Do not eat street food during the hot season!

[MisterClean]

DO NOT eat street food during the hot season, I did, mustve been an egg, left out to sit, un refrigerated in my fried rice perhaps. Almost died, ended up losing like 15 kilos. Also dont eat street food from the same hawker every day or very frequently. the bad bacteria will build up and screw you in the long run.

If you get sick the best thing you can do is drink Gatorade all day and night and take some Nurofen ibuprofen or paracetamol to de flame el stomago.

[blue05]

So in the wet season its ok?

[MisterClean]

So in the wet season its ok?

I think the risk is lower due to lower temps but any hot stretch will not be good for food saftey.

[Frank Hovis]

And the difference between hot season and any other season here is what.... 5 degrees C.
Does that make such a big difference ?

[Lung Per]

Excercise normal caution and you'll be fine.

Use your common sense but never forget that

"Life is a Fatal Disease!"

[GLCQuantum]

From experience I have found that some people are prone to consequences from eating food that, let's say, isn't served in the most hygienic manner.

I have friends that simply will not touch street food anymore, will not touch the food at the canteen during lunch and (in some instances) will not eat Thai food anymore unless it's cooked by themselves or in an upmarket restaurant. Fair enough really if every time (that's what some tell me) gives you a dodgy stomach or worse.

Fortunately I myself have a stomach of steel. I occasionally get the squits but that's as far as it goes.

I think a lot of it has to do with being brought up on pristine clean food. Maybe the antibodies haven't had enough exercise to battle some nasties. Antibodies will form a memory when they have fought against dirty food thus making any future encounters that much easier to win.

Mister Clean... sorry to hear you got it so bad. Glad to hear you recovered.

[Jaime]

Although eating out anywhere in Thailand is a bit like playing roulette, if food has been cooked to the required temperature you should be fine. The real problem in Thailand is that toilet hygiene is non-existent. So, you go for a meal in a nice looking restaurant and you can't see the kitchen. The chef/waiter takes a crap, washes his arse with his hand and rinses it under a bit of water. Then he puts your salad together. That's why people get ill.

At least with street food, you can see what's going on and whilst the vendor will still have appalling standards of toilet hygiene, most of it gets boiled or deep fried anyway, so you should be fine.

[BaaBaa.]

Nutjobs.

[GLCQuantum]

^ Who the poster(s) or the chefs/cooks?

[Frank Hovis]

If I'm eating 'a la thanon' I prefer my stool to be red and plastic rather than boiled or deep fried.

[PET]

DO NOT eat street food during the hot season, I did, mustve been an egg, left out to sit, un refrigerated in my fried rice perhaps. Almost died, ended up losing like 15 kilos. Also dont eat street food from the same hawker every day or very frequently. the bad bacteria will build up and screw you in the long run.

If you get sick the best thing you can do is drink Gatorade all day and night and take some Nurofen ibuprofen or paracetamol to de flame el stomago.

For God's sake what a load of rubbish - just exercise some caution and common sense.
Gatorade is good in so far as it is the only beverage I know here that contains an electrolyte mix - so it is not the Gatorade you need but a packet of pure ELECTROLYTE ( cost 6 baht each or cartons of 25 for 100 baht )

[Spitfire]

Hygiene is a mare here regarding this issue and casually available food outside in the street is an obvious example of it. As for Thai street food places, I only risk it at outlets that are popular with the locals and have high turn-over of food due to being busy.

However, Jamie is right, can be like roulette in most places. Personally, I have a mixed diet of western and Thai food but it's usually all cooked by the Mrs these days (as it's better than most restaurants we go to...for me anyhow) other than the odd restaurant visit and have no problems.

It's all in the preparation and quality of food plus the hygiene standards of the maker (which can be very suspect here). Other than that, then eat more fiber to firm up your dumps and drop standardized garlic extract and decent vitamin/phytonutrient pills to increase your immune system and you might escape illness altogether.

There are simply no controls/laws here on who can sell food or what food they can sell (if there were then half the population would be out of a job). So, if you run the gauntlet of street food then don't complain of getting ill when you find out it was a dog testicle sausage that's under-cooked by a person who washes their ass with their fingers and water, then prepares food to sell in 30 C that's been sat there for a few hours.

[lindosfan1]

THe only time I had a problem with food was in an expensive hotel in Bangkok. Never ate there again. I have eaten street food regularly and never had a problem.

[deepee]

I prefer my stool to be red and plastic

Sorry to be raising this with you Frank but I think you really need to be getting some medical advice on this subject if this is your case.

[Frank Hovis]

I prefer my stool to be red and plastic

Sorry to be raising this with you Frank but I think you really need to be getting some medical advice on this subject if this is your case.

I think you may be right. MEDIC !!!!!