> Megan:
> Just a word of warning though - be careful taking your own food with you on
> international flights - depending on where you are going you could get into
> trouble with it.  If you need to take something, take it wrapped in
> something you don't mind losing - you may well have the container (even
> empty) confiscated at your destination.  Throw away your leftovers before
> customs.  Remember you cannot take your own food into most countries, once
> you arrive, so don't bother packing supplies for the rest of the trip.

  Good point.

  I've had no problems with packaged foods and medicines when I've
travelled.

  A well-travelled friend of mine suggested taking whatever you consider
'comfort' food with you, to make the visit to a new country a bit more
homey.  As long as it's in an unopened package, I've had no problems.

  Re: Japan - for the most part Japan is a great place to be lactose
free.  I did once get a sour-cream filled appetizer thing in a plate of
sushi/sashami on the plane once (and didn't realize what I'd eaten for a
few hours...).

  About noon, in areas where there's a lot of workers, the streets erupt
with little stands selling cooked stuff on a bamboo-skewer.  I ate from
a lot of these stalls with no ill effect.

  If you can learn 5 or 10 Japanese words (hello, please, thank-you,
excuse me, good-by, and some numbers), you'll see a lot of surprised
smiles.  "Japanese for Busy People" by Ajalt was a useful book for
me.

  My Japanese motto was "Wakarimassen"  (wa carry mass en".  I learned
it from Shogun.  It means "I don't understand".  I used it a lot, and
to excellent effect.

  Enjoy your trip.

        Clif
........................... Clif Flynt ..........................
... Tcl/Tk for Real Programmers - Academic Press Professional ...
.... http://www.cflynt.com  ............   [log in to unmask]   ....
. In theory there is no difference between theory and practice  .
........................ In practice, there is. .................