Parrot fish are nipping at the coral all day. No way I’d eat a parrot fish. I lived to tell the Cuda tale, but would be very reluctant to do it again. I had the worst food poisoning after eating at a local sushi restaurant several years ago. Not sure if it was cinguatera but it was bad.
I pretty much always pack knives in my checked luggage. Also zip lock bags! Some condiments. A flexible plastic cutting mat. Wine opener.
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I bring only difficult to find spices and condiments.
I HAVE cooking equipment that I love and worship - but I can do without all of it in the short term, and the risk re loss or breakage is not worth the schlepping of it. (Knives, btw, are not among these items. I can manage with ANY knife as long as it is sharp-ish).
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my experience has been, however, that most of the knives in rental kitchens haven’t been sharp-ish in a long, long time – if there even ARE any knives (had one that had only table knives – not even so much as a steak knife…)
The two best kitchens I’ve had were one that they were renting the house of the guy’s mother, who had passed away. It’s really weird, but they left all of her cooking implements in the kitchen – every ancient wooden spoon, can opener – everything. I actually had a blast one rainy day going through the enormous old sideboard jammed full of colanders and whisks and a lifetime’s worth of cooking.
The other was a beautiful little flat on a farm in Italy – the lady of the house was an avid cook and baker (fresh goodies from her oven every morning) but she actually went to the trouble of stocking the kitchen to HER standards. There was more than enough to go hog wild, and it was all in great condition.
True. But if that happens - and I can’t recall it happening, but it probably has - its easy enough to pick up either a cheap knife that’ll do for the weekend, or a cheap sharpener, or both - and leave them behind.
I know. Knife geeks are screaming in agony. But I’m not that picky about my knives, and I manage just fine in any case.
I’m with you – I live my Wusthofs, but really, I can manage without them for a week or two.
I always have my ziplock kitchen if we are driving.
Victorinox 5" in a sheath
Corkscrew
Forks
Paper plates
Teabags
When we go to the beach I will add
My second best peeler
Half sheet pan
Coffee grinder
Small tongs and flipper
Cast iron pan
Nonstick aluminum pan, large
Spices in tiny zip locks
We have been in a condo without and I can make do especially if just my husband and I but when cooking for 8, I need my good tools.
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You know these days I would also bring a coffee grinder, fresh roasted beans and my tongs as well as other thing mentioned above. When we did our Keys trips many years ago I was not into coffee like today. The obsessions multiply
Tongs? Hmm. That’s something I’ve never thought of. I guess if they’re missing I just use two forks. 
I use tongs a LOT in the kitchen. Whether it’s over a grill or stove, good quality tongs gives you control picking things up and keeps you from getting burned. I have Edlund brand heavy duty tongs and find them very good and would miss not having them.
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We all have those ‘do or die’ things, don’t we? When we travel by car, it’s absolutely ridiculous what I take. I think I mentioned above a good-sized CI skillet
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The CI skillet was on my initial list. Perfect for road trips when space and weight are not a problems
The coffee grinder , magnificent . I travel with the Kyocera burr grinder . love it . No power but yourself . I like that you have a coffee grinder on your list . + 1
We have done self catering holidays for years now. I always pack the following:
3 global chef knives
Chopping board
Baking tray
Knife sharpener
2 lots of tongs
Extra dish towels
My weber go anywhere bbq (I pretty much use this every night)
Charcoal
Grate cleaning brush
Stubbs bbq sauce
My husband goes a bit mad with all the stuff I bring so I try not to do food, but the last 2 years we’ve been close to a Waitrose supermarket (higher end, don’t get them this far north in Scotland), so I arrange a food delivery for the evening we arrive. I also shop there every single day on holiday because in a complete saddo, and Waitrose is my ‘happy place’. Lolz
I bring my own beans too.
I ate lots of barracuda we caught from the sailboat. But the rule was, only south of Antigua. I never got ill, nor anyone else that ate it. A cuban man once told me that they would catch them, put them on a table and let a hungry cat check it out. If the cat walked away, they threw it out. If the cat started to eat, they cooked and ate it. Not sure I would want to trust a cat’s nose with my health tho:)
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What is a global knife?
Multiple chef’s knives? Multiple tongs?
err. Yes!. I use 4 sets of tongs at home and they’re STILL all in the dishwasher when I need them.
That’s my restrained list, too! ( we’re away for two weeks at a time, mind)
