Sandwiches on a plane

[tuixiu]

No, not a sequel to the Samuel L Jackson movie.

Have a five hour flight coming up, so including the arrive at airport and driving will easily be a seven hour experience, will need a meal. I don't want to buy one of their overpriced lunch boxes so I figure can just bring a sandwich to eat. What I wonder is, will a sandwich with meat in it go bad in four hours?

I remember when I was little everyone would bring lunches to school in brown paper bags, many of them consisting of bologna or ham sandwiches, hell even tuna sandwiches with nice big doses of mayo. Those lunch sacks would sit in under your desk from arrival until lunchtime, but the kids weren't getting sick.

When traveling overseas you also see people doing things with meat that would be unheard of here, like having a big piece of lamb with just a cloth over it to keep flies off and slicing from that all day as customer order. Could be we are overly paranoid about how long meat keeps, could be just get food poisoning a lot, or maybe a combination of the two.

So what do you wise people think? Sandwich meat okay for four hours?

 

[LOL!]

Yes, your sandwich will be fine and so will your sandwich meat. You can even buy a sushi bento box before you get on the plane and it will be fine. If you use a condiment like mayonnaise, ketchup or mustard, then bring that in a little packet and add it your food just before you eat it.

Keep your food in a cool place such as a brown paper bag and not under your armpits or between your legs.

 

[Zero]

I travel twice per week and usually start the trips at about 5:30AM and arrive in the hotel at about 4PM having at least one stopover usually. I have been making 2 sandwiches the previous night, leaving them in the refrigerator, putting them in my backpack the morning of the flight. Usually only mayo, lettuce, meat and a mild cheese. Have eaten some as late as 7PM so the sandwich is 24 hours old pretty much. NEVER even close to going bad. Trick is be sure the meat is very fresh.

The equivalent sandwiches in an airport are about $7.50 each (and taste worse).

 

[tuixiu]

Thanks for input, that's what I figured.

Then why do so many of my coworkers (and wife) bring their lunches in stay-cool pouches complete with a little blue-ice packet? Hell I've seen some pack lunch like that just so it survives until they arrive at work and can place it in the fridge.

 

[Leonidas]

Then why do so many of my coworkers (and wife) bring their lunches in stay-cool pouches complete with a little blue-ice packet? Hell I've seen some pack lunch like that just so it survives until they arrive at work and can place it in the fridge.

An over-developed sense of safety?

I still fix my youngest kid's school lunch 3-4 times a week. Sandwich (turkey or roast beef w/cheese, mayo, mustard or horseradish sauce), bottle of water and some nuts, chips, etc. It sits in his backpack for 4+ hours and there has never been a problem. We haven't done any long flights since some of the more bizarre security restrictions of the TSA or on an airline that rips off its customers for snacks and drinks (yeah Southwest), but when we do so in the future I'll pack my own lunch. If they're going to give it to me for free it's usually edible or even decent, but paying for it isn't worth it.

I wonder that the airlines, now that in-air food is a profit center, haven't started to disallow carry-on food. Or add a surcharge.

 

[happy2bretired]

I remember when I was little everyone would bring lunches to school in brown paper bags, many of them consisting of bologna or ham sandwiches, hell even tuna sandwiches with nice big doses of mayo. Those lunch sacks would sit in under your desk from arrival until lunchtime, but the kids weren't getting sick.

Those warm bologna sandwiches were sooo good from those paper lunch bags - sandwiches made with fluffy white bread - smeared with mayo. yum They were good.

 

[ziggy29]

I wonder that the airlines, now that in-air food is a profit center, haven't started to disallow carry-on food. Or add a surcharge.

Give them time. They haven't exhausted the entire universe of possible nickel and dime fees yet.

 

[chinaco]

If you are really worried about it buy some pre-packaged snack food from the store and take it along. There are a number of them available for people that pack their lunch.

Turkey + Cheddar Sub | Lunchables

 

[MichaelB]

Have a five hour flight coming up, so including the arrive at airport and driving will easily be a seven hour experience, will need a meal. I don't want to buy one of their overpriced lunch boxes so I figure can just bring a sandwich to eat. What I wonder is, will a sandwich with meat in it go bad in four hours?

Nothing better than a good deli sandwich on a plane with a pickle. Our family has traveled like this for years. Make that decades. Not only tastes good, you’re the envy of those around you eating lousy airplane/airport food. I’ve even eaten a remaining half sandwich at night after all day in the backpack. With cheese and mustard. And beer, of course.

If you’re really concerned you can prepare the night before and chill in the fridge. The only concern we have is if using luncheon meat with no preservatives or additives of any kind. Otherwise the ingredients you buy in the supermarket have enough preservatives to last the day and then some.

Then why do so many of my coworkers (and wife) bring their lunches in stay-cool pouches complete with a little blue-ice packet? Hell I've seen some pack lunch like that just so it survives until they arrive at work and can place it in the fridge.

Conspicuous consumption and excess disposable income.

 

[Zero]

Those warm bologna sandwiches were sooo good from those paper lunch bags - sandwiches made with fluffy white bread - smeared with mayo. yum They were good.

Wow, thought I was the only person in the world who liked that wonderful treat. Until a person has had a room temperature, two slice, blony and mayo on Wonder Bread white, they have not reached epicurean heaven.

Just as an anecdotal sample, I recently went on a trip with a Blackforest ham, cheddar cheese, lettuce and mayo on sourdough. I made it 8PM, travel the next day with it in my backpack, forgot it and ate it for lunch on the second day. So a 42 hour old sandwich and the only downside was the cheese had absorbed some ham juice. But otherwise, delicious and suprisingly (given the horrific warnings), I survived.

Definitely carry on your food cause onboard is like $5 for pringles, $7 for a salad or sandwich. But, cokes are FREE. Oh and they give you a free peanut. Or two.

 

[bssc]

My old other suggest is to pack it in a hard plastic container (like tupperware) so it won't get smooshed. You should be good to go. We put the mayo on beforehand and had never had any issues. You can also bring chips and the like.

 

[tuixiu]

Those warm bologna sandwiches were sooo good from those paper lunch bags - sandwiches made with fluffy white bread - smeared with mayo. yum They were good.

Yup. I remember they were even good when there was a big dent in the middle from hand balling up while carrying the bag and running around before school.

Bonus = if you got the top slice of bologna that had the logo embossed on it.

 

[Zero]

Now that we have started making our own, it makes me wonder why I never did it before. It's much better quality and I can eat it on my schedule. Toss in a few things like Oreo's, a Snickers, and some Swedish Fish and travel like a King (in spite of Southwest).

 

[calmloki]

Often eat food that has been sitting around unrefrigerated for extended lengths of time. OTOH, woke night before last and have been doing alternating end fire-hose routines at the bathroom since. Real fun since we were on the road home. Did a 615 mile run from Ely NV to La Pine Or. and checked in to the Best Western. All was well till I woke up in the dark and started doing bad things to the room and towel supply. By checkout time I managed to get myself loaded in to the passenger seat and let the gal do the final 3 hour drive home. Yesterday I had a hearty 1/4 cup of oatmeal and about the same cream of chicken soup; both exited from the wrong location. Think things may be on the mend - slept pretty well and had some yogurt today - fingers crossed. I'm going to blame either the old Subway sandwich bought before we went through Zion that sat out overnight or the Mexi-meal with homemade tortillas from the Route 66 diner in Winnemucca. Think the diner is the more likely candidate...

Anyway. Food poisoning = not much fun. Might be a good time to schedule a colonoscopy though.

 

[Emeritus]

I always use smoked salmon in a package, goes with almost anything

 

[Westernskies]

Freeze the sandwiches (this precludes using lettuce- or just take some along to add before eating) the night before, and they will last all day, no problem. 35-year old trick from my school lunch days; the whole family would make a weeks worth of sandwiches assembly line-style on Sunday nights.
PB&J on wheat, Bologna and cheese on white with Miracle Whip; leftover Sunday dinner chicken...

gotta go, this thread is making me hungry

 

[NW-Bound]

Good grief, calmloki! Time for you to travel in an RV to have better food, I'd say.

 

[bbbamI]

I don't think I'd want to be in a plane sitting next to someone eating any type of fish.....just sayin'....

 

[calmloki]

Good grief, calmloki! Time for you to travel in an RV to have better food, I'd say.

An idea for sure - we saw a number of RV parks with outstanding views - have been away from home since the 25th of March staying in motels and eating mostly burger joint, taco time, and hospital leftovers. Motels ranged from $45 to $100/night and were somewhere between awful and pretty nice. None of the beds were as comfortable as our own. One of our favorite stays was in Congress AZ at the old 4-unit Sierra Vista Motel - cheap, old, and funky, but very clean and the caring owner is the manager.

Glad my stomach upset happened on the last day rather than when i needed to be "on".

 

[WhoDaresWins]

No, not a sequel to the Samuel L Jackson movie.



When I was in high school I packed the same sandwich for lunch day in and day out for 3 years... Isaly's chipped ham on Roman Meal bread with dijon mustard. And an apple. If on Sunday night it was discovered we were out of these unvarying ingredients, my long suffering father made a run to the store. This delicacy sat in my locker in a paper sack until lunchtime. Never once got sick from sandwich being without refrigeration for 5 hours or so.

Now when I travel I pack a PBJ and some dried fruit. Or I toss a couple of granola bars in my purse.

 

[Meadbh]

Anyway. Food poisoning = not much fun. Might be a good time to schedule a colonoscopy though.

Uh....not so much fun for the colonoscopist!

 

[calmloki]

Uh....not so much fun for the colonoscopist!

Dunno - was getting pretty darn clear down dere...

Though I'd be concerned if the colonocopist had too much fun in any case.

 

[CyclingInvestor]

I like sandwiches on planes, and usually take a bunch of them on train rides (up to 36 hours), usually chicken or roast beef with cheese and mayo. They just get better as they warm up.

 

[mickeyd]

What we have done a few times is to go to Subway the night before the flight and order a 12" sub but ask them to put the veggies in a plastic zip lock as well as the honey-mustard sauce. They wrap it up in a couple of plastic bags. We stick it in the frig and in the AM when we leave for the airport we toss it into the carry on bag along with an empty water bottle and were good to go.

 

[mh]

i usually just devolve it down to 'ploughman's lunch style'

-- a hunk of bread, (usually a baguette section)
-- some finger sized hunks of cheese
-- a pickle wedge or two and a few cherry tomatos