Equipment Test #2 - Supper!

I've tested my little Trangia camp stove before (way back here) and it was a success, but it was in a very controlled environment - a flat surface and protected from any wind. Mrs. HAL thought it would be a good idea if I tried it out again (she's very smart that way), and I figured that since I would most likely be setting up the stove on picnic tables and stuff like that, I'd test it on the deck. As an added bonus, it was rather breezy out. Not a gale or anything, but enough to blow papers and leaves around on the street.

I went through my spare camping food and picked a Chicken Teriyaki. Just for kicks (and for filler), I grabbed a pack of dried peas and carrots, too. I gathered up the rest of my stuff and headed outside. About ten minutes later, I was all set up, the stove was lit, and my neighbour was glancing at me with an odd look on her face, probably wondering what the heck I was doing. Here's the setup:

From left to right: Plate/bowl/measuring cup/strainer/foon set (Light My Fire), fondue fuel (from the dollar store, I'll be taking along a 1L jug of fuel when I go instead of a couple of those things), the Trangia stove (lid and handle is up at the top), peas & carrots (Richmoor), and Chicken Teriyaki with Rice (Mountain House).

The stove was easy to fill and light, and I thought I'd try to soften up the carrot chunks as much as I could so I put them in with the water right at the start. Even with the wind, it didn't take too long for the water/peas/carrots to boil:

I let it boil another minute while I contemplated the chicken teriyaki. It kind of reminded me of a bulk bag of oriental snack mix that had been sat upon one too many times:
Somehow, I was able to pour the water/peas/carrots mix into the bag without spilling any or burning my hands. The handle that came with the Trangia stove sure looks flimsy, but it really does a good job, even with a full pot!

Immediately after dumping the pot into the bag, it didn't look much better. Kind of like smashed oriental snack mix that had a really weak pea and carrot soup poured over it:

Now, I know you're supposed to be able to eat the food straight out of the bag, but no matter how hard I try, one of two (or both, if I'm having a bad day) happen:

1) The spices aren't mixed around enough, making 90% of the meal bland and the other 10% almost inedible due to the salt, and

2) I burn the crap out of my hands because I'm too impatient to slow down.

Fortunately, Mrs. HAL is a lot smarter than I am and got me a neat little camp kitchen kit for Christmas. It's compact, light, easy to clean, and has all manner of things in it. It also does a great job of insulating hot things (like, say, food) from things you shouldn't get hot (like, oh, fingers):

As an added bonus, by this time, the food had actually sat in the bag for its ten minutes and congealed quite nicely. It actually looks like food now, and, frankly, it tasted pretty good.

Guh... 29 days until I hit the road, and I already feel a bit of panic about not being ready. The thing is, I really don't know what else I should do. I mean, I've got a couple of things I need to get ready and I need to test packing, but I feel like I'm forgetting something that is not insignificant. Know what I mean?

Safe riding!

Odometer reading now: 9907.7km

Distance since last fill: 346.5km