How to Not Dread a Roadtrip
My in-laws live five hours away in Boston, which means one thing: roadtrips—and lots of them. While roadtrips are not inherently awful, some are better than others.
For example. In California? Give me alllll those left coast drives peppered with In-n-Out. Or unobstructed views of the Pacific, windows rolled down.
But driving on the East Coast? LOL. I’ll reserve my opinions but suffice it to say I don’t wanna waste my life thinking about the I-95.
And so, for those hours-long journeys that are in fact not the destination thank God—here are the ingredients I've found make a roadtrip bearable:
A crisp drink. Preferably brown, with a little caffeine—like an iced coffee with pebbly gas station ice. Or a Coke. People like Diet Coke too? And when I'm prone to nausea, I'll do a Sprite or gingerale. When I'm not feeling bubblies—I like a little unsweetened iced tea or a can of Arizona. OPTIONS ARE ENDLESS. Indulge and enjoy.
A fast food pitstop. My childhood is marked by McDonalds' chicken nuggets + sweet n sour sauce—and I think we've all accepted no one makes fries better than the golden arches, game over—so this is an obvious go-to for me. Yes, and: I'm still on the hunt for *adult* Ashley's favorite meal here. I've tried the quarter pounder, spicy McChicken......the search continues. And every road trip is an excuse! Matter of fact, that phrase is basically my mantra for staying sane during long drives. A french fry crawl up the highway? Large fries with a frosty? Plowing through gum like it’s a pack of cigarettes? The road trip is the excuse.
A playlist, a podcast, and a point of conversation. Playlist = 90’s hip-hop if Jeff is driving, or sad indie folk from 2007 - 2013 + club bangerz if I’m DJing (there is no in between between these genres for me). Podcast = usually Conan O’Brien or Here’s the Thing. Aka the only two podcasts that make me laugh out loud. Which is KEY during a roadtrip. Point of conversation = brainstorming what we'll do in Boston, or thinking of travel, or discussing finances (especially imagining our dream "rich life" aka anyone else binge read/watch Ramit Sethi?). OR more often than not, goss and/or resolving conflict that we finally have the time and attention to explore. Ha.
ANYWHO. This is the general recipe for a roadtrip that won't break my soul. It isn’t perfect—some of this food is very much a temporary fix that doesn’t serve me in the long run (read: lactose intolerance). I’m becoming increasingly interested in the idea that food = mood, and am ideating/tinkering with ways to embed nourishment into these roadtrips (inspo here!). As with many recipes, ingredients may change/develop over time—so consider this a work in progress as roadtrips *hopefully* get more lovable as the years stretch on.
