Eating meat in India's 4 and 5 star hotels?
Aug 16th, 2003, 05:35 PM
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Eating meat in India's 4 and 5 star hotels?
I'm confused. All the guide books advise not to eat meat in India. They then go on to list restaurants, many in the 4 and 5 star hotels, that serve meat and recommend the meat dishes. Should I avoid meat altogether or is it safe to eat meat in the top-end establishments? I would appreciate first hand advice although I suspect I'll err on the side of caution while in India.
Aug 17th, 2003, 01:59 PM
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I became very ill whilst at the Mughal Sheraton Hotel. The doctor could not pinpoint my illness, but I did eat meat at the restaurant in the hotel. I certainly would avoid eating GROUND meat(I had odd dumplings with ground pork inside) and only eat chicken that is cooked well through. (What is funny is that many of my friends used ice in all their beverages and never became ill! I wouldn't touch ice and I was very ill.) Just bring Immodium with you, that is all you can really do.
Aug 17th, 2003, 06:53 PM
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Beef and Pork are not consumed in India so any on a menu would be imported and you have no idea from where or how long stored.
If you have meat stick with Chicken or Mutton if it's available. if you are used to having Yoghurt then I would always ask for 'Raita' as a side dish which is Yoghurt usually with onions or cucumber, this mixed with the curries is more gentle on the stomach. Also ask for a Banana, this when eaten with hot curries takes the 'heat' off.
If you are looking at eating steaks and western food I would give it a miss. If you need some 'real meat' then take simply grilled Chicken, fried chicken etc. Chicken is fine.
If you have meat stick with Chicken or Mutton if it's available. if you are used to having Yoghurt then I would always ask for 'Raita' as a side dish which is Yoghurt usually with onions or cucumber, this mixed with the curries is more gentle on the stomach. Also ask for a Banana, this when eaten with hot curries takes the 'heat' off.
If you are looking at eating steaks and western food I would give it a miss. If you need some 'real meat' then take simply grilled Chicken, fried chicken etc. Chicken is fine.
Aug 17th, 2003, 06:59 PM
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Just a personal tip:-
Also when you travel anywhere 'Be Kind to your Stomach', it's had a rough ride, be gentle. Balance local food with food that your stomach and digestive system is used to and can cope with. Take bread whenever you get the chance, simple food such as Corn Flakes, things that your system is used to.
I am convinced that if you sudeenly start pouring strange foods into your system your system retaliates, don't blame it!
Also I have found over the years that more often than not whenever I have had a heavy meal within a few hours of getting off a long flight I have suffered, so now I always take it very calm and easy on food consumption for the first 24 hours.
If you think about it with logic, travel and long journeys have an effect on the outside, we shouldn't forget the inside has had a rough ride too!
Also when you travel anywhere 'Be Kind to your Stomach', it's had a rough ride, be gentle. Balance local food with food that your stomach and digestive system is used to and can cope with. Take bread whenever you get the chance, simple food such as Corn Flakes, things that your system is used to.
I am convinced that if you sudeenly start pouring strange foods into your system your system retaliates, don't blame it!
Also I have found over the years that more often than not whenever I have had a heavy meal within a few hours of getting off a long flight I have suffered, so now I always take it very calm and easy on food consumption for the first 24 hours.
If you think about it with logic, travel and long journeys have an effect on the outside, we shouldn't forget the inside has had a rough ride too!
Aug 17th, 2003, 08:23 PM
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As one who has spent a lot of time in India and also gotten very ill several times, come as prepared as you can. Ask your doctor before you go to give you some pills (any travel doctor knows what to give you) that will be stronger than Immodium. If you do get ill, I would suggest you don't wait it out as you do at home, seek help as soon as you can in the nearest big hotel or large city. JamesA's advice is very good. A couple of other tips - one the best thing for cooling off some food that is too hot (spice-wise) is rice, (not water as people are prone to go for). Stay away from lettuce if you are offered it. Aside from other reasons, it is one of the hardest things to digest and James' advice on being kind to your tummy is spot-on. India is an amazing place, but I find it more unusual when someone tells me they *didn't* get sick while visiting.
Aug 18th, 2003, 11:57 AM
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While I do agree that eating food that is a "shock" to the system can bring on diarrhea, I have eaten very "hot" food in Thailand, Cambodia, and Nepal and was perfectly fine. In fact, I had that spicey Thai soup (tom yam?)in Bangkok that took the top of my head off, yet all I came down with was heartburn. I don't want to sound racist here, but India is the dirtiest country I have ever been to. It is very beautiful, but it is filthy in a way that Cambodia, China, Thailand, and Nepal are not. I do not know why, except maybe the combination of a billion people and oppressive heat.
Aug 18th, 2003, 06:05 PM
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ThinGorjus: "I had that spicey Thai soup in Bangkok that took the top of my head off"
From your name I fantasized you as being "thin" and "gorgeous" - but without the top of your head - hummmm!
There are lots of filthy places - I make it a point to try and not eat from street vendors, regardless of the country I am visiting. Also no raw fruits or vegetables, unless I can peel the fruit.
India is a "special" case. One can get sick from eating in the best of restaurants. Or not sick from something that one is positive will make one sick.
I remember once being extremely thirsty in India and the only thing available was hot milky cinnamon tea in about 100+ degree weather. There were things that were floating in that tea. I closed my eyes and drank the tea and - didn't get sick! On the same trip, I was invited to a top restaurant in New Delhi and came down with the heebie-jeebies combined with the willy-nillies. It was the sickest I have ever been on any trip abroad.
Our return flight home could not land in Singapore, so we were put up in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. I remember spending the entire night in the bathtub because it was the coolest place. By the time I got to Singapore the next day I was delirious and didn't really come out of it for several days.
It's probably a combination of things: heat, lack of hygiene - as ThinGorjus has mentioned - and local bacteria. Even if you go to New Zealand, which has some of the purest drinking water right from the tap - you will be ingesting local bacteria which can make a visitor sick.
So, take care, take some Imodium, take some antibiotics - and, for goodness' sakes, don't suck your thumb until you get home!
Oh, yes, one more thing - brush your teeth with bottled water and DON'T open your mouth in the shower!
Have a nice trip!
From your name I fantasized you as being "thin" and "gorgeous" - but without the top of your head - hummmm!
There are lots of filthy places - I make it a point to try and not eat from street vendors, regardless of the country I am visiting. Also no raw fruits or vegetables, unless I can peel the fruit.
India is a "special" case. One can get sick from eating in the best of restaurants. Or not sick from something that one is positive will make one sick.
I remember once being extremely thirsty in India and the only thing available was hot milky cinnamon tea in about 100+ degree weather. There were things that were floating in that tea. I closed my eyes and drank the tea and - didn't get sick! On the same trip, I was invited to a top restaurant in New Delhi and came down with the heebie-jeebies combined with the willy-nillies. It was the sickest I have ever been on any trip abroad.
Our return flight home could not land in Singapore, so we were put up in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. I remember spending the entire night in the bathtub because it was the coolest place. By the time I got to Singapore the next day I was delirious and didn't really come out of it for several days.
It's probably a combination of things: heat, lack of hygiene - as ThinGorjus has mentioned - and local bacteria. Even if you go to New Zealand, which has some of the purest drinking water right from the tap - you will be ingesting local bacteria which can make a visitor sick.
So, take care, take some Imodium, take some antibiotics - and, for goodness' sakes, don't suck your thumb until you get home!
Oh, yes, one more thing - brush your teeth with bottled water and DON'T open your mouth in the shower!
Have a nice trip!
Aug 19th, 2003, 07:18 AM
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Thanks for the general advice and I'm aware of the many problems with eating in India. What I'm particularly interested in is the question of whether or not the better hotels and restaurants are "safe". If I eat a kabob at Karim's, the restaurant at Rambagh Palace, Chor Bizarre, or any other top end listing in my guide book, am I likely to get sick? I've travelled in other third world areas and have always been "safe" in the upper end hotels/restaurants. It seems like India is different. Any experience with this? ThinGorjus' advice on ground meat is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for and you won't catch me eating any when we go in November. I'll also stay clear of the Mughal Sheraton. Anyone else have a similar tale?
Aug 19th, 2003, 09:53 AM
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In 4-5 star hotels you should be fine..but to be safe err towards Chicken or Mutton.
Also, each town has restaurents which are favoured with the locals. Stick to these and you will be fine. Stay away from any Indian ice-creams called kulfi's sold on the streets.
Also, each town has restaurents which are favoured with the locals. Stick to these and you will be fine. Stay away from any Indian ice-creams called kulfi's sold on the streets.
Aug 19th, 2003, 01:20 PM
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I don't agree about the "pure" water of New Zealand making one sick if you aren't used to drinking it. I have travelled all over the world and have drunk tap water in almost every European country, including Greece, Argentina, Japan, Hong Kong, and (accidentally) Beijing, and I never even had mild diarrhea. I also brushed my teeth with the tap water at the Oriental in Bangkok, never getting sick. I realize their is "traveller's diarrhea," but I have noticed that it usually strikes older people who change their diet whilst on holiday, not the young and fit who continue to eat their regular diet.
To Jahlie, just make sure all the food you eat in "steaming" hot. Ask for an electric kettle (or bring your own)and boil you own water to brush teeth and make tea in your hotel room. Take a bath, not a shower, so you don't accidentally swallow any water. DON'T SWIM UNDERWATER IN THE HOTEL POOL. The hotel may not be chlorinating properly.
To Jahlie, just make sure all the food you eat in "steaming" hot. Ask for an electric kettle (or bring your own)and boil you own water to brush teeth and make tea in your hotel room. Take a bath, not a shower, so you don't accidentally swallow any water. DON'T SWIM UNDERWATER IN THE HOTEL POOL. The hotel may not be chlorinating properly.
Aug 19th, 2003, 10:00 PM
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Thingorjus - I agree, I also have not seen a relationship between spicy food and getting sick. I think those two things might have gotten mixed up in the advice-about-food-list. In fact, the reason spices were so important in olden days (and today) is that they help to preserve food.
Jahlie, it cannot be guaranted that you'll not get ill even at a top restaurant. If I were going today I would probably skip most meats and have fish and chicken. The best Indian meals I've had were in the US, btw. Someone here was right about very hot (temperture-wise) food and drink helping - the chai tea for example. I would avoid the Indian yogurt - curd - (something that elsewhere is good for the stomach) because it is usually not refrigerated. Drink bottled soda and ask for it unopened so you can open it yourself. And btw, a pre-dinner cocktail will help protect you against food that is spoiled - it has to be gin or vodka, etc. not just wine or beer.
Jahlie, it cannot be guaranted that you'll not get ill even at a top restaurant. If I were going today I would probably skip most meats and have fish and chicken. The best Indian meals I've had were in the US, btw. Someone here was right about very hot (temperture-wise) food and drink helping - the chai tea for example. I would avoid the Indian yogurt - curd - (something that elsewhere is good for the stomach) because it is usually not refrigerated. Drink bottled soda and ask for it unopened so you can open it yourself. And btw, a pre-dinner cocktail will help protect you against food that is spoiled - it has to be gin or vodka, etc. not just wine or beer.
Aug 20th, 2003, 07:23 AM
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Thanks all very much. I feel that I can make wiser choices but even then, nothing is guaranteed. The pre-dinner cocktail is interesting and advice I'll definately try. Never hurts in any situation. Thanks Clematis but I'll stay clear of fish and seafood because that can be very problematic even under the best of circumstances. Chicken yes, fish no. There's always bread and chai, bottled water, rice and very steaming hot lentil curries.
Aug 22nd, 2003, 02:02 AM
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ThinGorjus
"I don't want to sound racist here, but India is the dirtiest country I have ever been to."
Is this a racist remark? I would say it is more a snobbish remark.
"I have travelled all over the world and have drunk tap water in almost every European country, including Greece, Argentina, Japan, Hong Kong, and (accidentally) Beijing, and I never even had mild diarrhea."
Greece is the only European country in your list. The rest are in South America and Asia. Also Beijing is a city and not a contry.
Sorry, but you do writ a lot of waffle.
"I don't want to sound racist here, but India is the dirtiest country I have ever been to."
Is this a racist remark? I would say it is more a snobbish remark.
"I have travelled all over the world and have drunk tap water in almost every European country, including Greece, Argentina, Japan, Hong Kong, and (accidentally) Beijing, and I never even had mild diarrhea."
Greece is the only European country in your list. The rest are in South America and Asia. Also Beijing is a city and not a contry.
Sorry, but you do writ a lot of waffle.
