We are going to Thailand in October.
We love thai food and love to try new food, however, the owner of our local Thai restaurant whic we frequent, told us to be carful with food stands, since some of them can cause stomach problems.

Any recommendation where we should eat except good hotels restaurants.

Even in good restaurants , can we eat salads and unpeeled fruit?

Also, see my post on Avian flu - should we avoid poultry?

In this case, nothing will be left to eat - no poultry, no salads, no fruit.
thanks

There are many wonderful things to eat in Thailand without endangering your digestive tract. Certainly you can eat salads and fruits at 5* places (they wash items with purified water). Personally, I avoid food stalls, but I do eat in local restaurants. If you are at all unsure, stick to hot foods. I've been to Thailand about 20 times in as many years and I've never gotten sick.

Oh, and if you do a search on restaurant recommendations for Bangkok, you'll find lots on this board.

thank you Kathie! Since we have only 1 week, we will stick with good restaurants.
Sophia

Thanying Thai restaurant in the World Trade center is wonderful...there are two great ones in Singapore,too for those of you who might be going in that direction. There is also another Thanying restaurant in Bangkok that's supposedly beautiful...in a house. Also Lemongrass restaurant is very good. And for a splurge, the Celedon restaurant in the Sukothai Hotel is really nice...and beautiful. I don't eat from stands at all. I do eat in restaurants within shopping malls. I like Grayhound restaurant for more western food which is in the Emporium shopping center. I also love the western food at the Royal Orchid hotel on the river. I know you asked for Thai food, but in case you want a little western food,too I've thrown in the above.Happy Travels!

Sawadee kah, emtravel,
I am posting from Bangkok right now. If you will read my thread on Bangkok restaurant recommendatons, you will see where my family and I have been eating for the past week. We are in BKK for a couple of weeks, although will venture to Chiang Mai from Saturday to Monday night.
Carol

Forgot to say that "NO" we don't eat the street food. We do eat a delicious honey pork at the weekend market though. The Thai people must have antibodies that protect them from some of the things they are used to eating (like bugs, fish and all manner of sea food, fruits and veggies, etc) and of course HOT spices!

There are sooooo many great Bangkok restaurants, both at hotels and also separate establishments. I'm sure you will dine on delicious food in pleasant surroundings every night of your visit.

We really enjoyed a Thai/Lao restaurant last week called Vientienne. The food was excellent, and there was live entertainment as well. The restaurant was a sort of outdoor hut. I recommend it highly.

Enjoy your visit to BKK. It is such a wonderful travel destination.

we have a few rules about eating in bkk especially if you are new in town...

only bottled water, of course...no salads anyplace and that includes lettuce and tomatoe at mcdonalds, etc; don't eat it if you haven't peeled it yourself or if it isn't cooked; absolutely no street vendor food at all!!! we tend to stick to upscale hotel food, and quality restaurants, expecially those suggested in guidebooks and on forums like this...
we are extremely careful about what we eat and drink as one mistake can ruin your whole trip...
we are over cautious, to say the least....we have just now begun to drink the water served in 5* hotels....
NEVER ANY ICE CUBES, except in 5* hotels...we just leave it on the table..

on this past trip we ate some hors d'oeuvres on an airplane and they made us slightly sick...thai air...
we are not finakee eaters usually...

we prefer not to eat at any buffets, except maybe for breakfast---food handling issues, i.e. hot/cold; where has this been for the last two hours

I've eaten from the food stalls and never had a problem. Neither has my wife and she has a much more delicate stomach. I do agree that fresh produce should be avoided, unless you peel it. Having said that, the Pomelo Salad at the Jim Thompson House Cafe was one of the best dishes we've ever eaten anywhere. I suspect that you would get a significantly different set of responses if you were to post the same inquiry on the Lonely Planet Forum, The Thorn Tree.

I agree with Bob- avoid the food stalls- you have spent a small fortune on your vacation why run the risk of ruining it on eating bad food- hey the food may be well cooked but the eating utensils and plates could be washed in suspect water. Don't do it- there are plenty of nice restaurants to visit (not that these are 100% ok either but you have a better chance of not getting anything at these). It won't matter that X number of people have gone to BKK and eaten at the stalls are were fine- the only thing that matters is will you be the one that does have the problem. Follow Bob's advice.

just try too keep away from the spicey stuff.

anyways the thais do get sick many of my thai frainds spend half the day in the toillet. and when I tell them I think it's the spicey food thats killing ya. they reply na eating pinaple dipped in chilly sause is good for the stomeck..
ohh well I never said I was a doctor. I've gotten sick over here from eating stall food and KFC..that is why I always carry imodiam in my back pocket.

LOL I've worked as a produce clerk for 10 years and I don't think that even purified water would clean half the stuff that the viggies/fruits may have picked up durring it's trip too your mouth..

eat well, enjoy...

I eat the street food there all the time. No problems ever for me, my wife or young son. What I check for are lots of people eating at a particular stall. That mens the food is turning fast. I've heard more stories of people getting sick at fancy, expensive restaurants than at street stalls.

I've eaten at top restaurants in Bangkok and at many street stalls where the food is clean and authentic and the only place I ever got sick was on the QANTAS flight home!