A jolly good supper
There are a lot of “extra-large” over the road truck drivers. Not only is their job mostly sitting in the cab turning the steering wheel and the gear shift lever occasionally, but the food they get on the road is not “Weight Watchers” approved. Robert Booth, a 50 year old British driver, wanted to avoid becoming the ‘stereotypical overweight trucker’ so he makes gourmet meals including Goan fish curry and fresh scones in the cab of his vehicle. Robert is in his heart a gourmet chef. As a foodie he buys fresh ingredients on the go and cooks them in the truck’s slow cooker. He also has a propane camp stove in the cab area so that he can whip up the best of what he sees on the Food channel. This truck driver has ditched greasy fast food and service station pastries to instead cook up fresh gourmet meals from his vehicle while on the road.
Robert buys fresh ingredients on the go – stopping at veg and farm shops on the road where possible. His creations include the likes of Goan fish curry, yellow split pea dhal, chicken arrabbiata and linguine with smoked oysters and fennel seeds, all made at the side of the road. Rob, who delivers construction materials all over the UK, said: “I’m what they call a tramper, I sleep in the truck all week so I’m always on the road. There is only so long you can eat McDonald’s and fast food before you crave something different. I also fit the perfect demographic for a heart attack so that was kind of at the back of my mind too. I’m a middle-aged guy and I didn’t want to turn into the stereotypical overweight trucker.”
He said goodbye to service station convenience food just two weeks into the job and admits he sometimes has to be inventive with ingredients but goes to great lengths to get the taste spot on. But that’s not stopped him from whipping up fresh scones, scotch eggs and cheesecake all from his lorry. He hopes to master a soufflé next. Other dishes include cauliflower and cashew nut curry, sausage and lentil casserole, chicken scallops in lemon with asparagus and garlic mash, goulash and sweet and sour tofu. The father-of-two, thanks to his culinary skills, spends just $30 per week on fresh ingredients compared to the average spend at a truck stop which he claims to be around $12 per visit.
Robert has a cupboard and a refrigerator in his cab, filled with eggs, canned food and other cooking essentials. He added: ‘I don’t really have a favorite dish, as long as it’s tasty and relatively healthy it will do. “If I see a recipe I fancy I will work out how to adapt it to the truck.” “The reaction from other truckers can range from supportive to bemused, to occasionally dismissive. I have also occasionally fed other truckers and it’s always gone down quite well,” he added. “It just proves that with limited space and limited equipment you can produce good healthy food. If I can do it, everyone can.”
Gourmet Truck driver jokes
What do Canadian geese, and Canadian truckers have in common?
They block the roads and honk.
Why are truck drivers always in accidents?
Because they are semi drivers.
I’m thinking about getting a second career as a reverse truck driver.
You know as a backup job.
After driving for a full shift, a trucker decides to pull over and sleep for a little while. As soon as he falls asleep, he is awoken by some knocks on the door of the cab.
“Can you tell me the time, please?” asks a jogger.
“Yeah, it’s 4:30,” answers the trucker. He falls asleep again, but he is awoken again by another jogger who wants to know the time.
“It’s 4:40!” yells the trucker. Deciding to really try to sleep a little, he writes on a piece of paper: I DON’T KNOW THE TIME. He sticks the paper in his windshield.
But he is awakened again. ‘It’s 5:25,” says another jogger.
October 23rd Birthdays
1987 – Emilia Clarke, 1991 – Elise Bauman, 1986 – Jessica Stroup, 1988 – Amandla Sternberg
1959 – Weird Al Yankovic, 1977 – Ryan Reynolds, 1941 – Pele, 1955 – Ang Lee