One of the hazards of traveling (aside from nasty terrorists who have certain ideas about when you should meet your Maker) is the near impossibility of finding organic fruit and vegetables, healthy meals and drinks in hotels.

Right now I am staying at the Santa Clara Marriott for my Muniwireless conference (Oct 21-23, 2007). It’s a good hotel with a big swimming pool, wonderful staff, perfect location for Silicon Valley. But like most chain hotels, there’s too much processed food and not enough of the fresh healthy stuff.

What I miss:

(1) Fresh milk in my room for coffee: that would require a fridge and even though I am staying in a junior suite, there is no fridge.

(2) Good organic coffee (not Starbucks)

(3) Fresh organic snacks like carrots, celery, fruits and nutsI walked around the lobby and came upon the usual shop with magazines, candy bars (ugh), and snacks, all very sugary and processed.

There must be fresh fruit . . . . somewhere . . . All I want is fresh milk, fresh fruit, fresh veg, and good coffee.I am not blaming this Marriott for not providing this to travelers. Nearly all hotels including very expensive ones in cities like Paris and New York offer unhealthy processed food. If you travel a lot, your health suffers.

Feeding people good food shouldn’t be an after-thought but a priority. Airports are almost as bad with fast food chains that serve horrible calorie and fat-laden foods. I find myself going on an involuntary fast when I am traveling through airports. Better not to eat than to eat poison.