Traveling offers the opportunity to broaden your palate and stretch your imagination with new tastes, spices, sweets, and aromas. Fruits, vegetables, spices, and cuisine differ delightfully from country to country, city to city, offering their own special delicacies. Walking through the markets of Hong Kong or Lisbon, your eyes will be dancing at seeing the vibrantly-colored fruit and vegetable stands. The fresh fish counters shimmer with the daily catch of local fishermen.

Wherever you roam, the newness of tasty spices, unusual foods, and delicious beverages will be part of your discovery and fun. Try the special dishes and traditional meals of the region and country you visit.

The availability of food differs in each country. Remember, not all countries have such plentiful food supplies and mass distribution as we have in the United States. Societies riddled with political upheaval or economic depression may lack in the supply of food to its people.

Considering your destination and mode of travel, you may want to take along what I call "food staples" in your backpack. Carrying these items assured me of a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack no matter where I was or what I was doing. There have been times I have been on a train journey that was to last three hours and took twenty-four, fortunately I had food to eat in my backpack.

Food Staples While On The Road

Peanut Butter -
Easy to carry. Easy to spread. Spread peanut butter on bread, crackers, or fruit for a nutritious and tasty meal. Full of protein, it tastes great on almost anything. Peanut butter makes a delicious meal anytime, anywhere.

Bottled Water -
Carry bottled water when traveling on buses, trains, or any type of transportation. Knowing you have your own sterile water will help prevent travel sickness and dehydration.

Snicker's Candy -
Put few Snicker's bars in the backpack, just in case you need a quick boost of energy or a little something to tide you over until you get to your next destination. It will get you through.

Granola Bars -
Granola bars and the health food bars are an excellent boost.

Noodles-
Noodles and broth make a nice hot meal when food is scarce. A couple of these packages tucked into your backpack offer meals that only require boiled water and a bowl.

Top Ramen In St. Petersburg, Russia

Before flying off from London to St. Petersburg, Russia, in late November, I decided to bring along a dozen Top Ramen noodle packages. I wasn't sure how available food would be and just thought I'd better take something along with me.

I stayed at the youth hostel in St. Petersburg, which was terrific. Every morning we had cereal, a hard-boiled egg, coffee, cheese, and bread. Wandering the ice-frozen streets of St. Petersburg, I didn't notice many cafes or restaurants, only very high-end, posh places to eat. Being on a budget, I didn't want to blow all my cash on food. So I bought a frozen salami-type sausage from a little old babushka, who was selling them out of a suitcase in front of Moscow Station.

At lunchtime, I would be walking along Nestky Prospect and have a couple of ice cream cones for lunch. I bought two vanilla ice cream cones from a mother-daughter vendor team, selling them out of a cardboard box (no freezer required) on the sidewalk. I pocketed one ice cream cone and ate the other. The air was so frigid the first ice cream cone wouldn't even think of melting in my pocket.

In the evening, I would slice my sausage and eat it with the bread I saved from breakfast along with my soup, delicious.

LOCAL CUISINE

Trying new dishes, with spices you've never tasted, let alone can pronounce, is all part of the fun of being away from your normal diet. Dabble in the local cuisine and introduce your palate to new and unusual dishes. Ask the waiter at the cafe or restaurant for food and drink recommendations if you are unfamiliar with the local cuisine.

Street Vendors

Buying and eating from street vendors may be a quick way to experience local foods and a quick way to get sick. Fruits and vegetables, sprayed with untreated water, may look refreshing to the eye but cause intestinal distress later. Food sold on the street usually lacks proper refrigeration, thus harmful bacteria may grow while sitting out waiting to be sold. The food may look fine but you really don't want to take the risk.

Once I ate fried foods that contained no meat and were fried right before my eyes. There were no negative side effects, but I rarely-to-never eat from street vendors. Be choosy about the food you eat from this source and if you do choose to dine vendor by vendor, then make sure the food is very hot when you buy and eat it. I do not recommend this type of dining. You really take your chances on becoming ill.

Easy On The Beef, Poultry, And Fish

Beef, poultry, and fish may be carriers of bacteria and parasites if not properly refrigerated and cooked. As a result, if you eat these contaminated foods, you may become extremely sick. Salmonella, from meat that has not been properly refrigerated and cooked, can make you violently sick. Be cautious about the beef, poultry, and fish you consume. The presence or lack of quality control in the food industry may greatly affect the quality and contamination levels of the meat. If you choose to eat these foods when you travel, be sure they are cooked "well -done" to avoid contracting any bacteria or parasites.

Salmonella In India

After two months of backpacking in India I was spending my last evening in Varanassi. So far on, the entire journey, so far, I had had few problems with the food and getting sick. On this night, I was being extra fussy about what I would eat and finally decided on chicken. Chicken?! I had eaten a vegetarian diet the entire time I was in India, what was I thinking?. Well, obviously I was not thinking that night. I ate a bit of the chicken and then left the rest. What happened? The chicken was "bad," a salmonella special!

Yes, I got really sick, fever, diarrhea, and the whole nine yards. The worst of the matter was that I was in transit to Nepal while the salmonella really kicked in. The entire experience was less than pleasant. Thank goodness I had my friend, Joe, with me. When we finally arrived in Kathmandu, Joe took me to the International Clinic where I had some tests run and took some antibiotics. A few days later I was fit as a fiddle again. My advice, don't eat the chicken!

SPLIT THE CHECK PLEASE?

While dining in Europe with two close friends from the States, we wanted to split the check to pay separately, but quickly realized, from clear disgust of the waiter, that maybe people didn’t pay separately in Europe. We changed our methods of payment in restaurants to "split-the-check-shame". When dining out, you can all pay separately for what you ordered but tally it up at the table. One person does the calculations and collects the money, and then gives it to the server in one lump sum, not individually. Believe me, you'll save yourself grief and the server will appreciate your effort.

DO I HEAR A DOG?

"Do I hear a dog?" Valerie choked out these very words after hearing a canine call, as we sat in a lovely restaurant in the very posh Monte Carlo. Bringing one's pets to restaurants and cafes is not unusual in Europe, in fact, it is pretty commonplace. So, if you hear a "bow wow" or a "meow meow," it’s not part of the menu, just a friendly furry companion.

TABLE TAX AND THE HOSTESS FEE

Nightlife In Iwaki, Japan

While roaming the neon-lit streets of the small Japanese fishing town where I was once a student, my friend, Grant, and I decided to check out a few of the several dozen bars and karaoke clubs aglow that night.

First, we went to a club that was the hot spot five years ago, but was now a deserted island of chrome light fixtures and black marble floors. For sentimentality, I wanted to sit with a beer and recollect on my days and nights spent in this town as a student. Now, the beers were already twice as much as they were at home but then we were charged an extra fifteen dollar in U.S. money just to sit at the bar. Well, shock wasn't the word, I had never paid table tax before we paid our tab and decided to ask next time if there was a table tax. Now wise to the extra levy, we could always stand.

Our second adventure of the night began the moment we stepped into the "red velvet" room. The walls and seats were upholstered in red velvet, the plush carpets on the floor were the same deep red; the room glowed. Two hostesses greeted us, wearing tight kimono-type dresses and thick make-up like the Kabuki actors. Wary about paying table tax again, I inquired if they charged one. They assured me they did not.

One hostess led us to a booth in the very uncrowded table area, the karaoke machine blaring in the corner. A couple of beers and some snacks were brought along to our table. The hostess seated herself right beside Grant and remained there even after we nodded and thanked her. Language was a factor we thought, we weren't communicating that she could leave, although, now, I realized it wasn't a communication barrier. She was our "hostess" for the evening and would stay with us to pour our beers and bring us snacks.

Invited to sing a few songs at the karaoke machine, we obliged her request. I sang the slow version of the Beetles, "Yesterday," in an octave I couldn't reach, while the video behind me showed a woman wearing little if anything. I cut the song early and returned to the table. It was so bizarre I couldn't stop laughing.

At the end of the night, our bill arrived. Not only did we have to pay the hostess fee but we were charged for the songs we were asked to sing, the beer the hostess drank she could really put them away too!, and the snacks we didn't order. The situation was absolutely comical. We did avoid the table tax but, we ended up spending more on other hidden costs. We thanked them and said "sayonara." Walking back to our hotel in the cool night air and splash of colors from the neon signs above, Grant and I laughed about our unexpected adventures that evening with table taxed, hostess fees, and all that red velvet!