaurant.  I always
take some food along so in an emergency I will have something to eat.  I
packed my own food.  They told me they would have GF food on it for me, but I
didn't see much.  It's also so expensive to eat anything on Amtrack.  Plus,
we were always delayed so long that it was nice to have food to eat
when I was hungry.

Good luck!
Lynette in IA.

<<With a sleeper Amtrak has to feed you as a part of the price.  I can live
on bacon and eggs in the morning and New York steak at night, with a plain
salad at noon time>>

Please either post your summary to list or let me know personally what you
find out.  Thanks
Olivia in Virginia


John,
Traveled on Amtrak before and got along fine.  In the dining car they served
their dinners so you could get them without any sauces.  Contact Amtrak they
have a menu available for you to look at.  Have fun on the train.  The lunch
car is another story.  <<Underlining is mine. JHB>>  I took sandwiches and
fruit for the rest of the meals.  You can travel nicely with them, just be
prepared as always when traveling.

Jane,
ND

I have deliberataely cut and pasted throughout so as not to lose any of the
meanings.

Good luck with your travelling!   (I hear the airlines are much worse, and
believe it, with one or two exceptions, such as American and KLM).   I test
all this out next September when we visit the west coast again, Amtrak from
Chicago to Seattle to San Francisco and back to Chicago.

Best wishes!

John Butcher