International Vegetarian Union (IVU)
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22nd World Vegetarian Congress 1973
Ronneby Brunn, Sweden

From The Vegetarian September 1973:

Travelling Broadens the mind
How to travel as a vegetarian was advice given by Leonard Lasky (USA).
"As you see me standing before you, I am a typical American tourist - with a difference: I am also a vegetarian.

"This evening, I am going to share with you my knowledge of vegetarian travel, and give you a few hints and suggestions of what to do, and what not to do, away from home, where to get, and how to prepare food; scientific food combining, and eating; and show you how I do these things in a practical demonstration of typical meals.

"The problem of food while travelling exists for non-vegetarians as well as for vegetarians. Many fine vacations and business trips are ruined by sickness due to restaurant and hotel food. It is very difficult to find wholesome, nutritious food in these places. Thus there are three rules for vegetarian (and non-vegetarian) travel:
1. Do not eat in restaurants.
2. Never eat in restaurants.
3. Stay out of restaurants.

"In 1965, I had the privileg of attending the XVIII Congress in Swanwick. This was my first trip to Europe. I crossed the Atlantic in both directions on the Queen Mary, carrying my own food. Leaving home, I took with me a large carton of fruits and vegetables from my own garden, all organic.

"My steward kept it for me in the ship's refrigerator, bringing it out once a day for me to take out my daily needs, which I ate in my cabin. Returning from England, I bought such large amounts of fruit and vegetables at a greengrocers in Golders Green that he was amazed and asked me if I have a large family. The return voyage took seven days instead of five, as the ship went to the assistance of a Greek freighter in distress in heavy seas in the North Atlantic. Luckily, I had enough extra food, and made it do. Thus, I never went into the ship's restaurant, and cannot even tell you what it looks like.

"Even at home I have not eaten in restaurants for nearly 20 years. Every time I ate in them, even in the vegetarian restaurants and health food stores, I became sick. I do not know if it was the monosodium glutamate, or the poison sprays used in the kitchens. At any rate I gave up eating in restaurants.

"Some years ago, I had the privilege of serving on a jury in the Supreme Court in Mineola. During the trial the jurors were carefully guarded and taken together to lunch in a fourth-rate restaurant near the court house. Foresseing such contingencies, I carried my own lunch of fruit, and it was just as well, because there was utterly nothing on the restaurant menu that I could eat, and they would not even make a salad for me. So every day, for the two weeks of the trial, I brought my own food to the restaurant, and they provided me with dishes and silverware. However, in general, I do not recommend that you bring your own food to a restaurant and demand a plate to eat it on.

"In daring to speak before this distinguished asd very knowledgeable audience on the subject of feeding vagrant vegetarians, I have to advise you that I am not a doctor, physician, nutritionist, physiologist, or bio-chemist. (I don't even care about these things). I am only a nuts and bolts practical engineer, and I regard feeding myself as a sort of engineering problem, to be solved as scientifically, efficently, and economically as possible. My solutions to this problem are by no means origianl with me. They have their origins in Natural Hygeine, as we call scientific vegetarianism in America, where it has been developing for more than 150 years. I have been following this system for 23 years, and have used the principles and methods I am going to tell you about on many trips in the USA, Canada and Europe, by train, ship, airplane and automobile.

"My principles of vegetarian travel are few and simple, easy to remember, and easy to apply: Firstly, buy your own food as you go. Secondly eat only raw food. Thirdly combine your food scientifically in compatible combinations. Fourthly, eat these foods in correct sequence."