Hi again,

here is JL from Pennsylvania... experimenting with international
raw food. I left Paris on 06/20 at 7 a.m., to land only 13 hours later
at Philadelphia airport (I had a transfer). The drawback of eating
raw in such circumstances being that the meals served in the
planes are usually 99.5% cooked (1/2 of salad was raw), so I
stuck to their fruit juices (not organic, with preservatives)
and my own dried bananas.

Arriving at the airport, I was a bit afraid that the customs would
control my luggage, but they didn't (I brought a few cassia pods,
and will soon experiment with that again; still haven't notice
any "magical" effects, except from the laxative ones).

The weather at Philly is rather hot (up to 94 F), but I guess I
shouldn't complain too much (in Paris, 63 F). For me, eating raw
hasn't affected my thermoregulation (in neither way).

I didn't suffer the jetlag at all. Of course, I woke up earlier than
usual (3:30, then 4:15, 5:00, 6:00), but didn't feel tired during
the day, even though I was most of the time outside, walking
in the sun. The (center) city and the campus are rather nice, and
searching for food and lodging are a good motivation to visit them.

The Chinatown was quite a disappointment. Very small (just a few
blocks), and practically no exotic fruits (no durians, no jackfruits
or rambosteens...). I found some fresh bamboo shots (available in
Paris too), but are they truly raw?

So far, I haven't visited many health food stores. Some of them
should really be called "toxic fude stores"... but a few are
quite satisfactory. I found a kind of mini organic food supermarket
called "Essene Market" which, in quality and diversity could be
compared to "Les Nouveaux Robinson" in Paris (I didn't forget...),
although they don't provide in-shell nuts. Actually, I haven't found
in-shell nuts, and only a very limited choice of organic meat (not a
problem for the moment, since I don't like meat). I tried shelled
walnuts and pecans, but they taste "cooked", and pecans seem the
worst.

Globally, food is less expensive, with a few exceptions like
avocados. Mineral water is expensive too, except if you buy bottles of
1 gallon. Some fruits taste very different (strawberries...). Corn and
oranges (sunkist) seem sweeter, but I am not absolutely sure (as my
taste varies constantly). Tap water is not good at all. Even when I
have a shower, it smells chlorine. Of course, I don't think French
water is much better (hard, and contains nitrates). I also discovered
"pluots" (=plumcots, hybrid plum-apricot): not really extraordinary.

There are two large markets here (yes, markets, like in Europe!).
In the Reading terminal Market, some Amish people sell their
fruits and produce (not "certified organic", but I guess close
to organic). In the Italian Market, they do not sell organic food
but one can find a lot of seafood. Their little crabs are a bit
frustrating (almost nothing to eat, only a few grams). Maybe I should
try the soft-shelled ones (and eat the shell).

During the first days, as I didn't have any permanent address, I could
only eat foods that could be eaten immediately in the street, such as
(red) tuna steaks (taste about the same), fruits, and sunflower and
the pumpkin seeds (which can be eaten without soaking). Now that I
have a permanent address, I am trying to prepare sprouts... without my
sprouter (most of it broke during the flight).

Next Thursday, I will have a barbecue... with ordinary and veggie
burgers. Maybe I will eat their salad and bring an avo... There is
certainly no advantage (regarding taste) to come back to cooked food
when you live in the States.


Best wishes,

Jean-Louis
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