Quote:
Originally Posted by dreams
I'm usually willing to try new foods, but I am picky and like to know if it has been handled correctly - like not being left out and uncooked. Dead and immediately cooked is fine, but questionable length of time makes me a little cautious in other countries. (and yes I try not to think how long it takes to get a deer or moose home to a packer.)
Have you set a date for when the new adventure will begin?
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Visitors often asked me if it was safe to eat street food in S.E. Asia... and the short answer is 'yes, if you use common sense.' As you say, the food needs to be cooked right then and there, not cooked and stacked up all afternoon in the hot sun. And look at the food cart. Is it 'reasonable' clean? Is the vendor looking healthy? I eat street food every day when traveling. It's my favorite way to experience a new culture. In S.E. Asia I've eaten bugs, snakes (sorry Sneaky) and lots of stuff I never could recognize. The only time I ever got a case of food poisoning was after eating the buffet lunch at the "Oriental Hotel," Bankok's premier and
only Five Star hotel. My 'plumbing' does get a bit out of sorts every once in a while, but no more so than when eating at home.
The real culprit is 'water.' You need to drink bottled water in almost all of S.E. Asia. You cook with it, drink it, brush your teeth with it. ALWAYS. And you can buy it for pennies in every convenience store and market. The problem is when tourists try to save a few pennies and buy it from street vendors instead of reliable shops. Many, many, many street vendors pick up used bottles,
refill them from the tap, and clap on a brand new 'sealed' bottle top! You can buy the bottle tops in bags of 100 for about a dollar... Instant "Delhi Belly!"
I won't leave Japan until sometime after August. Perhaps September?
Stitchawl