street food--go for it!
 

We were advised by someone on this message board to avoid the street food, but fortunately for us, we didn't listen. The first thing we tried was sticky rice and banana wrapped in palm fronds and it was so fabulous that we couldn't wait to try more! As long as you can see what they're cooking and know that it's fresh and not fly-ridden, etc, it should be fine. Not one of the 4 of us got sick from anything we ate or drank.
And if you're a true traveler, you'll get yourselves out of the hotels and find restaurants where the non-tourists eat. The food is terrific everywhere, not to mention cheap! It was hard to come home to San Francisco Bay Area prices.

patt, I couldn't agree more! I always try the street food ( or as my thai friend calls it " footpath " food ) and it completely different to food we all know. If you are diligent about which ones you choose you will have a great experience. There are plenty on this forum who will advise against it and I can understand that but I have no problems and will keep it up. Cheers!

You never know who reads the forum and what someone will or will not do if he/she gets sick.

I'll tell people I eat from street vendors all the time with no problem, but I'll never tell people to "go for it!"

how can you tell it's fresh? just b/c you see them cooking it? It sounds so tasty..but nervous to eat something wrong and have my whole trip ruined! Are there good restaurants off the beaten (tourist) track which are reliable (if you had to pick 1 or 2 spots).

Just curious, but what makes you think that just because someone has a storefront, it is safer than the food from vendors? Why do you imagine a difference? I'm not trying to argue - just a question. Because I think this anti-street food thing is more cultural than health oriented.

I generally judge a places "safety" by the number of locals I see eating there. If lots of locals are lined up or the place is packed, it's probably a safe bet. They wouldn't keep coming back if it was making them sick. On the other hand, I don't assume that a place packed with tourists is safe. They may only eat their once, so who knows if they will get sick or not. I learned this the hard way in Mexico :(

First of all the locals can eat at many of these street stalls because their system is used to the common bacteria and other organisms present. Second there really is no way to know if the food they are cooking is fresh- how long has that food been out in the heat?
These stalls do not have any refrigeratiuon? Also how do they clean their cooking/serving utensils? Do you think they have have hot water/soap to clean them all day long? Bottomn line if you take a chance on eating from these stalls you are throwing the dice on your vacation and praying it does not come up snake eyes! To the poster who says- how do we know these store fronts (restaurants?) are clean- well we don't know but of course you stand a much better chance at a restaurant that an open air stall. There will always be some risk where ever you go- its all about taking prudent risks- and eating at stalls, IMHO, is not prudent.

I would agree with BillT. From my research, I have heard the number one problem with street food is the lack of clean water to wash dishes/utensils. Number two would be spoiled ingredients.

This being said, I think some common sense could be employed, if you really want to enjoy street food. First, patt711 talked about sticky rice and banana wraped in palm fronds. This is something I would probably "risk" with street food - no ingredients that tend to spoil, and not served on reusable plates with utensils. I might question getting chicken stir fry from a street vendor.

In HK, we ate this fried dough stuff from street vendors b/c we saw it deep fried right in front of us, and it was then served in plastic bags.

Of course, I could have made up this "criteria" just to make myself feel better. This is coming from the person that forgot about the water restrictions in BKK the very first day and brushed her teeth with tap water. Needless to say, 4 days later, I was very ill and it took a month to completely clear up the parasite AND bacteria I contracted. That being said, I have not been scared off of BKK and will probably break down and sample some street food on our next trip because it just looks and smells too good to pass up!

Hello - thought I'd better pipe up re. rice.

Rice is one of the things you should be very wary of when buying from the street. When I worked in Asia and Africa as a volunteer, we were told that rice was a "high risk" food to buy from a street vendor (or eat at a buffet). We were educated about such things because in the rural areas we were in, there were no restaurants as such, we had to eat from the street vendors or cook our own if we had the equipment. From a microbiological perspective, rice is a breeding ground for bacteria when left to go lukewarm (or cold) as it commonly is. So unless you have watched the rice come out of the oven or cooking utensil I wouldn't eat it. The same goes at home - don't keep rice until the next day, cook fresh. I wouldn't touch the stuff at a buffet either and if it comes to your table in a large pot and is lukewarm - send back for fresh whatever country you are in.

Restaurants have a cleanliness problem in Pittsburgh, :-)).

Make sure you get Hep A and Hep B immunizations, liver disease is a bad thing. And, get an antibiotic from your doc that would be useful in case of a GI bug.

Then, enjoy the local street food.

The greatest risks from food are risks associated with cleaniless - and not necessarily cleanliness of dishes and utensils. It is handwashing that is the greatest preventative in spreading Hep A and typhoid. These are diseases that are spread by the oral-fecal route, so whether there are handwashing facilities for the people making and serving the food is the biggest factor. (As others have mentioned, spoilage of food is also a factor for other kinds of GI upsets.)

Thus, "street food" is more risky simply because of lack of handwashing facilities. Of course, in a store front, having handwashing facilities is not a guarantee that the employees use the facilities, but do increase your odds of cleanliness wherever you can.

Many GI upsets are caused by unfamiliar food, spices or the local bacterial fauna and flora. Antibiotics are useful only when a serious stomach upset that is caused by a bacteria threatens one's ability to stay hydrated. Antibiotics are not a cure-all for GI upsets and can make some worse. so don't think that because you have antibiotics you can eat whaever you want and treat away any after effects.

I'm glad you didn't have problems, patt, but that doesn't mean that someone else might not becaome very ill eating at the same stall.

Kathie- excellent point about the hand washing- no one at the stalls washes their hands - so the risk here is high compared with restaruants.

the last time i had an unpleasant dining experience was finding a cockroach in my bowl of wuntun min(after i ate half of it) in a downtown chinatown restaurant in honolulu. quite a well known place. i think even ht dined there.

as far as rice, i've eaten cold rice all my life and never got sick once. i guess i'm immune to whatever bugs cold rice harbors. fortunately now, we have rice cookers with fuzzy logic that will keep rice edible for a few days. but i also believe the quality of rice determines how long the cooked rice will be edible.

i love street food, but not all street food. i don't like green papaya salad so i won't eat that, but i love the stir fried squid with spicy veg. over rice topped with an overeasy. i also loved the meat on bamboo stick that orgy once bought me. i didn't know what it was, and didn't care to ask. it was delicious.

Lets see - stall food consisting of cold rice, seafood with an over easy egg- I don't know how you add much more risk into this concoction?

I've eaten a lot of street food here & never had a problem. Last time I had food poisoning was from a Big Mac in Oklahoma.

I think you can find 100 people that have eaten stall food and not had a problem- but do you want to risk your $5,000 vacation on the theory that 100 people were fine so it must be ok? If you happen to be the one that does get affected- there you are sitting in your hotel room two steps from the bathroom- kicking yourself.

Not that I would recommend that anyone eat any food with bacteria; but, does anyone know of charcoal tablets that are supposed to be a sort of an intestinal filter, warding off stomach upsets? I presume that you take them as a penetrative. I have not done any other research on this subject and should probably ask a pharmacist.

I've heard something like that too, but can't imagine that charcoal would really kill bacteria.

As far as hand washing goes, don't they have sinks wherever these vendors use the restroom? What would make them any less likely to wash afterward than someone at a restaurant? I'm guessing none of them really wash that well. Most people in restaurants in the states don't really wash as often or as well as they should. I've worked in many restaurants and have horror stories. Although I've been horribly sick twice in Mexico, both times came from eating at high end establishments. I refuse to worry about it. If something looks good and fresh and is populare with the locals, then I just might give it a try.

We selectively eat street food in BKK. My son and his wife ate everything. No tummy problems at all. I don't remember reading any posts of people who have gotten sick eating street food. Does anyone remember any such post?

Yes I remember a few- there was a guy who ate seafood just before his flight and bingo on the plane he had a real problem. Ok here is another way to look at the subject- do a risk/benefit analysis. What is the upside benefit compared to the downside risk. Does the risk out weigh the benefit? If in your opinion it does then mimimize your risk by avoidng the stalls. If the benefits out weigh the risk of your spending a good part of your vacation in a hotel room or worse then by all means Bon Appetite!

I think that the theory of the charcoal is that it may absorb the bacteria so that you will pass it before it has a chance to take hold. Also, I think that some of the upset stomach remedies like Pepto and Mylanta contain charcoal. Maybe it just helps control diarrhea. I just don’t know for sure, but there might be something to it

I remember before the days of ipecac, I worked in an ER, and we had to mix up this awful concoction that contained charcoal, and put it down an NG tube to the stomach. (for kids who had OD`d on something. The kids all had black around their mouths from the charcoal. So I think that it must help absorb whatever is in the stomach. We then had to irrigate the tube and try to get everything out. I don`t miss those days at all. I don`t think it kills bacteria.

We always pack charcoal tablets, Imodium and keep our Hep shots up to date. At the first sign of a "funny tummy" we take a couple of charcoal tablets and hardly ever have to resort to the Imodium. Maybe it is mind over matter - but it works for us.
Cheers.

Charcoal, activated




How does it work?

Activated charcoal is a traditional remedy for treating excess stomach and intestinal gas. It works by attracting excess gas in the stomach and bowels, which binds to the surface of the charcoal powder. This relieves the discomfort caused by excess gas (flatulence), wind, indigestion and heartburn. The charcoal is not absorbed from the gut. Activated charcoal is also used in hospital emergency departments to treat poisoning. However, when used in this way, activated charcoal is given in much larger doses than those contained in this preparation. You should never attempt to treat poisoning yourself with this preparation. Cases of poisoning should always be taken directly to a hospital emergency department, where the most appropriate treatment can be administered.
What is it used for?
• Excess gas in the stomach and intestines (flatulence)
• Heartburn
• Upset stomach characterised by stomach pain and burning, nausea and excess gas (dyspepsia)
• Wind

I found the above via a Google search. I’m thinking that maybe the charcoal would provide some relief of the symptoms of Deli Belly. Right you are pat; it does not kill any bacteria or parasite.

You say that you use the charcoal tablets with the first sign of trouble, as opposed to a preventive measure. Since I have never seen the product, is it sold in most drug stores or where would a person find it? How much do you take at a time?

In my last post I mistyped Delhi Belly, but in some cases it may also apply to deli.

I think the OP is giving poor advice. Nothing happened to me the the 1st time I went to India either but the 2nd time I got typhoid. You got lucky this time. In the 3 subsequent trips I've had "Delhi belly" but no worse thank God and I've taken all precautions. It's OK to be in areas where the locals go but it doesn't mean you lack bravado if you choose to eat elsewhere. You can be a true traveler w/o being foolhardy. Be sensible and take prudent precautions. JM2C.

Is vaccination for Hep A and B necessary or just a precaution? I thought it was for the paranoid?!! I'm leaving for BKK in 8 days--yikes!

This is an interesting thread.

Obviously, it's all a matter of personal choice and comfort level.

I've traveled all over the world and I <b>do</b> eat street food. And yes, I've been sick, but honestly, I've been sick at home as much. I've also had the Hep A vaccine, so fortunately nothing too terribly serious.

I do take some precautions when I eat on the street.
I only eat food prepared hot, in front of me. I do not eat any food sitting out in pans with no heat or refrigeration. Many street carts keep their raw food on ice or in coolers which is fine as long as it's fresh and kept cold. Many of them have access to running water (from a spigot or a hose) so they &quot;wash&quot; dishes in buckets with soap. Same water as the tap in restaurants. Yes, it's not hot, but really, do we all honestly think every restaurant in Bangkok makes sure they have hot water to wash their dishes? They barely do that here in Chinatown in my City.

In some ways, I think street food could be safer than restaurant food. Most likely the vendor shops daily for his product and only buys a minimum and thus it's fresh. I'm not that worried about spoilage.

Personally, I think you are just as likely to get sick eating hotel or restaurant food. Believe me, 3rd world restaurants (or even fancy, expensive hotels) are not necessarily more &quot;sanitary&quot; than street cart food. I can't tell you how many times I've seen food being prepped on a table, outside the back door of a restaurant in the hot sun in Bangkok.

It's all about the health education of the food preparer and not really about the location.

Regarding charcoal tablets; I was in Nepal, high up in the Himalayas recovering from a case of &quot;Dehli Belly&quot; (from eating in a restaurant BTW) and Dutch fellow in our guesthouse gave me a bottle of charcoal tablets. I'd never seen them, but tried a couple and they certainly quelled my nausea. From the description in the post above, it seems that pepto tablets would do the same.

I would think health inspections are more frequent and rigurous in hotels and restaurants than for street vendors. Anything can happen anywhere but I'll bet, at least for India your chances of staying healthy increase when dining at the better hotel restaurants vs. street vendors. I imagine that is the last thing on their minds. There just trying to make a buck.

nolesgal, you would be wise to have the Hep A vaccine even if you are staying at home. For going to developing countries, it's one of the recommended vaccines. Hep A and B can be given together, but the risk factors are different. Hep B is spread via blood and bodily fluids. It's also wise to get the typhoid vaccine if you are going to SE Asia. This is another food and water-bourne illness, and there are antibiotic-resistant strains in SE Asia.

Read www.cdc.gov/travel for travel medicine information.

Bella...as far as rice goes, I have always eaten leftover rice at home and have never had any problems. Sometimes it's in the fridge for days. I've never gotten sick off of rice in Africa or Asia and when I have gotten sick, off of something else, I've always, eaten rice to soothe my stomach and it's worked. Back in the 70s when I first started going to Africa, I was instructed to eat either rice,or very dark-toasted toast, and drink tea...or do all three for an upset stomach and that's what I've been doing for 30+ years. Happy Travels!

As far as cleanliness goes...one just never knows for sure. I just got back from Bangkok the other day and on this trip I saw some REALLY unclean food practices. One example was at a bakery in Paragon Mall where I stood and watched a man blow his nose in a kleenex and then cough in it and then walk over to the baked goods...which were all sitting out in the open...and with the nasty kleenex still in his hand...proceed to pinch about 6 baked items to decide which one he would take. I stood and made sure he saw me looking and he got the message and stopped and walked away. When things like this happen, I usually alert the management to have them remove the item(s) and hope that it/they will stay removed and not put back into the group. As for street food, a big issue is dirty plates and silverware. I always pack platic forks, paper plates, and individually wrapped straws. My mother nearly died once, when she was young, from drinking from a glass that hadn't been sanitized...the rim of the glass...so for over 60 years she will only use straws. I forgot the name of the bacteria she said she got as she's the scientist, not I. She never drinks from the rim of a glass.I watched workers repeatedly in Bangkok put there fingers on the part of the straw that one is to drink from so I always had my own straws with me. I just buy the individually wrapped ones in a box of 500 from Smart&amp;Final and friends and I divide them up. Happy Travels!

Appreciate your comments re. the rice Guen - I am only reporting what we were told by the guys from Medecins sans frontieres. I guess maybe I am taking their comments about not eating rice that is lukewarm or cold out of context in not eating rice that is old at home and that has been kept in the fridge. Didn't see many fridges by the roadside in the Volta region :) so they were probably referring to unrefrigerated cooked goods. As I said, we don't avoid rice full stop but eat it freshly cooked - this also is what we were told to eat if we had upset stomachs. Still wouldn't eat old rice though - why would you when when fresh is so readily available...

Here is a link from the UK Food Standards Agency on the issue with rice:

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/kee...asksamcooking/

With regard to the charcoal tablets - we have taken them as I said at the first sign of what we call &quot;Bali Belly&quot; - but I would certainly seek medical help if required. We are sensible but I guess lucky too as neither of us has ever been ill during our travels. We ate at an open air food market on about 5 different occasions in Penang last year - lots of locals and tourists, the food was great but we had a good look around before ordering. There were generators used to power fridges and all the food was cooked as it was ordered. We are hoping to go back this year and one of the reasons is to enjoy all that lovely food!
I guess everyone has to do what feels right to them and just be streetwise and sensible.

I have eaten with family and local Thais used to street stall food and not been ill eating the same food.
I have also eaten the same food and been ill.
I have also eaten with 'visitors' and they have been ill and I haven't.

There is nothing clear cut, I don't think you have any greater or lessor chance of getting upset than compared with a restaurant. I am certainly no expert here but from what I understand it is not having to digest a 'large' amount of something bad/bacteria, it can be a tiny amount, so even if a top restaurants is 99.9% hygenic that 0.1% can be a problem.
The last 2 times I had a serious problem were both restaurants, and once was after micro-wave heating up food bought from a local restaurant, so none of the srious onces came from street stall food. So I don't think you can say one way or the other.

What I would add though is do remember that when you travel your body has perhaps a rougher time than you realise. I think you have to be gentle on your stomach and not throw down unexpected things and eat lots of things your poor stomach simply isn't used to. Always have a balance, lots of simple things like bread, avoid fatty / oily foods, treat your stomach with care and think about what you are putting your poor stomach through.
Even being tired after a long flight, change of climate, there are so many factors. Take it easy, eat in moderation, if trying something new try in a very small portion, sample, give your stomach an easy introduction.

Interesting about the rice. 'Someone' left some boiled rice in a container in the kitchen a while back, about 36 hours later I discovered it and 'wow'...this was beyond description..this was 'alive' and moving,....bad..beyond description!!
Although of course anything can go 'bad' if you left bread or vegetables that amount of time that is one thing but I was seriously 'shocked' to see what had happened to the rice.

lol JamesA - sounds like an alien :(