Thoughts on the food

[MORLET]

I have a few comments:

I ended up losing one of the tickets. It probably tore off while I was carrying or fixing the robot. The paper coupons of the past worked much better. In terms of variety and value the Disney prepaid meals were by far superior.

I could not believe it on Friday when I found out the prepaid service had closed at 2 PM. I settled on buying a hot dog and water for $5. It was either this, a pizza, or nachos ($6.50). Later that day, after the conclusion of our matches, I returned to the Astrodome, hoping to buy some water. I discovered that the vendors had closed at 4:30 (or was it 5:00?). By this time, I was feeling quite dehydrated from making 6 round trips pulling the robot between venues. I found an Astrodome employee and told him I was more that willing to pay double for the water, but there was nobody to sell it to me. He took pity on me, and insisted on giving bottle for free.

I stayed at the pits until closing time, two hours later. FIRST is a very gratifying, yet physically draining experience. It was a long day, and I left feeling very hungry and weak. From those that I have spoken to, many people would appreciate it if at least one concession stayed open for the entire day, to accommodate those too busy to eat during peak hours.

It was hardly easier to find food in downtown Houston (in the neighbourhood of the Hyatt). McDonald's closed at 7, and Subway closed at 8, after running out of bread at about 7:40.