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Food Poisoning on the Road
Nothing ruins a good trip more than barfing on a country's national treasure. Or so it seemed several years ago when
I was traveling in Mexico and a buddy of mine who had decided it was a good idea to drink an odd-colored bag o' juice
from a street vendor got his comeuppance and let go of his stomach's content on the steps of a famous Mayan
pyramid.
Every traveler knows that you need to be careful what you eat and drink when you are abroad. Bottled water is a
necessity, and even then you have to be sure that the lid is sealed properly lest you find yourself sipping rancid agua
that some enterprising vendor put into an illegally recycled bottle. Remember the rule of the hungry traveler: "Boil
it, cook it, peel it or forget it."
But what if you lapse into forgetfulness? Or simply can't hold yourself back from trying those wonderful-smelling
puris that appear to have been sitting out a while. A few hours later, the stomach churns like an Amish butter queen on
speed and you find yourself singing an aria to the porcelain gods. Or worse, like my friend, splattering the
millennia-old Vishnu statue with your partially digested lunch.
Here's an informative page from the
National Institute of Health about food poisoning that offers suggestions and tips for avoiding and treating food
poisoning. This one
gives a break down of a few of the nasties who might be inhabiting your stomach, and how you can determine what to do
should you have one of the inside you (hopefully you've not been impregnated by an alien). A
similar piece provides more detail on some
of the more common travel ailments.
If you find yourself sick abroad, you can call up a service like Medex
Assistance, which allows travelers who have registered online or by phone to get assistance from anywhere in the
world. You'll deal with a real doctor who can help diagnose your problem and The service sots about $4 a day, but you
get round-the-clock coverage and insurance for up to $100,000 in expenses for emergency evacuation and medical
costs.
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Food and Drink
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jeff Allen Dec 18th 2005 5:07PM
i don't believe for a second the stories about "the locals are used to it". food poisoning is food poisoning, plain and simple. when the food is handled wrong, everyone gets sick, locals included.
i lived with several families in guatemala, and had clean, safe food prepared in clean kitchens in each house. mothers the world around know what they have to do in the kitchen to protect their children. their kitchens might not look spic and span like a brand new suburban house's does, and they certainly don't use antibacterial soaps everywhere, but their food is still safe.
i believe that restaurants that cater to travelers don't have the same incentives to keep clean and safe. so that's when you really need to think carefully about your choices. in both guatemala and mexico, i found grills with counters and open air kitchens safest, because i could observe the state of the kitchen and the actions of the person cooking. i also favor foods high in acid (fresh squeezed orange juice) or cooked over high heat and immediately served, to minimize risk. for this same reason, fried food can be a good choice, as long as you see them fry it for you.
but you will get sick, so learn about the chemistry of oral rehydration salts so that you can make them yourself. it's not rocket science, but it pays to read up on them first so that when you can't get them you can do it yourself with sugar, salt (nacl and kacl) and water.