Because there are *some* things you can’t get in China

While there’s plenty to eat on your trip, and grocery shopping is a fun activity, there are some things that you just can’t get -- or won’t be the same as what you have at home.

You may want to start introducing your child to some of the new foods she’ll be eating at her new home in the West; you may have your own dietary needs (hypoglycemia, diabetes, etc.) that don’t necessarily conform to the schedule you’ll be keeping in China.

And if your child is young enough to be taking formula, you’ll want to bring some of that along for certain.

Items we had a hard time finding included:

1. •Peanut butter
   

2. •Graham crackers & saltine crackers
   

3. •Granola bars / fruit bars
   

4. •Oatmeal / Cream of Wheat\
   

5. •Mac ‘n Cheese - the kind you only need hot water for (as you won’t likely have access to a microwave)
   

You’ll probably be able to get your fill of fruit at mealtime, but little snacks of raisins, Craisins, cashews, almonds are a good idea to carry.

                      

Finally, one category of must-bring items from your kitchen includes:

1. •Plastic cutlery
   

2. •Ziploc bags of various sizes
   

3. •Ziploc / Glad / Rubbermaid plastic bowls with lids
   

Don’t assume you’ll be able to pop into a McDonald’s and grab a plastic spork from a container next to the napkins -- it’s an unnecessary expense to them. Who uses them?

The family we traveled with ordered a cup of corn at KFC and a spoon came with it. That spoon might as well have been made of gold, because it was the only one we were able to obtain in China, and we used it (and washed it in boiling water) every day. Yes, we still keep it as a reminder of “roughing it” during our time there.