I know people who have eaten at so-called Bacteria Alley establishments and haven't gotten food poisoning so to dismiss this area as a whole as being unsanitary is unfair. I've also heard others put down as a whole those Asian 'fast food' establishments that dot Paris as being unsafe too. Reality is one can get sick eating anywhere even in upscale restos. and neighborhoods.

As a former partner in an eating establishment in Paris, I can assure you that health controls are frequent and thorough.

And the fines make people think twice before doing anything wrong again!

Thanks, all. To be fair, even if he hadn't gotten sick, we would still not go back to that one particular restaurant. The service was terrible and rude, and it wasn't all that great. I don't know that we would eat in that area again, only because it sounds like it does have more of a reputation than other areas in Paris (look it up on Google or Yahoo search). And there are so many good places to choose from! I ate the rest of the time we were there and I never did get sick.

Thanks, LoveItaly - I also worried about the plane trip home!

Oh nbbrown, to tell you the truth I have felt petrified about your flight home. My daughter was with our friends, the husband that had the horrible problem like your husband had and to this day my daughter thinks about that flight and what that poor man went through and she just shudders. An absolute nightmare. So again thankfully you and your dear husband won't have that problem.

I could be completely wrong but since you didn't get sick I am highly suspicious it was the Cipro that caused your husband's illness nbbrown.

Good to hear that you are back to normal.

Ciprofloxacin, like most broad-spectrum antibiotics, has a negative impact on your intestinal flora. The delicate balance of your homegrown bacteria which you need to digest food, gets disturbed with the known side-effects of diarrhea. This can be enforced by adding some alcohol, so nausea and vomiting join the club.

Since bacteria are prevalent at any place and in any food, it seems much more the problem of your husband cipro-induced intestinal flora than serious sanitary issue of the restaurant you visited.

Anyway, glad that you could enjoy the rest of your trip.

I also wondered how the OP did not come down with food poisoning too if she ate the same food as her husband; if she ate something different then it obviously not tainted. The facts about the Cipro leads me to believe that that was the culprit not the food nor the supposed unsanitary conditions.

Of course that area has "more of a reputation" since it is primarily very inexpensive restaurants. Whether the reputation is founded or not is pretty doubtful? I tend to agree with the others that if your husband never even vomited, this was most likely a Cipro induced thing, and not food poisoning, but in any case, it is funny that because of one restaurant, you would now NOT return to eat at any of the other hundred or so in that area. And would you expect your dining experience to be as good as a three star establishment? Of course not. But why judge all the restaurants in one area by an experience at just one?

But as a sign of what kerouac was talking about. One day we were having gyros at a place there -- sitting inside the tiny area. The uniformed inspectors came and checked everything while we were there -- gave them an OK certificate or whatever and moved on. I talked with the owner, a very jovial fellow, who told us that he has three other similar places in other Paris locations. Most are inspected once a year. The inspectors go door to door in this particular neighborhood every few weeks. He doesn't mind as he has always passed his inspections and he figures it's a good way for them to get rid of any bad places that might happen to spring up. When I asked how many restaurants in the area get closed down for violations, he said he could only think of one in the past several years. As he said, it is probably the most inspected restaurant area in the entire city.

Billie: I am so happy he is recovered. May you enjoy your last few hours there, and may your flight home be comfortable.

I'm one of those people with a more delicate stomach while my ex has a Greek cast iron stomach - he can eat those hot peppers one after another or the same thing I eat and never bothers him at all, while I get the food poisoning,
Meanwhile I have had food poisoning 3 times here in the US - the first time from Hollandaise sauce in the summer. One of the tell tale signs is the room starts going around and around - as differentiated from a flu or stomach virus - and I dont remember what the doctor gave me except that it was something to keep my stomach from retching and re-acting every time I ate anything for a week afterwards. As mentioned here coke syrup helps and jellos, light foods -

thanks to all for the tips and Billie, Im glad all has turned out well.