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[YaoiCat]

Hey guys!  My friends and I want to stock up on food in our hotel rooms to save money on meals.  Last year we brought stuff for sandwiches and that worked out pretty well, but I was wondering if anyone had other suggestions?  We're staying in the Hilton, so we get a mini fridge, but not microwave.

[beastboytitans]

you could add bagels and spread
and some fruits since you got the fridge xD
I'm taking ramen, poptarts, protein bars, energy drink and water.
but I barely eat at con (bad I know xD)

[SpiritOfKairi]

I know it's fairly common for people to bring Cup Noodles and then use the coffee pot to make quick, hot water for the noodles.  Heh people get pallettes of them at Costco for the con.  Water is also a big one.  It's easy to get dehydrated, and buying bottled water at/around the con is REALLY expensive.  (Last time I checked a few years ago, it was $4 for a bottle of Dasan.)  Protein bars are always good.  You could also do cereal for breakfast, and fruit gummy snacks.

One other thing I've heard about (but this could be a potential fire hazard, so not sure if it's really a good idea), is bringing a crock pot, setting it up in the morning, and then coming back in the evening to fresh pulled pork or whatever.  I'm not sure where in the room you would do that, though.  I doubt the pot would burn the surface of the wood table, but probably best to being something to put underneath the pot so there's a buffer between it and the table.

[Nina Star 9]

Since you can't really cook anything (barring the use of appliances [slow cookers, toasters, George Foreman grills, hot plates, waffle irons, etc.] brought in, which I don't recommend), I'll suggest things that are cold or can be made with a coffee maker.

Instant oatmeal packets would be a good option for breakfasts, since you can get hot water from the coffee maker.

Pre-cut (or small) fruits and veggies make for good snacks.

You can probably do a similar concept as sandwiches but with other types of foods that can be served cold. Just change up the type of ingredients. Wraps would be good, as would salads, and if you don't mind cold burritos, you can always stash some tortillas, rice and beans, pre-cooked meat, sour cream, veggies, cheese, etc. in your fridge.

Salads of various types are good, either the ingredients for them or the salads themselves. Think outside of the regular green salad and into pasta or noodle salads, fruit salads, potato salads, etc.

If you feel fancy, just some bread and fruit and nice cheeses can make a good meal. Cold soups, as well. Hard boiled eggs for protein.

Instead of the typical instant ramen, try making your own cup of noodles. Bring fresh noodles (they should keep in the fridge for the few days of the con), some type of broth flavoring, and your veggies and meat. Here's a how-to, with a few recipes. This should be a little better for you and lower in sodium than the pre-packaged instant kind.

Otherwise, google "cold lunch ideas" and see what you come up with. There are a lot of options out there!

[ewu]

Hi guys.... Please be safe and do not violate any hotel rules. Not only is your deposit at risk, but you risk being ejected from your room and jeopardize the safety of you and the guests around you/in the hotel.

Please also keep in mind that hotel representatives and housing coordinators regularly check the threads to answer questions.

Thanks

[YaoiCat]

Thanks for the ideas everyone!  I wouldn't have even thought of using the coffee maker to get hot water for instant noodles, haha.  Clever!  Salads are a great idea too, I can stock up on different fixin's and everyone can make their own according to what they like!

@Ewu -  I'm sure you didn't mean it this way, but I get a creepy, threatening "big brother is watching" type of vibe from your statement that hotel reps and housing coordinators are checking the threads, lol.   No one suggested that I should break any hotel rules, and any potentially iffy ideas had a disclaimer along the lines of "not a good idea."  We do have common sense!

[ewu]

Well...

appliances [slow cookers, toasters, George Foreman grills, hot plates, waffle irons, etc.]

probably violate the rules:)

[YaoiCat]

Since you can't really cook anything (barring the use of appliances [slow cookers, toasters, George Foreman grills, hot plates, waffle irons, etc.] brought in, which I don't recommend), I'll suggest things that are cold or can be made with a coffee maker.

@ewu But you cut out the rest of the quote lol.  Nina said they don't recommend using those things.  See?  Common sense!

[ewu]

@ewu But you cut out the rest of the quote lol.  Nina said they don't recommend using those things.  See?  Common sense!

*sigh* you know my intentions:P Just gotta make sure it is clear. Common sense is not as common as you think!.....

[Nina Star 9]

For the record: "I can't recommend using" those things is my way of saying "absolutely do not use these." (And "my way of saying" = extreme understatement with a heavy dose of snark, but I realize that might not come across on the internet and that it might be taken as a list of suggestions. Though, I have no idea why someone would bring a waffle iron in the first place. ;])

[ewu]

For the record: "I can't recommend using" those things is my way of saying "absolutely do not use these." (And "my way of saying" = extreme understatement with a heavy dose of snark, but I realize that might not come across on the internet and that it might be taken as a list of suggestions. Though, I have no idea why someone would bring a waffle iron in the first place. ;])

That's an obvious answer...WAFFLES! =D

yah, some people only read the words they want to read. So they miss all the qualifiers and the warnings... *sigh*

[Jxd666]

Stoked to get Burger King delivered to my room

[YaoiCat]

Stoked to get Burger King delivered to my room

Does Burger King actually deliver??  That would be amazing, hahaha

[Sora]

Yeah, it would be.

[Imperial]

Often, you can call the individual hotels and ask what is permitted when you age going to be there, as each hotel has different policies. Im not saying that you COULD bring a george foreman, but it may be allowed if you ask. When I went up to MT for a conference, I called and asked bout using a electric cooker, they said cool. When in doubt ask the hotel in a call, and ask for duplicate in email. worst thing they can say is no, and you can plan otherwise.

TL;DR Always ask the hotel first.

[Touya no Miko]

For me, I plan on heading to Japantown and stocking up on rice balls. Pretty cheap and easy meal to last you through most of the day (And it's healthy too!). But like everyone else said, be sure to stock up on your protein like nuts, and bars. Anything that doesn't need to be cooked or refrigerated is good. When it comes to refrigerated food, I usually get those after I check into my hotel. This way I won't have to worry about it spoiling on the way to the con, or during my stay. Try not to over do it on the stocking and just get what you need.

[YaoiCat]

I looked into Burger King delivery and it's true!  Burger King really does deliver in that area, haha.  They charge a $3 delivery fee and your order has to be at least $10.  So funny! 

@touya Ooh, stopping by Japantown and hitting up the market for some yummy snacks is a good idea too

[SpiritOfKairi]

So potentially stupid question here, but I've only had rice balls once before, and never from the Japantown groxery stores.  Can those be stored in the fridge over the weekend?  Because the only time I purchased them they were freshly made and had to be eaten within 4 hours of being cooked.  But maybe the stores have a pre-made refrigerated kind that I simply don't know about/haven't seen.  If that's the case, I'll have to try and convince my roommate to go there before we check in and stock up lol!  We typically eat at local spots 3 blocks down from the CC, but not a bad idea to get some late night snacks.

[YaoiCat]

@kairi

At the Mitsuwa Japanese market, they have pre-made packaged rice balls that can probably keep in the fridge for a day or two depending on the filling you choose.  They also have these awesome frozen "grilled rice balls" but you have to microwave them . 

[SpiritOfKairi]

@kairi

At the Mitsuwa Japanese market, they have pre-made packaged rice balls that can probably keep in the fridge for a day or two depending on the filling you choose.  They also have these awesome frozen "grilled rice balls" but you have to microwave them . 

Sweet!  Thanks for the info =).  I'll have to see if my roommate's willing to check that out since they're driving us over.  The only problem I can potentially see with picking them up is since the Hilton refrigerators are so small, if any will fit after putting a couple sodas and waters in there lol.

EDIT: Do you happen to remember which flavors they have?