51 replies to this topic

[jayarr]

Many trip reports I read about getting food poisoning and spending precious time on the toilet in paradise. Is it something that can be avoided?

[Swedeman007]

jayarr, on 23 January 2011 - 11:00 AM, said:

Many trip reports I read about getting food poisoning and spending precious time on the toilet in paradise. Is it something that can be avoided?

Yes, you may want to avoid the food from the street vendors and also don't drink the tap water. -Swedeman

[69billy]

N Don't use the tap water to brush your teeth..

[vp25975]

I have been to LOS many times and used to avoid the water, eat only in hotels etc and still got sick. It's the luck of the draw the top hotels still was their food in the water and the ice comes from the water, and of course the water they use to water down the bourbon..... Last time few times I have been there I didn't bother and ate off the carts (try the frogs) and didn't get sick once. The main thing to remember if you do get sick remember to stop eating, drink lots of fluids and it usually is all gone in a day anyway.

[niftyjohn]

I have been comming to thailand around 8 years now,and i can tell you it does not matter where or what you eat food handling is not grat here i eat where ever or when ever food carts markets and high end joints and the ones i have had the worst shits are from pizzahut and lengkee resteraunt never at the food carts or the 30 baht meals on soi bukhao market.
I always carry imodium and take as soon as i get the shits soon blocks it,but food poisoning is another matter and after eating the spicy catfish at lengkee resteraunt i was sick. as a dog

[Robi_slo]

Never eat anything that don't look fresh, don’t eat in McDonalds or other fast food joints at night (I got poisoned by McDonalds on Nana) or when there is danger oil in deep fryer is old, and don’t eat any fruit that you don’t peel right before you consume it and never eat some hi-so fish in good restaurant you didn’t see before, fish has to have clear eyes or.. it is old an only good for stupid farang tourists (so I was told by locals ) .

More instructions :

http://hubpages.com/...ng-on-Vacation-

BR


p.s.
In Thailand I eat 4-5 charcoal pills a day (just as a precaution, if you are poisoned you can take higher number of pills), don’t know why but on my last 4 trips I only have one issue with food.

[Robi_slo]

And of course... I never drink water, not even bottled, only Coke Zero or Coke Light... artificial sweetener is the best bacteria killer.

BR

[donnykey]

If you listen to all the adverse opinions on this subject you will find you will not be eating or drinking anything.

Everybody is different.

Yes I get a mild bout of "the runs" every trip but after a few tabs of Imodium I am back to normal quick smart, and I eat what I feel like (all the above mentioned "no-no's) and brush my teeth with tap water as well.

Cheers DK

[smegma]

I'm the same as DK, I usually have one dose of the runs each trip but if you take the medication it's usually only an unpleasant day or so. I've always brushed my teeth with tap water but I always rinse with Listerine. I've never gotten sick from street food that I'm aware of, the worst two cases of food poisoning I had in los was from the Pizza Company restaurant on Beach Road and a food outlet in the domestic departure area at Swampy.

I figure the main reason i get sick once every trip is that I like licking ladyboy's assholes. Can't help myself, I'm a sucker for rimming.

[Quietguy]

smegma, on 23 January 2011 - 02:25 PM, said:

I figure the main reason i get sick once every trip is that I like licking ladyboy's assholes.

That's got to be worth your first +1 from me!

Edit: apparently I've run out of my allocation of +1's for today, so will have to do it next time I log on.

Edited by Quietguy, 23 January 2011 - 10:30 PM.

[Solice]

Well I have had the shits since I got back, had to go and see the doctor who advised me that whenever you get food poisioning stop eating solids for up to 36 hours, drink plenty of fluids and never ever take immodium unless you are wanting to travel. I have been told this many times by doctors and the reason for it is simple, the food is poison and it needs to exit the body as quickly as possible, all immodium does is block the exit and keep the poison in your gut where the bacteria can multiply.

Drink fluids and shit it out, its the best way to get rid of it.

First time ive been ill in all the years ive been going to Patts and I hope the last.

Solice

[Fie dollah]

Only time ive had the trots is after fast food outlets,
the thai stuff is great and never had a problem apart from once when i asked for not spicy but was told after id asked for spicey

but have ate stuff id never try if i knew what it was before

even the time when myself and paultain was tucking into crocodile didnt have a problem, only when walking out back we seen one without a leg and thought shit we just deformed him because we were hungry


fingers crossed i hope i never get the trots as only holiday short times and would hate to waste valuable time in room because cant hold one in .


Fie Dollah

Edited by Fie dollah, 24 January 2011 - 12:17 AM.

[ladyboy lover 1]

I'm just getting over a bout of the runs myself. I find it difficult to identify the cause.

I didn't take any immodium until it had more-or-less run its course (no pun intended).

Then, after having eaten nothing all day, and being unable to face or stomach a proper meal, I bought a plate of rice from a street vendor, sat down in the street and ate it.

A quite nice-looking Thai woman came up to me and asked me whether I wanted some water.

She then asked me whether I had any money.

I was amused and touched at the same time.

It contrasted with the way a Russian guy treated me the same evening. He walked straight into me, made no attempt to get out of the way and seemed intent on knocking me over. And I'm reliably informed that they treat the Thais like ****...

[LWFM]

Solice, on 24 January 2011 - 12:03 AM, said:

Well I have had the shits since I got back, had to go and see the doctor who advised me that whenever you get food poisioning stop eating solids for up to 36 hours, drink plenty of fluids and never ever take immodium unless you are wanting to travel. I have been told this many times by doctors and the reason for it is simple, the food is poison and it needs to exit the body as quickly as possible, all immodium does is block the exit and keep the poison in your gut where the bacteria can multiply.

Drink fluids and shit it out, its the best way to get rid of it.

First time ive been ill in all the years ive been going to Patts and I hope the last.

Solice

Doctors in Bali and Australia told me the same ... Drink 1 litre of bottled water with 1/2 level teaspoon of salt to kill the little fuckers. Also black tea (tannin) and salt is good also for

[Beerlao]

have had problems with this two times last year - first time - seems to be a real problem these days.
I reckon it is the storage of meat that is the problem - especially fish and prawns. The food courts in busy
shopping centres tend to be better than restaurants where you can't see the food - street vendors also seem
to be better than a lot of restaurants where the kitchen is not visible to the public

[Slacker]

donnykey, on 23 January 2011 - 02:01 PM, said:

If you listen to all the adverse opinions on this subject you will find you will not be eating or drinking anything...

Ain't that the truth ! I've only ever had the shits once and that was as a result of eating from a hotel restaurant. I've never had a problem brushing my teeth with tap water or eating from street vendors. You may get a 'loosening effect' if you overdo the chilis, but any intestinal distress will probably be random in cause and difficult to pin down. As Donnykey says - if you avoid everything, then you'll starve...not exactly a preferable scenario !

Edited by Slacker, 25 January 2011 - 02:43 PM.

[Bax]

swedeman, on 23 January 2011 - 11:05 AM, said:

Yes, you may want to avoid the food from the street vendors and also don't drink the tap water. -Swedeman

I disagree about not eating from the street vendors...

I ate something from the food carts almost everyday for 2 weeks and never had a problem. It's actually good food!

I agree about the tap water..

[Swedeman007]

Bax, on 24 January 2011 - 06:53 AM, said:

I disagree about not eating from the street vendors...

I ate something from the food carts almost everyday for 2 weeks and never had a problem. It's actually good food!

I agree about the tap water..

I was just making more of a general statement than anything else. It sounded to me like the OP possibly has a weak stomach, unlike me as I have an iron gut. I personally haven't had any problems either, but I know plenty of people that have become sick after eating street food, mainly farangs. I've even eaten papaya pok pok and lived to talk about it. One place where I worked in Khon Kaen they refilled the employee water cooler with tap water and I drank it everyday. I know other farangs that had gotten sick from drinking the same water, go figure.

As a side note, I saw a restaurant worker one day on second road cleaning prawn in the street gutter. Thank goodness I'm not much of a seafood eater, though I am known to eat a shrimp cake or two from time to time.

I agree that the street food is tasty, the pork on a stick with pineapple and chili peppers is my favorite! -Swedeman

[male4ladyboy]

Bax, on 24 January 2011 - 06:53 AM, said:

I disagree about not eating from the street vendors...

I ate something from the food carts almost everyday for 2 weeks and never had a problem. It's actually good food!

I agree about the tap water..

swedeman, on 24 January 2011 - 07:43 AM, said:

I've even eaten papaya pok pok and lived to talk about it.

I have lived in Thailand for long enough to know, Bax, and you are correct. Avoiding street food is nonsense (sorry), you have to just be selective. Anything that sits around at low heat in a food warmer is suspect, otherwise enjoy the street food. You are more likely to get food poisoning (as I have done more than once) from the expensive restaurants who overstock food and then serve it to you when it is not fresh - the street vendors use fresh produce and you can see what you are getting.

I have lived here for a few years, and I know most who live here (at least those who live outside of the tourist area) will agree.

The other thing is that I am amused that you picked up the rare term "papaya pok pok", Swedeman. I didn't even know what that was, but guessed... It is evidently a term used around the tourist areas, and you will always hear the Thais in residential or rural areas away from Farangs call it Som Tam (as papaya is an English word). Issan people will also call it Tam Bak Hung. Just a bit of trivia.

Edited by male4ladyboy, 26 January 2011 - 05:38 PM.

[bkkldby]

i know many may disagree with what i am about to say, but food and beverage was my business here for 20 years, and what i am going to write is based upon that experience and my experiences before moving here.



i first came her in '88 and moved here in '92. thati have gotten the sh*ts 3 times i can remember during that period.

1st time was on my first trip tp HKT. it was seafood festival time. i ate seafood all week, lots of giant prawns, oysters and squid. got back to BKK and the doctor said not food poisoning but a reaction to all the seafood i had eaten. seems there is a microbe in it and if too much of it enters your system you will get sick regardless of the sanitation or preparation. it was from over consumption.

2nd time was i ate some curry on soi Thonglor form a vendor on a Wednesday. this is the day when vendors had to clear the streets. seems i ate food from a "guerrilla" vendor.

3rd time was from farang food, pizza.

i have been in the F & B biz for 30+ years. food poisoning gets a bad rap. a lot of the time it is simply sanitation. meaning the plate, glass or service-ware is dirty or has a residue of soap and chemicals on it. this produces the shits in a milder form. food poisoning makes you feel like you are going to die. cramps, sweats, headache, fever, vomiting, and the shits and you are doubled over in severe gut wrenching pain. again, most of the time it is a dirty plate or fork or glass.

i have taught Thais sanitation in hotels and restaurants. they are pretty up to speed on it and rarely am i teaching them something new. sure you can get a bad piece of fish or meat anywhere, but that is not as prevalent as you might think, and typically street vendors sell out all their food so there should be little concern over them. i have never gotten ill from a legit vendor.

further, old oil is not really the culprit at McDonalds. they have a schedule for changing the oil and they stick to it from what i have seen. the one in Nana however seems to be a bit grottier than most so its probably sanitation and not food safety there. i have written to McD about this before and they replied and said thanks for the heads up.

as far as water goes, i think that's a myth in urban areas. the consumer protection board in BKK does a water study ever few years. seems the bottled water is worse than the tap and they say as long as the pipe to the tap is good the water is safer. if the pipes in your house/hotel are fekked, then the water may be too. seems local waters are actually bottled by hand a lot of the time and the bottler gets his hand on the opening and the germs enter the water that way when the drone is capping the bottle. go figure.

as far as ice goes, most is ok. it is not the water that is bad in ice, it is the ice trays in the machine or the shaver/crusher. if not periodically cleaned they grow bacteria and that is what the problem is. then the water is tainted and thus the ice. but again, i have never heard of ice being a problem.

as far as water for your drink, most often it is bottled and not tap. but even so, if tap, its safe as stated above.

one thing to watch out for is pre-cooked Kai Dow, sunny side/fried eggs. if they have been hanging around then possibly salmonellae has set in. if you get a bad one a sh*t storm will ensue for sure. this is poisoning of the highest level.

for those with a weak constitution do not be macho and eat a lot of chili. this is also a stomach killer and leads to the sh*ts, but it is not poisoning, it is over consumption of something you should not be eating. plus, it aggravates your stomach for whatever you put into afterward.

when drinking all that water to flush out whatever you may have add some electrolytes to it to help you rehydrate. they can be bought anywhere. its also good to have one or two a day anyway if you are not from the tropics. drinking will dehydrate you and i know we all love to drink. water and juice will hydrate you, not beer or cocktails. (it is also recommended not to consume them on the flight here. adds to jet lag and assimilation problems.)

bottom line, most of the time what you are suffering is a sanitation problem not a food safety program. most foods get cooked, thus the heat will kill it. sure if its a big batch of curry that has been sitting in the sun all morning and half the day, might want to avoid it, but stir-fires and BBQ, not a problem. also storage is not a big issue with vendors as they only buy enough for each day and prepare it quickly.

get a bunch of these ENO, every mini-mart and drug store has them in a variety of flavors. i carry them in my bag. not for poisoning but for over eating. they will settle your stomach in 5 minutes or less.

for those who like the little kebabs similar to those sold in front of Nana Plaza, i find them to be suspect towards the end of the night. they are typically sitting in there own blood and at times (not in the picture) the poultry, pork and beef are all mingling. sure they are cooked to order, but if it is spoiled before hand it may be after cooking as well. this is bad food safety and should be avoided if you have a weak stomach. see picture below.

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