[pct-l] cold water food experiment

[rellinwood at worldnet.att.net (Robert Ellinwood)]

Roll your eyes now and get it over with...

Last summer on the very few evenings when I decided to "eat cold" and not
cook, due to tiredness or inclement weather, I found myself "wired" late
into the night by too much sugar, I guess, in the snackables that I consumed
in place of "dinner."   Tonight, I finally got around to experimenting with
some traditional hiking dinner foods and seeing how edible they became after
periods of soaking in just cold water.  A couple hikers have told me mashed
potatoes fixed with cold water were quick and good.  

Arranged before me were couscous, stovetop stuffing, mashed potatoes, ramen,
pre-cooked minute rice, a Lipton noodle dinner, and Mac & cheese spirals.
Arbitrarily, I chose intervals of 10 min, 20 min and 30 min for tastings.
Predictably, at 10 min the mashed potatoes and stovetop stuffing were just
fine for eating and probably were almost immediately.  At 20 minutes the
ramen noodles were fine for eating and may well have been at the 15 min
mark, but could definitely not be included in the 10 min group.. At 30 min
the couscous and the minute rice were "doable" but gritty and not enjoyable,
while the Lipton noodle dinner was "barely doable" and definitely not
enjoyable.  30 min didn't even make a dent in the Mac & cheese spirals.  

The mashed potatoes and the stovetop stuffing have the same caloric value
and taste good immediately.  The ramen has more calories at fewer ounces,
but takes a bit longer to soak.  I had assumed, incorrectly, that the
couscous would be among the top finishers, but nope.  Stovetop stuffing,
while good, has a distinct, pronounced flavor, while the mashed potatoes and
ramen seem to me better suited to "doctoring up" with cheeses and other
additions.  
 
So, FWIW, if I find myself stuck in a tent in a storm on the PCT this
summer, any deviation from a normal hot dinner will probably involve mashed
potatoes or ramen fixed with cold water.   I hated lying there wide awake
most of the night from too much sugar too late.   It was probably not the
caffeine in the chocolate, in that the "level of caffeine in chocolate (6
milligrams per 1 ounce of milk chocolate) is low when compared to the level
in coffee, tea, and some soft drinks." (ask.yahoo.com/20001018.html)

Dr Bob