Eating in a zero gravity environment can be quite tricky. Before astronauts had refrigerators and freezers in space, the preservation of food limited the size of the menu. Only nonperishables could be brought into space. The first astronauts ate freeze dried powders and bite-sized cubes of food; they also ate semiliquid substances (similar to jello) from tubes. None of this food sounds very appetizing and likely was not very palatable because this food had to contain all of the astronauts’ nutrition.
Freeze dried foods became easier to prepare with better rehydration methods, and more conventional foods were added to the menu, such as shrimp cocktail. Cubed foods were coated with gelatin to help keep them together.
Modern space dining is vastly improved. For example, after years of development and millions of dollars, developers have created Korean kimchi for astronauts to eat in space. Even with improved preservation techniques and an expanded menu, some original challenges still remain. Any food that leaves crumbs is problematic. Imagine eating a bag of Doritos in zero gravity: an individual chip is too large for you to fit in your mouth in a single bite, but biting in in half leaves tiny Doritos particles everywhere. These tiny bits of chips that you usually just brush off your shirt when you stand up will now float around and most likely interfere with some expensive and important equipment.
Let’s say you still want that Doritos taste in your mouth. You order the Doritos Locos tacos from Taco Bell, and they send it up to you in space. If you’ve ever tried eating one on Earth, you know that it gets quite messy. In space, that mess is now floating around your head as you are munching on an overrated, over-advertised taco.
You’re disappointed about not having the taco, but at least you still have the soft drink right? If you drink carbonated beverages, you’ll end up “wet burping.” Turns out, gravity actually separates the gas and liquid in your stomach, and without it, you’ll burp both out. Disgusting.
Hope is not lost though. If space food isn’t to your liking, you can always sneak your own food on board.
Cosmos Commentary 
Great post! I have never thought about how crumbs could be dangerous in space before! Also, the article about the astronaut sneaking food on Gemini 3 was really funny. Have you ever tried astronaut food before? I tried freeze dried ice cream at the Air Force Museum in Ohio, and it was amazing!
I had never given much thought to space food before reading this post either, but it was really interesting! I have never thought about the challenges astronauts might face, and I honestly had no idea that the space food industry had progressed past freeze dried food. Learn something new everyday!