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I traveled to Minnesota to spend Thanksgiving with one of my sons and his family. Having read about the boxed meals now used on the Lake Shore Limited, I didn't expect they would amount to much. However, I was surprised to find them quite substantial, in some cases more than I could eat! Of course at age 86 I probably can't consume as much as a younger person would. There seems to be an attempt to make them nutritious and the packaging even "eco-friendly".
As you may know, the Boston sleeper is placed at the front of the train. One must walk through seven coaches and a cafe car to reach the diner. I chose to do this, but the sleeper attendant offers to bring boxes to those who wish to stay put and eat in their rooms.
The "Beef Short Rib" dinner was especially good, with the entree even warmed up by the lady in the diner. Of course the experience is not as pleasant as it would be in a normal dining car. I was still able to enjoy that on the Empire Builder.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Bob, while the only Amtrak service I have had occasion to use since '12 is Auto-Train, I'm pleased to learn that the "Fresh and Contemporary" experience is proving to be quite edible. At other sites, it seems as if every "allergenic" is stepping forward to say why they cannot eat the "Fresh and Contemporary" fare and as such is unacceptable.
"Fresh.." could easily go Systemwide.
sojourner Member # 3134
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I always liked the boxed meals on the branch of the Empire Builder that went to Portland (when the dining car went to Seattle). However, one of the main pleasures of traveling by train is meeting fellow travelers, and on a Viewliner like the Lakeshore, with its crappy lounge car (as opposed to Superliner observation cars), the best place for such meetings was the dining car. I understand some people like to eat in their rooms (or at their seats), or have mobility issues, but for others, an end to the shared dining experience is a really bad thing IMO. But perhaps, if Amtrak is leaving the dining cars on the train, one can still have some of that experience in those cars? I thought they were removing the cars as well the dining.
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