We just returned from a three week cross-country road trip to visit my best friend (northern California to Orlando). We took the southern routes and, as you can imagine had some great food - grits, boudin, grouper, huevos rancheros Christmas-style, Dairy Queen frozen custard, etc. When we got home, I was really craving simple comfort food, and the first dinner I made was roast chicken thighs with carrots. It was so easy and so good. Followed it up the next day with posole and cornbread.
I’m curious to see what you make when you get home from a trip. I have to admit that our appetites sort of petered out after the first few days, and we generally were eating 2 small meals a day, which was interesting. Thanks!
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Nothing, usually. Especially when we’re coming back from our summer sojourn. Neither of us feel like cooking after a transatlantic flight followed by 4 hours of driving. Even after our annual spring break trip to FL, we’re likely to get takeout, which in our small town can be anything from sushi to wings.
Back when we had that awesome resto serving A-C food / Sichuan / hibachi and killer cocktails literally down the road from us, that’s where we’d go for a bite to share and a drink or two at the bar. Unfortunately, they moved across town & lost their liquor license, so… back to takeout on arrival days/nights.
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Canned soup or instant Ramen – something simple.
Maybe a grilled cheese to go with some tomato soup??
We did drive cross-country (a couple of years ago) and after unloading the car, etc. I was exhausted – I know I didn’t cook anything extensive for dinner.
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PS: Did you ever share how you handled the restaurant meals with your hosts? I remember your inquiry from a while ago.
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Roast chicken and potatoes, maroulosalata. Usually home-made Greekish food.
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These days, our longest trip is the three weeks “fly and flop” in Tenerife that we do every January/February. We eat out every night and, frankly, we’re sick of restaurant food by the time we get home. Nor, for that first night, do we want to cook - not least as flight arrival time is usually late afternoon or early evening. Dinner for me is usually takeaway Chinese. Herself usually manages on toast or, occasionally, pizza if there’s one in the freezer.
By the next day, we’re ready to resume normal life so, menus planned and supermarket visited. We’ll have several days of “anything that doesnt look like restaurant food”. Something wet, like a stew or chicken casserole, goes down well. And anything easy - the freezer brown gloop drawer comes into its own .
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A strong margarita.
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Actually, now that I remember, we had a late lunch on our last day and didn’t eat anything for dinner! (Wine doesn’t count however.)
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I talked to my friend before we got there and said we wanted to pay for the first two dinners. It was fine with her, and she said she’s mention it to her husband. However, the first night he literally grabbed the check, which annoyed us both. The second night I announced at the beginning of dinner that we were paying, and there would be no discussion. That worked. I also sent them a 2 lb. box of See’s candy (local favorite) when we got back as a thank you. So there! 
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Doesn’t matter where I go I miss eating vegetables. I eat an enormous amount of vegetables and when not at home it’s simply never enough.
Half way through my holiday in Mexico and missing green vegetables. Seeing enough of them at municipal markets but people cook and eat them at home, I guess.
So yeah, the first thing I make when I get home is always vegetables.
For now, I’m enjoying the tropical fruits (and of course aguacates!). Always ripe, flavourful and ready to eat.
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I’m glad it ultimately worked out! Sounds like announcing it at the beginning worked…I’ve found it works usually for me, too. Just emailing with a friend and setting a date for her birthday lunch, I said, and this is on me, it’s your birthday! So we don’t need to discuss it in person. She does the same for me on my birthday.
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We felt that way coming home from a short trip to Barcelona. Excellent jamón, patatas bravas, grilled octopus & other wonderful seafood, but finding a salad anywhere was almost impossible.
I’m used to having a salad and/or other veg with dinner basically ever day, and I really start missing it quickly. That said, I couldn’t be arsed to throw together a salad after a long trip. I’d have to shop for fresh ingredients, chop stuff, make a dressing… that’s for dinner the day after a good night’s sleep 
Usually take out as I have nothing in the fridge, and it depends what time I get back to the crib.
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I live in Hawaii, and we have some local foods that I just crave when I return home. I crave poke, plate lunch, or saimin which is Hawaii’s version of ramen. Once I have it, I know I am home, and all is well in the world.
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Cereal and ice cream.
Sometimes at the same time.
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In my experience, usually no problem finding salad starters on Spanish menus (but rarely main course salads
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Not at most tapas bars we went to. Lots of delicious pintxos & the aforementioned local delicacies, but we were so excited to see a simple tomato salad at what became our favorite tapas place we ordered two.
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Take out pizza. We rarely have pizza when traveling.
Put in the online order when the people in the front half of the plane are getting off and pick up on the way home
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You’re lucky to have found good tomatoes over there, I had no such luck 
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Depends where I’m getting back from or to.
if it’s back home to NYC after an extended stay away, I’ll make a huge tray of roasted vegetables (I’ll have enough leftovers for 4 more meals) and make a wrap with a burrito sized tortilla. I’ll add either a scrambled egg or some tofu, and sour cream and a spicy sauce, often chili crisp.
If I’m getting back to Chinag Mai, I’m looking forward to eating out and may not set foot in my kitchen for weeks, no matter how many meals out I had while I was away.
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