Best Vegan Fast Food When You're Stuck at a Truck Stop

Truck stops are not restaurants. They are supply depots with fried things. You can still leave with a meal.

Inside the store

Walk past the roller dogs. Go to:

• Peanut butter
• Bananas and apples
• Instant oatmeal
• Hummus if the cooler is kind
• Nuts, pretzels, hot sauce
• Soy or oat milk hiding behind the creamers
• Canned beans if they stock a grocery aisle

The attached chains

Taco Bell, if present, is the most reliable. Subway can be a veggie sandwich if the bread isn't a dairy situation — ask. Wendy's baked potato plus a side salad has saved people. McDonald's is mostly a coffee and apple stop unless you like disappointment.

The truck stop is not the enemy. Unpreparedness is.

What to skip

Sushi from a fluorescent case at a diesel plaza. Mystery fried patties. Anything that has been under a lamp longer than your set.

The 10-minute plate

Oatmeal, banana, peanut butter, salt, coffee. It is not content. It is fuel. Eat it in the parking lot like a professional.