Traveling to America - should I be concerned?

I eat a lot of dairy here in Europe and things like:

- unpasturized cheese
- raw milk

You might have trouble finding these in a supermarket, but they wouldn't be any more dangerous for you here than they are in Europe. In many places in the US it is illegal to sell "raw" aka unpasteurized milk. Pasteurized is safe no matter where you live.

- raw eggs

I think these would actually be safer in the US. Here, most supermarket eggs have been washed and treated with a chemical, if I remember right. This reduces the risk of salmonella contamination (all chickens have salmonella in their internal egg making parts, which contaminates the outside of the shell.). However, it also weakens the shells. This is why you'll find our eggs in the refrigerated section of the store instead of on a normal shelf. When you purchase them, take them home and keep them in the fridge. They will last longer in the fridge with weak shells than they will at room temp.

If you would like to eat them raw, you can. There is some risk, but like I said, the risk it actually reduced if they've been pre-cleaned already. I tend to only eat them raw as part of cookie dough, but whatever floats your boat.

- peanut butter

Considering it was invented here I don't think you'll have a problem finding that safely.

- Mett - raw minced pork meat
- steak tartare - raw beef

Never heard of mett. Tartar I have heard off. I don't care for either. There is always a risk when you consume undercooked meat. The risk is not any greater in the US than in Europe. Having said that, I think the US actually has a safer track record when it comes to Mad Cow disease than parts of Europe, but I'm not positive.

- oysters

It's oyster season right now. You can get them raw or steamed plenty easily. Most oysters are safe in restaurants. However if you choose to hop in an random wild oyster bed to harvest them yourself be aware than you may need a licence and that you would need to check the safety status of that specific area. I can get oysters harvested fresh and safe from local oyster beds in just about every restaurant in town because I'm on the coast. All restaurants are required to post when the oysters were harvested and where they came from.

sushi, sahimi,

Did you know that a lot of Japanese sushi is actually sourced from the US? Ask the chef when and where they're fish comes from. Some of the really nice places near us actually get their fish flown in directly from the major markets in Tokyo or New York.

crudos, etc...

I've never seen this on a menu, so good luck.

But from all the threads here, it seems that the food in America is dangerous and I don't think I can travel with two weeks of food. A lot of threads here talk about bad dairy, bad eggs, bad peanut butter. I'm not sure I should eat at places where I don't know the source.

The US is a major food exporter for the world. Our food is generally safe. It's closely monitored. Food problems are rare which is why the media makes a big deal about them when they happen. Plane crashes are rare too, but you would think they were more dangerous than cars based on media coverage. The unusual gets attention. Normal doesn't.

Or should I stick to fast food places where I understand that the food quality is controlled and tested. I know it's strange to focus on that but I'm concerned about the quality of restaurants and I really won't have a car there nor a place to cook.

All restaurants, even little "mom and pop" places will be monitored by the local health department. They are required by law to have their health score posted for you to see. Personally, I rarely see any place with a rating below an A. Fast food is probably the worse in my area because people who work there don't care. Conversely, many locally run restaurants have scores of 99 or better in my town. I flat out refuse to eat anywhere with a score less than 90. I think twice about places with a score below 95 just because I know there are so many places that do much better.

Thanks for your advise.

My dad is a microbiologist. A few tricks from him that I've used both home and abroad:

1) Before you order at a restaurant, go to the bathroom. That way you can wash your hands. And, if the bathroom is dirty, assume the kitchen and staff are as well. I don't eat at places with icky bathrooms or poor health department scores.

2) Avoid buffets and salad bars. The warm food is rarely kept warm enough and the cold food rarely kept cold enough. Plus you don't know who used their fingers instead of a spoon before you go there or who might have sneezed on stuff.

3) Pay attention to the posted health department rating. Use it as a guide. It's pretty scandalous for a place to get a "B" rating in my area. Most places will also post the number as well as the letter.

And some personal ones:

1) Eating "local" and "sourcing" food so that you know where it comes from is very popular now days. Local restaurants are more likely to tell you when and where they got the food for your meal and how it was prepared than some careless fast food joint. Many "hip" places will list where the food comes from right on the menu. Eat local and enjoy! My favorite sushi bar posts new pictures of the chef at the fish market with his most recent purchases and plays the photos on a digital screen near his station.

2) In my town, the tap water is actually healthier than most bottled waters. It confuses me when I go abroad and they don't have good water straight from the faucet. We get a water report from the county every couple months. So, if the locals drink the tap water, you can probably assume you can as well.

JUST DON'T DRINK THE TAP WATER!!!!

Are you completely retarded or is it an "it comes and goes" thing...????

I just spit out my lemon water on my keyboard at this one.... people are looking at me.

Yeah. Skip the taco bell. You can't get any tripas and nopales there!

I've gotten food poisoning there before. Be careful.

See, my concern too. I bought a water filter to make coffee. I hear your coffee is weak, but Starbucks tastes like burnt stuff - hmm maybe bring an Italian?