Happy Meatlesss Monday! This week I thought I’d post a story about my trip to Kentucky last week. Last Tuesday and Wednesday I had my fair share of hanging out in airports and flying. Having to grab food on the go isn’t always easy and especially being vegetarian, I found it VERY difficult to find anything healthy to eat in Airports. I was actually very surprised (and horrified) at the reality of how difficult it was to find real food.
The first time I ate in the airport in Minneapolis (we had a layover from Baltimore) and I got a tomato, cucumber, onion salad and a bread stick that was made with white flour and drenched in butter. The next day at the Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky I stopped at their coffee shop and all they had were white flour bagels and wraps made with chicken and other meats (and coffee of course!). So, I ended up stopping at this other grab and go place (pictured above) and couldn’t believe that they only had ONE vegetarian sandwich. It just so happens that the sandwich had tapenade on it and I’m not a fan of olives, so I didn’t get the sandwich. I ended up getting water, pita chips, grapes and steamed broccoli (I know – weird combination) for lunch.
I couldn’t believe how much soda, cereals, sugary treats and chips they had. They did offer some salads, apples and oranges, but otherwise not very much fresh food at all. Seeing all this got me thinking…
Imagine if there were vegetarian places in airports—do you think people would think twice and eat there instead? I think if there were more options and it were easier to be vegetarian (or at least have the option to be) many people would think more about what they are eating. Convenience seems to trump our decision making. When there’s no time to grab something healthy and the only options around are a slice of pizza, a soft pretzel or a burger the unhealthy foods weigh our decision making.
I know we can do better. Let’s demand real, healthy, quick food on the go! It’s possible.
I would love to see vegetarian soups, salads with vegetable protein, fresh fruit salads and healthy smoothies and juices.
Do you have any advice for eating healthy on the go? What types of food would you like to see in Airports?
i would love to see more vegetarian friendly places in malls especially!
i wish there were more vegetarian soup available as well
Thanks for your comment John!
I agree! It seems that there needs to be a shift to offer fresher healthier foods especially in places where there’s so many eating options. It just doesn’t make sense to not offer them.
I love soup, too! So many places make theirs with beef or chicken stock when soups could easily be made vegetarian just by using vegetable stock (french onion soup, corn chowder, etc.).
I didn’t even know you went to kentucky!
Oh Jamie – you’re such a goober