<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Dear Members, Some of you might remember a query I posted regarding travel in and around Memphis TN. I received responses of two types, General travel information, and travel information regarding Memphis. I have chosen to break up my summaries accordingly. Not all of this information may work for everyone -- I for one could not eat corn or beans for a very long time after initially becoming gluten free, and I still can't eat corn derivatives (high fructose corn syrup, corn vinegar, corn maltodextrin) without feeling unwell. As I said in my query, restaurants still cause me discomfort -- I do not know if it is gluten induced, or something else. I find that almost all processed foods give me a degree of discomfort. Anything, it seems, that has ingredients that don't have a strictly defined source, or that is not made of whole ingredients (derivatives), it would seem is a potential threat. That is why I believe restaurants are such a trial. I do not mean this as a criticism to those who can eat citric acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, phosphoric acid, or acitate just to name a few ingredients I don't understand, only that the odds of illness increase with the amount of derivatives involved. Cross contamination in factories could be another possibility. I actually envy those of you who can tell immediately if something is bad for you -- it takes me a few days, and by that time I could have repeated the same error multiple times. Which means a long recovery period - hence my initial fear at traveling. That said, here is a summary of the points made on Gluten free travel. *Carry Ann's Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing ordered from the Gluten Free Pantry. At public meals order a made to order salad without croutons, and use your dressing. You can use olive oil too, but that get's boring fast. *Avoid the coffee in restaurants, too much in the way of flying crumbs and flour, they also use vinegar to clean coffee makers. *Travel with a paring knife, peeler, and a collapsible steamer(for use as a colander). *Learn to use products available in any grocery store: Fresh Fruit & Vegetables (celery, potatoes for baking, any fresh fruit) Del-Monte canned vegetables (unless marked otherwise) Rice Vinegar (unseasoned) Canned corn Canned beans (with corn, seasonings, and vinegar makes a great salad) Any McCormick's Seasoning (unless marked otherwise) French's Mustard Wine/Cider vinegars Libby's plain pumpkin (NOT the pie filling) well peppered and salted makes a fine dip. untreated dried fruit Nuts (in the shell) Instant Grits Real Butter Rice Cakes Apple butter Philly Cream Cheese Best Foods/Hellman's Mayonnaise, Also Kraft was recommended Corn chips or tortillas -- nothing with hydrogenated oils (nachos microwaved with tomato and cheese) *Beg, borrow, or steal a microwave (sometimes a public one is available in the lobby). Then you can have sweet potato, potato, summer squash, or if you're brave, rice. *Rice Crackers, are hard to find "in the field", bring your own. Also consider bringing Genisoy protein bars, almond or cashew butter, and some rice pasta. *Any restaurant should be able to fix a very plain meal. Plain potatoes, rice, and plainly broiled fish, chicken, or steak should be doable. *Indian food, including Tandori, is GF. Most Tandori uses a yogurt/lemon based marinade. *Utilize the small refrigerator supplied in most hotel rooms. If no refrigerator, you can take plastic trash bags, poke a hole in the bottom, fill with ice, and leave in the bath tub for a cooler. *If you have a restaurant card from CSA, you may be able to give it to a favorite restaurant in each town you travel. Enlist the help of the concierge--that's what they are there for. *Explain to the waiter what you cannot have as an allergy (they seem to take that more seriously) and that you are not trying to make their lives any more difficult but that you will become extremely ill if you have anything with those foods in it. *My experience is that many chefs pride themselves on making things from scratch, not from bottles and cans, and that is the sort of place you will find good GF food. *"Go first or last when ordering so the waitperson will remember you." Many thanks to everyone that responded -- you know who you are. Matthew W Schneider Portland, OR