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Sanitized Travel
At the risk of talking ad nauseum (yuck, yuck) about getting sick while traveling, National Geographic's Traveler magazine has a good article this month with the pros and cons of eating street foods versus avoiding local cuisines.
On one hand, they quoted an infectious disease expert and a CDC travel health specialist as saying that, while some folks may be naturally predisposed to intestinal bugs, everyone should watch out when eating foods that have sat around in the open air for very long, as well as fresh (peeled) fruit or veggies, regardless of the locale.
On the other side of the debate is chef and author Anthony Bourdain who says he hasn't yet gotten sick eating street food, even though he's known for traveling around the world, eating weird stuff. Further, his TV crew has a running betting pool as to who will be the first victim of local food. His choice comment? It's the "Purell junkies" who inevitably get sick; better to follow the locals' lead on what to eat and drink. Avoiding eating local foods can cause you to miss a deep connection with where you are when you travel: "Food is the purest expression of local identity."
What do you do while traveling, dear readers, just eat it?
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Food and Drink
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Michele Jan 18th 2007 11:51PM
Anthony Bourdain is quite right, you need to eat local food to get a "taste" of living that country. I guess I figure if it's been cooked, I'm OK (yeah, I know the scientists will disabuse that notion, it's my rule of thumb), and I've eaten many strange street foods all over the world. I do, however, draw the line on fresh produce in third world countries, Montezuma's revenge isn't just a Mexican disease!
carpetblogger Jan 19th 2007 2:48AM
The best way to get sick abroad is sticking to "foreign" food that locals don't know how to prepare or store. If local people eat it and don't get sick, why can't you? Just don't be dumb about it.
Iain Jan 19th 2007 4:33AM
I had mentally prepared myself to be violently, perhaps terminally ill in India. I had met long lines of people - moving in the opposite direction - who told me of my stomach's inevitable collapse in the subcontinent while travelling through the Middle East. But (and I touch wood every time I say it) I've been here two months and not had a problem. Nothing, nada. And I've eaten as much local food as I can find, often finding the best (and best priced) food in the darkest, dirtiest places.
Perhaps my South African penchant for chilly helps ( it's supposed to have anti-bacterial properties?). But maybe, as the article suggests, sticking to what locals eat instead of requiring someone who's never eaten one to produce a hamburger is indeed the safest option.
Max Jan 19th 2007 12:31PM
Naturally, one should get their shots before travelling, but beyond taking those precautions it's worth every effort to try the local food. Also, one is just as likely to get sick eating in "nice" restaurants, as I did twice in Mexico and once in Thailand. Eating the street food has never made me sick, because I can watch the chef prepare the meal right in front of me. Fruits and vegetables never caused problems either. Considering how most developed nations source their produce, e.g. from developing nations, I figured, what difference does it make?
coach Jan 19th 2007 8:44AM
great point, iain. here's an article i ran into a few years back which lists, in order, spices with antibacterial qualities, according to cornell u. biologists:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/03/980305053307.htm
#12? hot peppers.
Jennie Jan 19th 2007 11:34AM
I can't bring myself to eat the hot dogs from street vendors. I don't know, it just didn't seem sanitary... I clearly have issues lol.
Willy Jan 19th 2007 6:39PM
I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia, Africa for 3 years. For 3 whole months (!), I had Giardia. I lost so much weight, the belt on my wristwatch needed to be adjusted. Where did I get sick? At a swanky hotel in Zanzibar.
When I ate with my hands and drank the unboiled water -- just like the locals -- I had no problems.