You can't take it with you....

[lleechef]

I love the two ways to exit Customs in Charles de Gaulle and Zaventem: Something to declare. Nothing to declare. Of course I always take the Nothing to declare exit.

They just keep on smoking their Gauloise cigs and give you a nod........

[jmcgrath]

I love the two ways to exit Customs in Charles de Gaulle and Zaventem: Something to declare.  Nothing to declare.  Of course I always take the Nothing to declare exit.

They just keep on smoking their Gauloise cigs and give you a nod........

I find the "something to declare" lines much easier at US ports of entry. The lines are usually empty and I make sure I have a legal "agricultural product" such as roasted coffee beans to declare.

Jim

[foodie52]

I wasn't attempting to "smuggle" the Velveeta...its only problem is that on an Xray machine, encased in foil, it looks like a nice hunk of explosives apparently.

So I rewrapped it in plastic wrap, put it in my carry-on. and didn't have a problem.

The queso was great, by the way.

[Mayhaw Man]

I had not thought of this story in a while.

When we were building Celtic Brewing in Enfield, Co. Meath, Ireland we were just about ready for the start up brewing. As I had designed the whole brewery around a certain yeast (alt yeast-ale yeast that has similar floculation characteristics to lager yeast but a flavor profile like ale yeast) I realized that I was going to need a bunch of it to start the first batch with.

Normally this would be no big deal, but I was working in Baja California at the same time and the yeast was supposed to go from Wyeast in Mt. Hood, Oregon to Dublin to Enfield. Yeast comes packed in beer from Hood Brewing (an agreement between Wyeast and Hood River gives him access to clean wort for yeast production) in these cool looking foil bags. They are pretty indestructible, but they have to be kept cool in order to keep fermentation to a minimum, otherwise the co2 sould expand the bag until it popped.

I decided that it would be easier to ship the yeast to me in MX and transport it myself to the airport in San Diego and on to Dublin. Simple enough. Unfortunately after a few emails to Ireland I discovered that there are tons of rules about live biologicals entering Ireland and that it would have to sit in quarantine until a lab deemed it ok. This would not do. Time was of the essence and I had to brew with this stuff pretty quickly as the investors were getting antsy to see some action.

I packed it into a huge suitcase containing a collapsable ice chest along with 6 small ice packs. I got on the plane in San Diego and flew to Dublin. I used to do this every third week or so and it was no big deal and the nice folks at Delta were used to seeing me so I generally sailed right on through in first class style and comfort. I waltzed into Dublin and started through customs. Whoops. "Excuse me sir, would you mind stepping this way?"

To make a long story short, after two hours discussing this with the lads in the customs hut in Dublin, we all decided that what I was actually transporting was beer. They let me go and told me not to bring any more "beer" into their airport as they had plenty of beer already. It was black, and good, and made in Dublin, and why did I think it was important to make more beer anyway?

I was very relieved to get out of there that day. I guess naivitee pays off sometimes. THe test brews went off nicely and the yeast performed like a champ. But I never did that again.

[prasantrin]

I'm bringing this back up since I don't think it would be appreciated if I started a new thread for my question (I read the warning earlier in this thread).

I'm flying to Japan and I want to take some chocolate with me--not bar chocolate, but chocolate-covered graham cracker-pieces (Clodhoppers, for those wondering). I remember reading that chocolate should not be placed in check-in luggage because it is sometimes mistaken for explosives when viewed on x-ray machines. However, would my Clodhoppers be OK?

And how about maple cookies in check-in baggage? And stuff in bottles like maple syrup and jams (well-wrapped in bubble wrap, placed in Ziplock bags, and wrapped again in clothing)? My carry-on luggage will likely be full with ice wine so I won't have room for the other gifts in there. Putting them in my check-in luggage is my only hope (I supposed I could mail them, but that would take a month to get there!). Any advice or voices of experience?

[auntdot]

Several years ago (before 9-11) we bought a tin of corned beef tongue from Harrods.

As my family enjoys beef tongue we thought that we would bring it to them to feast on.

As we were in the security line at Dulles, my corned beef tongue tin was scrutinized as if they thought it was plastic explosive. They kept asking us what it was. And I kept telling them. Maybe it was a cultural thing as I am certain that they had never heard of such a food.

It took forever to get through the line.

They even swiped it (for explosives) and we were kept there until a supervisor showed up.

Maybe they just did not trust stuff from Harrods? "snicker".

[John von Pey]

Some years ago, I regularry visited Vespa Scooter Rally's in Great Britain (coming from the Netherlands). I soon learned some of the scooterists loved likorice (as do I). So on every trip I took several bags with me.

On one occasion I went over without my scooter, and had to put my luggage through an x-ray machine. I than was nicely asked to open my bag. And out came a (foil) bag of sweet likorice. And another one. And a salted one, accompanied by a second. The eyes of the lady got bigger with every bag. All for your own consumption???? Ofcause I knew how to answer that one "yes, I haven't been able to find the real stuff in Britain. Would you like a taste?"

I suppose that last one did it, and I could go straight through

[foodie52]

prasantrin:

Glass jars don't seem to pose a great problem. Just remember that, the more you wrap a product, the more unwrapping needs to take place. Skip the bubble wrap: it may appear as if you are trying to hide something. Enclose jars in plastic bags or two and wrap in clothing. Make sure you have a hard-sided suitcase. I've never had anything break on me and I travel a lot.

Carry on anything that it would break your heart to lose. I think that is the rule to follow in these terrible times.

[mongo_jones]

i've brought in everything from dried spices to pickles to bengali sweets to mustard oil to cookies (brittania's bourbon chocolate biscuits mmm mmm mmm--thank god indian stores in the u.s have started carrying them now), but i have never been able to bring myself to bring mangoes in. i worry that if i get stopped at customs the aroma will be too strong and that the penalties will be stronger for bringing in fruit. i know others who've been braver/more foolhardy and never had trouble though. maybe next time.

edited to add: oh yeah, we carried tons of kim chi into india this past winter (so my wife could survive 4 weeks of indian food).

Edited March 23, 2004 by mongo_jones (log)

[Bicycle Lee]

velveeta may NOT be explosive, but it should be exploded....

cheeze style plastic product...

[bleudauvergne]

velveeta may NOT be explosive, but it should be exploded....

cheeze style plastic product...

I'm pretty sure the French would consider it dangerous.

[Marlene]

It isn't just flying. Try crossing the Canadian/US border in an RV No meat, dairy, or produce of any kind. We went through the border empty and shopped on the other side. Coming back, we had to throw out the meats and dairy we hadn't used before crossing.

We've never been searched when crossing the border in our RV, although we have been asked whether we are carrying any of those goods. As I explained to my husband though when he was muttering about throwing perfectly good food out: "the first time we try to bring this stuff back, will be the first time they search us." And I'm already a marked woman at Customs because I forgot to declare something once

[prasantrin]

It isn't just flying. Try crossing the Canadian/US border in an RV No meat, dairy, or produce of any kind. We went through the border empty and shopped on the other side. Coming back, we had to throw out the meats and dairy we hadn't used before crossing.

Even cooked meat? We've never had problems bringing smoked or cooked meats across the border going either way except beef (more recently). Dairy has never been a problem for us--and we have brought cheese, butter, labneh, etc. (almost every conceivable dairy item except milk). I know fruits and vegetables can be more problematic, but peeled fruits have been OK (we brought peeled papaya from the US to Canada during our last trip which was just a couple of weeks ago). Interesting...

[prasantrin]

prasantrin:

Glass jars don't seem to pose a great problem. Just remember that, the more you wrap a product, the more unwrapping needs to take place. Skip the bubble wrap: it may appear as if you are trying to hide something. Enclose jars in plastic bags or two and wrap in clothing. Make sure you have a hard-sided suitcase. I've never had anything break on me and I travel a lot.

Carry on anything that it would break your heart to lose. I think that is the rule to follow in these terrible times.

I was going to use some spongey padding stuff but just roll the glass in it so it could easily be pulled out. Don't know if customs would be willing to do that, though. They may just prefer to cut off the padding (even though it would be more trouble to cut it off than to peek in the top of the roll) so maybe that's not a good idea, either. I guess I'll just stick them in Ziplock bags and wrap them in clothing, as you suggested. I don't have a hard-sided suitcase, but I'm using a big Rubbermaid container so hopefully that will provide additional protection. I'm trying to cut out some of the glass stuff I had planned to bring just for ease of packing/shipping. I don't want anything to break and stain all of my clothes!

Thanks for the tips!

[Marlene]

It isn't just flying.  Try crossing the Canadian/US border in an RV   No meat, dairy, or produce of any kind.  We went through the border empty and shopped on the other side.  Coming back, we had to throw out the meats and dairy we hadn't used before crossing. 

Even cooked meat? We've never had problems bringing smoked or cooked meats across the border going either way except beef (more recently). Dairy has never been a problem for us--and we have brought cheese, butter, labneh, etc. (almost every conceivable dairy item except milk). I know fruits and vegetables can be more problematic, but peeled fruits have been OK (we brought peeled papaya from the US to Canada during our last trip which was just a couple of weeks ago). Interesting...

NOpe. And one RVer that we know had his can of Cambells soup confiscated and his dog food because they both had beef in them

Also no eggs or egg products since the chicken flu thing.

The border guard just said to us "no dairy". period.

[prasantrin]

NOpe. And one RVer that we know had his can of Cambells soup confiscated and his dog food because they both had beef in them

Also no eggs or egg products since the chicken flu thing.

The border guard just said to us "no dairy". period.

Poor dog! I can't believe they took its food away! I wonder if the "no dairy" rule has to do with mad cow disease, too. I know once Canada had its first case of mad cow, the US banned any kind of beef, cooked or not. One guy even had his roast beef sandwich taken away!

I have a sort of funny story about cheese--years ago I bought some cheese in the US, then brought it into Canada, then back into the US. When I was going back into the US the customs officer asked me if the cheese was processed cheese. I said, rather indignantly, that it was not (I do not eat processed cheese!).

Customs guy: It's not processed?

Me: No.

CG" Is it from a farm?

Me: No, I bought it at a supermarket.

CG: And it's not processed cheese?

Me: No! It's cheddar!

CG: That is a processed cheese!"

Oops! I had always thought "processed cheese" meant Kraft singles or some gross plasticky stuff like that but to customs guys, it includes everything but fresh, unpasteurized cheeses. You learn something new every day!

[moira27]

When we crossed back into New Brunswick after an afternoon of shopping in beautiful downtown Calais , we stopped at the St. Stephen border. We were asked about our groceries. One friend had bought a turkey, no problem, and we all had yoghurt and milk. We were allowed to take everything trrough. I asked about thinks like pepperoni, and was told that even a frozen pizza could not come across. Some of the American grocery stores had problems because Canadians were trying to return things when they found out they couldn't take them homeand of course they wouldn't take perishables back.

I wonder when the dairy thing happened. My MIL is going to be very cranky without her American yoghurt.

[marinade]

This is soooo Pre-9/11! You’d be surprised how I carry on when I really carry-on. This was back in March of ’91 and I had to hook up with my publisher’s rep to do demo’s and food samples at Chicago’s Mc McCormick Center House ware’s Show. I needed to bring along three gallons each of Red Zinger Sorbet and Ginger Sorbet. The trick was to get if from Philly to O’Hara and keep it frozen for four days. At the time, I had I had a 5-gallon Emory Thompson batch freezer hard wired at 220 volts in my basement. So turn out was no problem. I ran the sorbet batches and froze them in 1-quart deli containers, I lined about six 11x17x9 thick ply cardboard card boxes with a plastic trash bag. And lined the sides and bottom with ½ “ Styrofoam cut to size. I got 6 containers in each carton, filled each carton with about a foot square of dry ice (each) broken. The cartons were sealed and reinforced with packing tape. I roped the cartons three high, and I checked them into luggage. They went through without a hitch. But the on back end ….well.

At O’Hara I was bracing myself for my inevitable arrest for smuggling sorbets across state lines. At the top of the baggage chute the first of the cartons reared its head, the cartons came down still roped together, somewhat battered, and emitting wisps of white vapor. People at that point were staring and repositioning themselves to the other side of the conveyor. The next batch came along with my luggage, which I paid a Skycap $20 to grab the smoking cartons and meet me on the taxi island to make my getaway.

Now as long as I didn’t open the cartons, the sorbets would hold temperature. The sorbets were fine, but the dry ice stated to give up on the third day. I found a dry ice house in Chicago’s Southside. The neighborhood was pretty mangy, and I had to convince the cabbie to wait for me (again another $20!). Again the staring when I came back to the cab with a “smoking” box.

I’m living a calmer life these days. My smuggling is down to bringing back Bourbon from Louisville, KY. The bottles light up like amber stain glass in the x-ray machines. In exchange I have to smuggle about 10-12 pounds of German charcuterie (mixed sausages) to my son-in-law for bird-dogging bourbon for me. Any suggestions?

[Marlene]

I wonder when the dairy thing happened. My MIL is going to be very cranky without her American yoghurt.

Here is the list of prohibited items from US Customs Prohibited items. It doesn't actually say dairy, but I wasn't about to start arguing with the Border guard. They aren't paid to have a sense of humour

[jabolster]

If any of you want to read a good piece about 'food smuggling' read Jeffrey Steingarten's piece "Cheese Crise" found in his book It Must Have Been Something I Ate. It's a hoot.

[psychobombshell]

It isn't just flying. Try crossing the Canadian/US border in an RV No meat, dairy, or produce of any kind. We went through the border empty and shopped on the other side. Coming back, we had to throw out the meats and dairy we hadn't used before crossing.

We've never been searched when crossing the border in our RV, although we have been asked whether we are carrying any of those goods. As I explained to my husband though when he was muttering about throwing perfectly good food out: "the first time we try to bring this stuff back, will be the first time they search us." And I'm already a marked woman at Customs because I forgot to declare something once

Depends on how much they are paying attention and on which side... I got pulled going into canada on greyhound (apparently they have a problem believing a 26 year old woman doesn't have a driver's licence because she doesn't actually know how to drive, not that she's been convicted of a felony and had it taken away).... on the US side coming home, I smuggled in a mickey d's salad and cheese burger and nothing...I was seriously shocked at how lax the customs were for buses in Blaine.....

[ned]

I brought a salted, dried leg of lamb (called fenelar) from Oslo to Newark. There's some question about the legality as the curing process is a form of cooking. Still I was tickled to pass through with a leg of lamb in amongst my whites.

[JMillar]

I fell foul of the liquids thing in Switzerland - Jam you see counts as a liquid - I watched in horror as it was ceremoniously taken out of my hand luggage and dumped in a bin. I take no risks now it all goes in the hold if there is even a chance it would be classed as liquid.

This of course now tends to temper my purchases of wine when abroad

All that said (and not specifying details here) I once brought a live lobster back from the channel islands in my hand luggage, wrapped in damp newspaper and tea towels.

[BekkiM]

My parents make maple syrup every spring and gave a pint to a house guest this past Christmas. Luckily I heard her mention that she was going to put it in her carry-on luggage (to prevent it getting lost) and reminded her that it would almost certainly fall afoul of the liquids ban--it would be tragic if that golden deliciousness ended up in the rubbish bin!

On the other hand, my husband was travelling in Saint Petersburg and received a very fine bottle of vodka as a gift. Since he couldn't put it in his carry-on, he packed it carefully and reverently in his checked luggage. When he arrived in Moscow, however, the bottle was gone--and no note either. Some baggage handler evidently decided to appropriate it. So I guess you're not sure to arrive with your precious, edible, cargo any way you slice it (get it, slice it? he he).

[hummingbirdkiss]

Ok my story is not so much about getting it through it is about the guy with the hook on his hand not washing it and trying to open my coveted papaya salad. I was so mad! after taking all kinds of folks through touching and scanning and whatever ... he took the hook and started opening my salad container to look inside no gloves or anything. Now I realize that a hook is hard to glove! but what did he touch before with it? and why not have a way to accomodate this man so that we do not get germs in our stuff?

I asked him to not do that and I would be happy to open it or could he go and wash first? he laughed opened it anyway and ended up touching the salad so I tossed it

that was a very good salad that got tossed because someone was not accomodated nor was I!!!

other than that my food goes through the scanner and I have not had a problem ..sometimes folks want to eat it and joke but never had a problem liquidy things I just pack in my bag to avoid any questions

I also ship wine when I travel to avoid the above

Edited January 27, 2009 by hummingbirdkiss (log)