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Gas Station Food

Verjuice

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Darienne

Darienne

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Surprise of the year. A truckers' gas stop on I-40, San Jon, NM, near the panhandle of TX, Indian food and grocery store. Imagine eating Samosas at 9 am. Lovely.

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

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dls

dls

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A couple years ago I stopped at a gas station in Dallas known as Fuel City to top off a rental car before returning it to Love Field. After filling up, I went inside to get a snack of some nature only to discover a taco stand. I went with the barbacoa, which some of the locals in line recommended, and it was some of the best I've ever had. If I recall correctly, it was $1.40.

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Soup

Soup

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I no longer eat stuff from gas station. I do buy drinks.

However, long time ago in college (I went to UVA in charlottesville), there use to be a gas station on the out skirts of town. They were pretty good on the fryerator arts. However, at 1 or 2am they would close down. If you got there right before closing, they would sell you what ever they had left for 2 or 3 bucks. corn dogs, fried chicken, etc., After a hard night of studying, I pick up a bag of fried stuff, a six pack and go back home eat/drink and hit the sack.

It was great to be young!!!

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

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tonyrocks922

tonyrocks922

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Before I decided I didn't want to die at 35 I'd stock the car with 4 double whoopers from burger king (eat 2 at a time about 3 hours apart) along with several bags of M&Ms, coffee, and cold water. These days it's usually beef jerkey or peanuts, coffee and water

Edited by tonyrocks922 (log)
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Rico

Rico

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A couple years ago I stopped at a gas station in Dallas known as Fuel City ...

Fuel City's got a strong rep here, but there are some other gas station places that rival or exceed them, in my opinion. I really enjoy Chupacabra's on Fitzhugh and Ross (I think it's a Chevron); they make their own tortillas, and along with the usual pork, beef and chicken offerings, you can get some excellent tongue and cabrito as well.

 

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Jane Randahl

Jane Randahl

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As a grown up kid who was on the road quite often, I have tons of experience with gas station food. If you don't really care about your health, I found that a lot of gas stations had really cheap (and sometimes fresh) pizza for a great price.

Beef jerky is a classic and one of the better things for energy and protein. Candy is of course a good choice for caffeine, sugar, and pain relief, while 7 Eleven taquitos are great for packing on the pounds.

Don't forget the plethora of drinks loaded with sugar and taurine to give you some faux energy while on the road. Or $1 tea loaded with sugar and artificial flavors.

I've since given up gas station food altogether, but I do miss it sometimes. It's so cheap and easy, but some of the worst stuff you can possibly put into your body.

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redfox1939

redfox1939

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Pumpkin seeds and grape juice – I know it sounds disgusting, but the overwhelming saltiness of David’s pumpkin seeds mixed with the staggering sweetness of Ocean Spray grape juice is a combination capable of bringing a man to his knees.

Hike Sedona Hiking Preparedness + Energy Supply + Apparel & Gear

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Kouign Aman

Kouign Aman

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the overwhelming saltiness of David’s pumpkin seeds mixed with the staggering sweetness of Ocean Spray grape juice is a combination capable of bringing a man to his knees.

That is signature-line worthy!

"You dont know everything in the world! You just know how to read!" -an ah-hah! moment for 6-yr old Miss O.

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Horstuff

Horstuff

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Old thread, I know, but AM PM double cheeseburgers and spicy hot dogs. Just plain, nothing on em. I've even written to corporate to see where they get the dogs, because I can never find ANY spicy hot dogs (not brats or sausage) in grocery stores.

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fondue

fondue

Posted
Posted
On 2/20/2012 at 10:22 PM, Darienne said:

Surprise of the year. A truckers' gas stop on I-40, San Jon, NM, near the panhandle of TX, Indian food and grocery store. Imagine eating Samosas at 9 am. Lovely.

 

Yes!!  Used to go out of my way all the time to eat here!!  Called "Taste of India" out in the middle of nowhere.  Many times observed Hindi-speaking semi truck drivers getting large chai to go.  Fantastic food.  Incongruous location.

 

  Here in Madagascar our local gas station sells everything from baguettes, to cake slices, to pork or poultry baozi, which are kept in a small steamer on the counter.  My son loves them. At 30 cents apiece, I can almost keep up with his appetite for them!

  

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

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Posted (edited)
47 minutes ago, fondue said:

 

Yes!!  Used to go out of my way all the time to eat here!!  Called "Taste of India" out in the middle of nowhere.  Many times observed Hindi-speaking semi truck drivers getting large chai to go.  Fantastic food.  Incongruous location.

 

  Here in Madagascar our local gas station sells everything from baguettes, to cake slices, to pork or poultry baozi, which are kept in a small steamer on the counter.  My son loves them. At 30 cents apiece, I can almost keep up with his appetite for them!

  

 

Thanks for resurrecting @Darienne's comment from some years back and adding your own as it gives me a chance to share this LA Times article: Sikh drivers are transforming U.S. trucking. Take a ride along the Punjabi American highway.  It's not a food article but food certainly plays a role.

And: How a rural Oklahoma truck stop became a destination for Sikh Punjabis crossing America

Also this background piece: Behind the Story: On a search for Sikh truckers

Edited by blue_dolphin
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Darienne

Darienne

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7 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

Thanks for resurrecting @Darienne's comment from some years back and adding your own as it gives me a chance to share this LA Times article: Sikh drivers are transforming U.S. trucking. Take a ride along the Punjabi American highway.  It's not a food article but food certainly plays a role.

And: How a rural Oklahoma truck stop became a destination for Sikh Punjabis crossing America

Also this background piece: Behind the Story: On a search for Sikh truckers

 

Alas, as a non-subscriber I had no access to one story because my monthly limit of free access was over and the other because I would not pay from the get go.  But enough of the flavor came across to give me a sense of the articles.   Thanks blue dolphin. 

 

If I worked at it, I'd be able to figure out the first time we stopped at a Punjabi truck stop.  Whistle stop, San Jon, New Mexico just a very few miles from the Texas border.  And I do know it hadn't been there the passage by that stop before that year.  We were, of course, stunned and stopped and ate Samosas at 9:30am on our way back to Ontario from our home away from home, Moab Utah, probably after a stop at our suppliers in Gallup, New Mexico.

In Canada Indian food of all kinds and the ingredients to make it are everywhere, even in our little nearby city in East Central Ontario.  Three restaurants in the city, and these go back almost 50 years for us anyway. 

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Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

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fondue

fondue

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  I used to live in New Mexico along the Old Route 66...lots of small restaurants remain along that route that had begun as gas station/diners.  The pumps were taken out as more parking was needed.  

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Kim Shook

Kim Shook

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It is not at all unusual in the southern US to find really good food.  I've heard reports of really excellent tamales in Mississippi and I've eaten great fried chicken, cheeseburgers and BBQ myself.  And on our trip to England, we had some surprisingly good sandwiches at a gas station (see here).

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Kim

Kim's Cookbook

What Fresh Hell is This?

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fondue

fondue

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Posted
18 minutes ago, kayb said:

The epitome of good gas station food is deep fried corn nuggets

 

  Hmmm, I beg to differ.  When I resurrected this thread I was in mind of my gas-station food revelation: I was in Maryland in August, hot and thirsty and in the middle of nowhere.  I pulled into a gas station for a drink, and found a full-service kitchen in the back. They had fried soft shell blue crabs on rolls as a lunch special. Never heard of it before. Ordered two. Delicious. Heavenly. Ate like a raccoon,  and it forever took away my food snobbery.

  That was 30 years ago and I still salivate at the memory. 

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Katie Meadow

Katie Meadow

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Who doesn't fantasize about the mom and pop station in the middle of nowhere, with maw cooking up some personal local specialty on a burner behind the counter? When the stars aligned and you thought life was always going to be like that. Probably you were stoned. Maybe it did happen more often in the past, when there were more amenable two lane roads. Or maybe you just got very lucky. And that was a memorable road trip, which is the best kind.

 

My model is Stuart Little. He stops for gas and gets a perfect sarsaparilla.

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Margaret Pilgrim

Margaret Pilgrim

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4 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

Who doesn't fantasize about the mom and pop station in the middle of nowhere, with maw cooking up some personal local specialty on a burner behind the counter? When the stars aligned and you thought life was always going to be like that. Probably you were stoned. Maybe it did happen more often in the past, when there were more amenable two lane roads. Or maybe you just got very lucky. And that was a memorable road trip, which is the best kind.

 

My model is Stuart Little. He stops for gas and gets a perfect sarsaparilla.

 

I've never experienced this although I spent many hours on country roads.    I recall a few very memorable road houses but none pumped gas.    We called them "truck stops".    Hearty but well conceived and prepared food.    Before I hit my teens.  

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eGullet member #80.

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C. sapidus

C. sapidus

Posted
Posted
On 7/13/2019 at 2:48 AM, blue_dolphin said:

 

Thanks for resurrecting @Darienne's comment from some years back and adding your own as it gives me a chance to share this LA Times article: Sikh drivers are transforming U.S. trucking. Take a ride along the Punjabi American highway.  It's not a food article but food certainly plays a role.

 

Thanks for that - I now have a new road food to seek out. :biggrin:

 

Usually on the road I'm looking for BBQ, crab joints, or taco trucks. Preferably dog-friendly. Have had some amazing food at random crossroads.

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Bruce, a.k.a C. sapidus

eG Foodblog: Crabs, borscht, and fish sauce

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heidih

heidih

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We have a whole new world of opportunity. Lots of buzz on the possibiities. Who knows what people wil come up with to feed those awaiting charge.  https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/civil-engineering-magazine/article/2023/06/ev-station-reimagined-to-support-communities-and-travelers

Edited by heidih (log)
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