To eat or not to eat
 

Is it OK to eat food and drink tea from food vendors on the street? In small reataurants? We notice they have great pastries, will these cause a problem? I know about the water but not sure about the rest. How about fish on the coast from vendors on the promonades, etc.

...That is NOT the question.<BR><BR>Where? THAT is the question. New York streets, Rome streets, Istanbul streets, Delhi streets? Makes a big difference....

Terry<BR>You know about the water where?<BR>In most of Europe tap water is perfectly safe. People drink bottled water because they prefer the taste.<BR>Rome for example has had excellent running water for a couple of thousand years.<BR><BR>I personally don't take chances with meat or fish from street vendors. I just won't play those odds, even though most people I'm sure do just fine. I just don't want to be the one out of 10 or even 100 who gets sick.<BR>I worry less about sweets or breads or beverages.

Terry, just size up the vendor and how the food is being kept fresh. Is everything open and it's 85 degrees or is care given to handle the food? I've eaten or drink from all kinds of vendors, being careful, and never had a problem. This is Germany, Holland, Czech Replublic, France, etc. Usually with tea or coffee, they have been heated to a sufficient temperature so that makes adifference.<BR><BR>Normally I drink bottled water when I travel, right now, I'm in Mexico and bottled is the only way to go. In Rome, I drank the delicious cold water from countless free-flowing fountains and didn't have any problem, but I'll usually drink bottled when travelling.

Whoops!! Thought that since I posted on the Turkey site it was understood. A learning experience for me. The Where is Turkey.<BR>Thx

Terry: For Turkey, I would say the following: Drink bottled water and of course you must drink their nice chai (tea). I would probably avoid to buy fish or meat meals from a street vendor, esp. when it's hot and not properly stored. Re the pastries, I'd say they can cause problems because they are usually very sweet and extremely rich. Make sure to buy them in a nice looking bakery. Sometimes, the oil they use it not fresh and that is what can cause troubles.

The only street food in Turkey that stands out in my mind is the corn. I love good, fresh, sweet corn and I was extremely surprised and elated to find the carts with fresh roasted corn. Anybody else?

We stayed in both the Hilton (wonderful hotel) and the Intercontinental is Istanbul. Thought the Hilton water would be okay since it was such a marvelous hotel.... it wasn't!!!! And all we did was brush our teeth and rinse our mouth out with it. .... Can you say "deesinntary"! Just stick to drinking "Raki"!<BR><BR>I'd use the same food and water rules one might use in out of the way places in Mexico or on some of the "Carib" Islands!!!<BR><BR>BUT the pastries and tea in Turkey are wonderful :&gt;)<BR><BR>Barry