Comments on: Four Years on the Road: It All Began with a Frozen Pork Butt

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 02:45:28 +0000

@Kathy: This is a great story! Love the imagery of the thawed pork blood trailing through the immigration hall. I can really imagine the scene. Ah, the things we’ll do for a favorite food or taste from home!

By: Kathy

Kathy — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:16:17 +0000

Haha…your title reminded ME of a pork story: while living in pre-Gulf War Kuwait, we expats had the habit of trying to smuggle forbidden pork and alcohol in through customs. One of the stories that still makes me chuckle is that of our British friend Paul, who’d packed the sleeves and torso of his winter parka with frozen pork chops, so that his luggage would go through without a problem. The immigration lines were long, and by the time he got up to the officials, he’d left a long trail of thawed pork blood behind him on the immigration hall floor. Officials were so disgusted, though, that they let him through.

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 23:25:10 +0000

@Kyle: I sincerely hope that someone found it before it defrosted and was able to use it. It was a nice looking piece of meat and could have fed a family for a couple of days. I’ll never know.

@Chuck: I can only imagine what must have been going through my Czech neighbors’ heads! When people come up to me with strange requests or comments, I try and remember that there is likely a bigger story behind it that makes logical sense to them. Sometimes I figure it out, and other times it eludes me.

By: Chuck Clayton

Chuck Clayton — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 01:36:41 +0000

Great human story. We all do things that make sense to ourselves, but others may feel they are a bit odd…oh well!

Best,

Chuck

By: Kyle Morgan

Kyle Morgan — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:47:52 +0000

What an interesting way to start long term travel! I wonder whatever happened to the pork butt after you left it!

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:03:41 +0000

@Zablon: Yes, my neighbors probably did think we were crazy. At least it gave them a good story to tell their friends 🙂

@Lola: Oh, there are so many stories. Sometimes it takes being still and having time to think to remember and laugh.

I’m laughing imagining the scene of trying to explain to a German border guard why I’m carrying a frozen pork butt across the border 🙂

By: Lola

Lola — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:19:23 +0000

“Frozen pork butt!” Hilarious.

Such a classic story and one of many you guys definitely have. I might have actually just taken the pork butt on the train and tried to pawn it off there.

By: Zablon Mukuba

Zablon Mukuba — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 06:52:27 +0000

that pork but had a big part to play in history. your neighbours might of thought of you being crazy

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:07:44 +0000

@Laura: I guess if had been a box of cookies, it probably would have been an easy sell. But, a chunk of pork must have looked too suspicious. A real shame since I knew these pensioners didn’t have much money and this could have fed them for weeks. But yes, at least I didn’t start this trip with a missed train!

@Theodora: Good question! I put the wine bottle behind me to try and hide it before knocking on the doors. At least I had that much sense at the time 🙂

We’ve been back to Prague since then and have walked by our old apartment building, but haven’t been inside.

@Gray: We were always known as the “crazy Americans” in the building, but given the crap that Czech TV & hollywood movies “show” about America, I don’t even want to know what they must have thought!

@Mariellen: December 5 seems to be a good day to start journeys and new beginnings!

By: Mariellen Ward

Mariellen Ward — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 18:13:27 +0000

Coincidentally, my India journeys also began on December 5 — thought the year before, in 2005. That’s the day I flew to India for the first time; it’s the day that totally changed my life. No pork butts involved, though 🙂