What should one eat/drink during a chess tournament break?

Those biking/orienteering races -- I forget what they are called... Anyway, I heard a competitive racer give a speech on the subject. He raced in a team of 4 and all of them have to cross the finish line. No one can be left behind.

The guy giving the speech has diabetes. While his fellow bikers nourished their bodies with power bars and energy drinks, he ate real food like cold spaghetti. Potato chips seem to be the food of choice at tournaments, but they have no substance. Pasta provides energy that keeps you awake.

Anything with caffeine might give you the kick you need, but keep in mind you will crash later.

It matters how long the games are- if it is a long tournament (something like two hours per game) drink lots and lots of water. For me, when I get nervous (because these are big tournaments) my face turns red and I turn warmer. You never know if there would be air counditoning (and no, summer in Southern Ontario does not have snow or ice). I also like that you need to go to the bathroom to relax yourself and force you to take your time.

If it is a short tournament, just take little bit of water- make sure you come not too hungry and not too full. Oh, remember to think about chess!

 Great idea.  I can smell it now.

 This is America. lol. =/

I don't have any legitimate "Chess Tournament Food" suggestions, but in high school one thing they suggested for a snack during the 15-minute break halfway through the ACT, was saltine crackers. I can't remember facts they gave as to why it was supposed to be the most beneficial though. =/ Just my 2 cents.

Personally for me it's snow white tea with 3 dwarfs .   Blacker than black coffee, or apple juice.  Alcohol is not recommended.  A beer is ok, maybe 2, after that it's just no use.  I did play a brilliant game totally drunk once in my life against the computer on a high level but there have been too many alcohol related Chess disasters to give alcohol any merit points.  If I was looking to boost my performance with one of the above drinks I'd try the coffee.   

Great chess foods include Banana's,oranges, bars,cheese,and tuna usually a lean protein is good. high sugar drinks make your blood sugar go zig zags and you end up making blunders,but you still need a little sugar to help with thinking. also gum helps you think so a stick of gum is handy in a tournament. Also the garlic idea isnt too bad either you could win by resignation

I heard somewhere that during the act you should eat protein bars and shakes before the test and during the break, and use the rest of the break wisely (this includes taking a tiny jog). Also, I'm not sure how accurate this is, I'm just using my bad memory.

me personally I always go for the classic Takis dipped into Mac and cheese with some hot sauce poured all over those chips with a side of a chocolate bar mixed into caramel. For my drink I go with a big mix of sodas like sprite, Pepsi, root beer, cherry coca cola, and to add to my already healthy mouth drooling meal, I add some vitamin water into that too! hope this can spread some ideas for chess tournament foods.