Do you make your own food to eat in your hotel room at DEFCON?

[Ne0nRa1n]

I must admit that despite my best efforts last year, I just never made it to the grocery store in Las Vegas. This year I am thinking about bringing an electric hot pot and some dried food with me.

I was wondering since it was mentioned that there might not be a fully-operational food court, how many people cook their own food to eat at DEFCON? Eating out three times a day is really expensive so I always at least try to bring a kettle to have instant oatmeal.

Does anyone else do this, or am I the only crazy one as per usual?

[shrdlu]

Re: Do you make your own food to eat in your hotel room at DEFCON?

I must admit that despite my best efforts last year, I just never made it to the grocery store in Las Vegas. This year I am thinking about bringing an electric hot pot and some dried food with me.

I was wondering since it was mentioned that there might not be a fully-operational food court, how many people cook their own food to eat at DEFCON? Eating out three times a day is really expensive so I always at least try to bring a kettle to have instant oatmeal.

My room usually has had a microwave (where I can heat water to have oatmeal). Failing that, I'd just use a little coffee pot for hot water (for the same). I think you will discover that anything similar to the cooking device you mention will get you tossed out on your ear.

I bring almost all my own food to defcon, probably eating 1/3 or less of my meals out. I recommend apples as an essential. If you're just packing things, and not going to make it to the grocery, then dried fruit is the most important.

[streaker69]

Re: Do you make your own food to eat in your hotel room at DEFCON?

My room usually has had a microwave (where I can heat water to have oatmeal). Failing that, I'd just use a little coffee pot for hot water (for the same). I think you will discover that anything similar to the cooking device you mention will get you tossed out on your ear.

Bring your own dishwashing detergent if you're gonna use the coffee pots in the rooms.

[LosT]

Re: Do you make your own food to eat in your hotel room at DEFCON?

I bring things like granola bars or Ensure meal replacement drinks. That is usually because I never leave the contest area.

[g3k_]

Re: Do you make your own food to eat in your hotel room at DEFCON?

I've only gone once, but the group I'm going with is planning on PB&J for breakfast and lunch, then maybe going out to dinner every night. Food was a huge cost for me last year.

[sintax_error]

Re: Do you make your own food to eat in your hotel room at DEFCON?

Depends on where I'm staying and arrangements that I make. Some hotel rooms have kitchenettes, others will toss you if they find you have brought and used your own appliances. The norm for me tends to be fast food, the am-pm off the parking lot of the riv, some snacks packed in the cooler, and if I'm going with a group, a nice dinner at a good restaurant. And if you're coming from Southern California, it's heresy to not stop by in Baker and stock up on Alien jerky for the weekend.

[Nikita]

Re: Do you make your own food to eat in your hotel room at DEFCON?

You eat? At Defcon? That's not something I remember doing when I get to do it at the show, so no personal experience advice here. Beer is basically bread anyway.

[Z^2]

Re: Do you make your own food to eat in your hotel room at DEFCON?

I barely have a chance to eat, or just forget to eat entirely most of the time.

But when I do, I try to bring muffins with me made out of mostly oatmeal and dried fruit so I have the semblance of a healthy-ish meal in the morning, and they're easy to grab quick and not a messy food. If I manage to find food (I haven't roamed Vegas enough to find a grocery store yet because it's just way too hot and sunny out there) when I'm on a trip, I usually bring back bagels and peanut or cashew butter because, again, it's easy and quick to assemble and doesn't require fridge space.

I always forget to take vitamins too, because I'm sure I'm getting almost no useful content out of the coffee keeping me alive, so I bring some of that hot chocolate mix that you're supposed to give kids so they get their vitamins and mix it in with my coffee.

I guess I never really plan on focusing on food at defcon, but just aim to eat at least one healthy meal a day. If you don't go out and eat, you're missing on a lot of the social scene from what I've seen, so I plan on going out to eat at least twice the whole weekend.

[shrdlu]

Re: Do you make your own food to eat in your hotel room at DEFCON?

Bring your own dishwashing detergent if you're gonna use the coffee pots in the rooms.

Seriously? Do you know how many choices for coffee pots I actually have?

http://www.coffeewars.org/

Oh, my. Needs to be updated for this year, too.

[Ne0nRa1n]

Re: Do you make your own food to eat in your hotel room at DEFCON?

I think you will discover that anything similar to the cooking device you mention will get you tossed out on your ear..

Actually I haven't discovered it yet. I brought a large kettle to both the Riviera and the Alexis Park and I've never had any trouble with anyone saying boo to me. I've also brought a sandwich maker in the past.

I do always make sure to put it back in the suitcase not leave it in plan view for when they come to clean up the room.

A hot pot is very similar to a kettle. It is just like a kettle you can actually put stuff in.

[Ne0nRa1n]

Re: Do you make your own food to eat in your hotel room at DEFCON?

If you don't go out and eat, you're missing on a lot of the social scene from what I've seen, so I plan on going out to eat at least twice the whole weekend.

I must be an odd duck because I hate, hate, HATE going out to eat with people at DEFCON. First off it always seems to take hours to even get organized because you have to wait for everyone and those people always have people that they have to wait for. Then you have this huge group of people and you go to the restaurant and have to wait some more to get a table that can actually fit all the people you have.

By the time you are seated you are gnawing at your own arm with hunger, and conversation is hard because you are pretty much limited to the three immediate people around you, if you are lucky enough to hear them over the rest of the noise that is going on.

Then the bill comes, and you if are the last person at the table you often find yourself getting stuck with a bunch of bills of people who have left without paying. I have seen it happen year after year. Of course, the restaurant wants their money and someone has to pony up the cash.

Nope, I rather just grab something to eat to keep me alive and go check out what people are doing and have a one-on-one conversation than be trapped at a table with a bunch of people, trying to make small talk while attempting not to get food all over my face.

That is just me though, I am generally always the odd one out when it comes to popular opinion. ;)

[Z^2]

Re: Do you make your own food to eat in your hotel room at DEFCON?

I must be an odd duck because I hate, hate, HATE going out to eat with people at DEFCON. First off it always seems to take hours to even get organized because you have to wait for everyone and those people always have people that they have to wait for. Then you have this huge group of people and you go to the restaurant and have to wait some more to get a table that can actually fit all the people you have.

By the time you are seated you are gnawing at your own arm with hunger, and conversation is hard because you are pretty much limited to the three immediate people around you, if you are lucky enough to hear them over the rest of the noise that is going on.

Then the bill comes, and you if are the last person at the table you often find yourself getting stuck with a bunch of bills of people who have left without paying. I have seen it happen year after year. Of course, the restaurant wants their money and someone has to pony up the cash.

Mhmm, but I met a bunch of people who I met my first or second year out by going out to eat with them. It does suck a little and at this point that I have some friends we can all sit around and munch on things in our rooms, but definitely more than 5 people and I start forming mutinous groups branching off from the main one.

[bascule]

Re: Do you make your own food to eat in your hotel room at DEFCON?

I eat out every single meal, because Vegas has completely awesome restaurants. Any time I have a crappy meal I'm pretty disappointed. I still make a trip at least once a year to the Japanese place out by the AP, just to get their Unagi Bowl. It's awesome. I used to make a yearly journey to the Aladdin Buffet, but since it's been taken over by Planet Hollywood it's gone downhill.

The only time I eat for the sake of eating is when I'm full of booze or otherwise inebriated and need to get some food in my stomach to live.

[xor]

Re: Do you make your own food to eat in your hotel room at DEFCON?

Cook.....?, people actually prepare their own food. Though an interesting concept I don't even do that at home. Honestly I don't think I've ever turned on my stove. In fact I think I have it turned off at the breaker or am using that breaker for AC. The inside of my refrigerator looks like the Khyber belt. My freezer contains batteries, just batteries. Living in the city I can get everything and anything delivered. The cities are an an agoraphobics paradise. I have at least 6 food places, and a diner in a minutes walk from my apartment. So close I can still use my own access point.

If you are like me and only go away 2x a year; eating out comes with the territory and is part of the fun of GOING AWAY; and I wouldn't have it any other way. I do bring beer to Shmoo but then again I drive down to DC. Transporting stuff via the airlines has become a total hassle. Shipping stuff via the USPS or UPS or Fedex, is an alternative. But for something like beer to LV it ends up working out to like $3 - $4 a bottle away. So I mite as well just pay hotel rates for it there. I'm a cheap date, it doesn't take me much to catch a buzz. Definitely not a Defcon power drinker.

I'm always up for sharing a meal, but then again I only eat 2x a day; breakfast and dinner.

xor

[beakmyn]

Re: Do you make your own food to eat in your hotel room at DEFCON?

Bring your own dishwashing detergent if you're gonna use the coffee pots in the rooms.

I concur. I can tell you 2nd hand that the coffee pot can be far worse then the remote or telephone. On a recent business trip a coworker found the coffee pot to have urine in it. When he contacted the front desk, housekeeping came up, rinsed it out and then left.

Needless to say neither one of use ever uses the cofee maker. Same goes for the glasses, unless they're sealed in plastic. You ever see a bottle of dishwashing detergent on the housekeeper's cart? Unless there's visible dirt on the glass it doesn't get anything more then possibly a rinse of water and then flipped back upside down.