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Question for seasoned travellers

Discussion in 'General Chit Chat' started by Mattecube, Dec 2, 2018.

  1. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

    My wife wants to take gift sets of Chutneys and Jams over to the USA you know the usual Christmas stuff.

    My question is will it ok in hand luggage? In my head I have the thought that there is a minimal size for fluids to be ok in hand luggage!

    Any thoughts
    • Informative Informative x 1
  2. Drunken Max
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    Drunken Max Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    It has to be less than 100 mls. It can be more but must be in its original packaging and bought in the airport airside ( if you can take it in at all ) . What you get through in your normal luggage is up to you and could be confiscated.
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  3. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

    Yes I had the 100 mls size in my head, it will be in original packaging but bought at craft and Christmas market fairs,
  4. Dave_E
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    Dave_E Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    Taking anything like that in cabin baggage, is just asking for problems.
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    • Agree Agree x 1
  5. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

    Thanks
  6. Heathen
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    Heathen Active Member

    USa is very strict on the kind of foods admitted, just make sure its declared on the little declaration cards that you get..
  7. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Hold luggage and as others have said not really a good idea in any case, and as Heathen says the US is very strict.

    I know it sounds stupid but I would like to take a couple of packs of good quality pasta that we can get here but which it's not so easy to find in our bit of Metro Manila, and I would like to take some Morrisons Pasta sauces to complement it, some grated parmesan as well.

    My son likes Italian food and I would like to make a couple of dishes for him the way they are meant to be made rather than the traditional Filipino spaghetti sauce approach.

    But every time I think of doing this I think what might they make of an off white powder (the parmesan) and these other packets of stuff and then I think, no not worth it.

    The USA is different they are not going to stitch you up at immigration but they could make your time a misery by wasting it in fruitless investigation.
  8. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

    These are sealed jars in original packaging some from John Lewis and some from craft fairs, I will probably bulk them in the main luggage and declare them.See what happens!
  9. Drunken Max
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    Drunken Max Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    You have to put it in the context of can customs inspect every bag which will be full of contraband, which will be every bag? Just put it in your main luggage and its unlikely you will have any issues. Double bag your sauces though.
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  10. Drunken Max
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    Drunken Max Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    I've never seen anyone get stopped. It is strict but is it enforced?
  11. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

  12. Dave_E
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    Dave_E Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    [​IMG]
    What could possibly go wrong?
  13. PorkAdobo
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    PorkAdobo Active Member

  14. Dave_E
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    Dave_E Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    Better to buy cheese locally, Fresh Grated Parmesan is available in Robinsons, most likely better than the dehydrated muck you refer to as an "off white powder".

    [​IMG]

    If you want to treat your son, try cooking Carbonara.

    200g spaghetti, 3 rashers streaky bacon, 1tbsp olive oil, Half tsp black peppercorns, 4 egg yolks, 2 tbsp grated parmesan, Sea salt.

    Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water until al dente (start testing at 8 minutes). Meanwhile, cut the bacon into thin strips. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick fry pan and fry the bacon until crisp.

    Crush the peppercorns in a mortar or under the flat blade of a knife — it is more interesting cracked than finely ground from a pepper mill. Beat the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl until creamy. Beat in the cheese and sea salt until creamy.

    Drain the pasta and shake dry. Add immediately to the egg mixture, tossing well, then add the bacon and its oil and a pinch or two of the pepper, and toss quickly until well coated. Scatter with parsley and serve on two warm dinner plates or shallow bowls, with extra cheese for grating.

    (The hot pasta cooks the egg mixture, do NOT scramble the eggs)
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2018
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  15. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    I know how to do a Carbonara and that is indeed what he likes and yes cracked peppercorns are much nicer.

    The nearest Robinsons is however about 6 miles from us although it was close by when we lived in Malate, and while I have looked in the local supermarkets like Pure Gold and SM I've not come across the quality of ingredients that I wanted.

    Hard to get good olive oil as well although I dare say I could find that if I tried and for the pasta well I prefer a carbonara with fusilli and I've never seen a good fusilli in the shops over there, maybe I will just try harder next time. :)
  16. DavidAlma
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    DavidAlma Well-Known Member

    My lips are watering Dave, yummy.
  17. Heathen
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    Heathen Active Member

    I have seen people stopped when going through customs in America, so long as that little card is filled in correctly there wont be an issue, even if anything is confiscated, it will obviously depend on whats on the ingredients labelling so long as everything is labelled correctly no issue.
  18. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

    Sounds yum
  19. Dave_E
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    Dave_E Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    I remember being stopped twice.

    Once when I arrived back in Leeds I had my hold and cabin baggage checked, the Gentleman allowed me to keep my Philippine Chicharon (pork scratchings) even though I had expected them to be confiscated.

    More recently I had my cabin baggage checked when leaving Egypt, they specifically homed in on my money pouch. I think I had Egyptian Pounds, British Pounds, US Dollars, Euro, and Turkish Lira, rather a lot but definitely well within the limits.

    The man counting my money could not seem to count past ten which was rather funny, I started to laugh which did not go down well. Eventually he gave up and I was waved on my way.
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2018
  20. Drunken Max
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    Drunken Max Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    I've been stoppped in the UK, by a drugs dog no less, but never in the USA. Maybe they profile. I travelled a lot and kept my varioous currencies with me. Evidently they are all covered in drugs. The customs guy said that they catch more money launderers than drug smugglers some days.

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