OK, so I'm not that much of a whimp, and I do enjoy trying new things, but I would be mortified to discover I ordered calf's brains or sheep's intestines (etc.) for dinner. Going to Italy and France - any quick advice/list of what to steer clear from on a menu? Grazie!

Tripe is big in italy, so look it up in the dictionary and stay away (inverted cow intestine, don't let it happen to you )

Chrissy, don't listen to Lili. Tripe is wonderful. I live in Philly, which has a huge Italian-American population. We eat it all the time here. Try it, you'll like it. And brains taste no different from any other meat dish. Why is it perfectly exceptable to eat a hot dog, and not brains?? Do you know what is in a hot dog???????

How could anyone possibly answer this without knowing your personal tastes, sensitivities, and peculiarities? Me, I'd avoid excessively eggy dishes in France. I can't think of anything I'd especially avoid in Italy.

Stay away from the nasty bread in France. It's crusty and chewy and almost never sliced and wrapped in a colorful bag.

Why don't you buy a travelers' phrasebook with a section on food and drink? Do you intend to go without any knowledge whatsoever of the language because you are too cheap to spend a couple bucks on a phrasebook? Dovers has them for only $3 retail.

Christina, <BR>How do extrapolate that a person is "cheap" because they have asked a travel question on a (duh!) travel forum? Is there a formula you use? If I were to use that formula and plug in your name would it yield a response like "wench"?

My policy is to usually avoid eating brains...if the person is still using them. <BR> <BR>Here's a list of some Italian foods and their English equivalents: <BR> <BR>http://www.le-marche.com/Marche/html/foodtran.htm

Avoid anything described as "sweetbreads" and anything the waiter asks "are you sure that's what you want?" when you order it!

Anna, <BR> <BR>Your post really made me laugh. The waiters in France do, do that! We both love kidneys and whenever we order them we ALWAYS are asked if we know what we've ordered!

Chrissy, Most travel books to the places you visit have some basic food items and their pronounciations. Learn just a few, then only venture out of the box for deserts. I've never met one I didn't like! At least you'll be safe, and maybe the cooking style or the sauce will be an unexpected but new taste. <BR> <BR>Capo, you crack me up! It's glad to see someone humorous for a change. Thanks

If you're concerned about Mad Cow disease, stay away from calf/cow brain! I personally don't like sea urchins and lung. On the other hand, I've tried all kinds of strange food (jelly fish, inkfish including ink, sea cucumber,pork intestines, beef tendons,...)