1 GM: I can't believe it! You're actually heading west towards the Orcrift Mountains! The quest has begun!
2 Lambert: Hmmm. Time for second breakfast. What do we have to eat?
3 GM: I'm keeping track of your rations, let me see... Oh, you only have a day's supply...
4 Mordekai: Well then. We better backtrack to the village to "acquire" some more!
4 Lambert: Yeah!

2014-03-12 Rerun commentary: Keeping track of rations is one of those insanely tedious book-keeping tasks that some people do when playing roleplaying games. Yes, it adds to the realism, but then reality is boring compared to going out and slaying dragons and duelling wizards.

A more streamlined approach is to assume that, most of the time, the adventurers have access to sufficient food and water, either by carrying a supply, spending some camping time hunting small animals and gathering vegetables, or by simply purchasing meals from villages or inns if they are passing any. In the latter case you can deduct a reasonable daily food allowance from their funds and be done with it.

You only really need to bring up food requirements if they venture somewhere particularly barren (a desert, or perhaps a huge underground dungeon that they stay in for several days at a time). In such cases you can then roleplay food gathering activities or start applying penalties for hunger.

If you take this approach, make sure you tell your players, lest they continue micro-managing their food supply.