Given what I've heard, I don't think I'd eat local food in China either.

I guess my pique with my friend in Tokyo was not based on overwhelm, sanitation or anything of the sort. And even thinking about it is reminding me of what bugged me about our relationship. She was WICKED strong as a human being...both parents disabled caused her to learn taking care of herself young...but when she invited me to Japan, somehow, she became a different person and leaned way too heavily on me to take care of her there. So much so, that I faked being sick so as to skip out on a trip to the country so I could travel on my own.

Bad friend, I know. But she planned the trip to McDonald's before she even got there. I suppose I shouldn't care about a gustatory experiment.

Hm. Guess I should let that go.

Are people supposed to get shots to go to Jamaica? Or "eat safe" there? Of course, I've had so many people tell me "it's not really the Third World" The fuck? Am I supposed to be flattered? It is.

When we went to Kenya, we started out with "good" intentions (read, what the doc had suggested), but the urge to eat like Kenyans overcame us, and we just stayed sticklers about handwashing. Plus the fact that we'd slipped up and had tomatoes in our sandwiches already.

My rule for food in unsanitary places is that if you see it being made hot, it's probably fine. Salads and anything precooked are out.

Except that the vast majority of food poisoning cases come from unsanitary hands, not unsanitary food. It doesn't matter how clean the ingredients are if the person cooking it didn't wash their hands before they got to the stove.

And while we're on the topic of foreign food, the chicken tikka masala I just had delivered tastes like Campbell's tomato soup. Blech.

I think Jamaica gets a "don't drink tap water" warning, but I'm not sure about extra shots. (And "don't drink the water" doesn't necessarily mean it's contaminated, just that the local Jamacian microbes won't get along with an average American's native intestinal flora.)

Oooh, thanks smonster for that link to the royal wedding. I'd been trying to find pictures but had been unsuccessful.

I'm fascinated by the badges and such. I'd love to know what they all mean.

I fell in love with the Danish royal family when I lived there briefly. I lovedMargarethe's dress...the loudest next to the Spanish queen.

I'm sad to see what Sylvia of Sweden has done to her face. She used to be lovely.

My OTRoyal couple though, are Haakon and Mette-Marit of Norway. So sweet. Theirs was one of my favorite weddings ever. Not to come over as truly sad, but I'm pretty sure I still have the newsclippings from that one. (2001)

Paging Aims: do you read TLo?

I DO NOW!!

These guys are my favorite: [link]

I want that dress.

My BFF's name is Margarethe. random

Oh, J. Peterman, how I loathe you. Your clothes are beautiful and enticing, and I would happily spend so much money on you, but alas, you don't carry anything in my size. Stop tempting me with what I cannot have.

These guys are my favorite: [link]

This is what I'm saying! Margarethe is a riot. And their union seems actually happy...or I want to think so.

The big scandal when I lived there was that she was snapped sneaking cigs in the courtyard of the palace. I'm allergic to cigarettes and, therefore, no fan, but her nipping out back just cracked me up. As I recall, she was resolutely unrepentant.

I once read a story about a doctor/professor/biologist that ingested a tapeworm before he went abroad. Then when he got home, he'd take the cure.

Why?

Apparently the story went that the tapeworm let him eat anything and everything without having to worry.

As I type this, I expect to type "and then one day..." but I have no further info to impart.