Eating out on a budget..

[charlesh]

US totally agree. Strange no good Chinese restaurant given the heavy generational Chinese presence. Thank goodness Malaysia is not that far away. Worth the train journey just for the tucka!
PS never had prob's with street food either here. Some I couldn't eat given the overlay of chillies - pet mak mak and I have eaten spicy food for 30+ years.
The Suanson military restaurant under the multi story accommodation block is Thai "good" and cheaper than HH - pity a limited menu and yes the beer is served cold and cheaper than in town also!

[Big Boy]

I find it hard to believe that you're all saying that you've never had a problem with street food. Almost all people I've spoken to in Thailand have had a problem, albeit RARELY.

Over 20 years of visiting Thailand has seen me caught out twice - I even ended up in hospital on one of those occasions. However, twice in over 20 years is extremely rare - it certainly hasn't put me off street food.

[margaretcarnes]

A fair point BigBoy, but is the culprit actually the Street food?
Three sets of my visitors while I was in LOS came down at different times with serious runs, within one or two days of arrival. None of them had tried street food so early in their visits. They didn't have time anyway - they were too ill!
One time I got an attack of it as well (the only one ever in LOS) which was directly attributed to a Chinese restaurant on Patpong 2.
The other cases I can only put down to people maybe not taking enough care with teeth cleaning, and imbibing tap water, or their insistance on eating 'safe' western salads, and having ice in drinks.

But on the subject of a decent Chinese restaurant in HH - what about that large one on Petkhasem, out near Golden Place? It was still there last December, and still busy.

[PeteC]

I've never had any problems with ice of the normal, machine made cube variety. However, if you go to a place and see them chipping or shaving ice from a large block stored in a cooler, decline quickly.

Agree 100% about fresh raw leafy vegetable salads. Many times I've isolated problems directly to that. I don't really think it's the water they wash it with, but the fact it may not be washed thoroughly to get rid of pesticides and other nasties from the dirt it grew in.

All in all I think the street vendors are pretty careful. Their clientele are mainly Thai and if they lose their reputation with them, they may as well close shop. It's not good business practice to kill your customers! Pete

[STEVE G]

I think you become hardened to local food the more of it you expose yourself to.
About the only thing I avoid now are raw meat dishes and I never have a problem putting block ice into a glass of Chang beer; I got through a sizeable chunk of it last night and I only have a mild headache.

[margaretcarnes]

Theres certainly a build up of tolerance SteveG, unless people have serious immune deficiency problems in the first place.
But I do think its a generation thing as well. Those of a certain age brought up in the UK for example seem to have far less problems with what they eat than youngsters in their 20s or 30s, who seem to be inventing more food intolerances as time goes by.
By 'eck - when we was kids we didn't have fridges or little lions on eggs. We ate mouldy Hovis and week old stew, and was glad of it. If you dropped your bread and jam on the floor you picked it up agen and ett it - even when the dog had licked all the jam off.....

[johnnyk]

[quote="margaretcarnes"]Theres certainly a build up of tolerance SteveG, unless people have serious immune deficiency problems in the first place.
But I do think its a generation thing as well. Those of a certain age brought up in the UK for example seem to have far less problems with what they eat than youngsters in their 20s or 30s, who seem to be inventing more food intolerances as time goes by.
By 'eck - when we was kids we didn't have fridges or little lions on eggs. We ate mouldy Hovis and week old stew, and was glad of it. If you dropped your bread and jam on the floor you picked it up agen and ett it - even when the dog had licked all the jam off.....[/quote]

Margaret,
I'll bet you don't have a boatload of allergies, either!

[magnum]

Thats right Margaret no standing blarting when we dropped us butty or lolly, just pick it up eat it before someone else did ,never have much trouble with tummy.Now me back thats another story at my age.

[margaretcarnes]

Fortunately the back's still OK Magnum, but JohnnyK is right - not an allergy in sight thankfully!

[magnum]

Nice little place on Soi 116 (past GDL pools turn right) about 100 yds on left cheap and good food has english menu,you can get a beer from shop next door.Its good for takeaways.

[bluezephyr]

A fair point BigBoy, but is the culprit actually the Street food?
Three sets of my visitors while I was in LOS came down at different times with serious runs, within one or two days of arrival. None of them had tried street food so early in their visits. They didn't have time anyway - they were too ill!
.

My first ever visit to Thailand and Hua Hin, Eating in an restaurant all you locals know gave me the squits.
Somebody i knew and trusted had dealings with the place said the kitchen was filthy, Now i know why!!.


Never had problems with Street food, Even the meatballs on sticks in Koh chang which had crunchy bits , All sorts of images conjured up in my mind what it could be, I didnt look I just carried on eating , Cant waste 20bahts worth of something on stick

One thing i bought and couldnt eat, Was a pink egg, Feck knows what they had done to it, All excited until i opened it up
Khai champoo, Men maak maa!

[Big Boy]

A fair point BigBoy, but is the culprit actually the Street food?

Sorry for the delay, I must have missed the question

Certainly, on at least one of those occasions I can definitely attribute the problem to street food - my wife bought me some Thai sausage outside the bus station in Bangkok en route to Somdet.

What I will say though, is that I've never had a similar problem with eating street food in Hua Hin.

There was one occasion though when my wife bought my son and me chicken fried rice, which contained both flies and (little black) ants - more like the proverbial flied lice. We couldn't eat it, although my son doesn't mind the larger ants

[PeteC]

It may be something specific with sausage BB. My wife won't go near it and indicated she's had problems with the street cart variety since a little girl. The few times it looked and smelled good to me when out and about she freaked, grabbed my arm and pulled me away. Pete

[smiles]

Yummy yummy!! ... my mouth is watering here (in cold damp Canada) and cannot wait to get back to ... Soi 80 where a husband and wife team (with cart and tooting horn) come along beside our place every day around lunchtime and sell the most delicious Isaan style BBQ'ed chicken with sticky rice and terrific Som Tum: the best I've ever tasted (about 80 baht for 2). Nearly as good for the same thing is the very popular stall in the Night Market beside San Paulo hospital (100 baht for 2) as well as the already mentioned outside restaurant which goes up 3 times a week (I think .. it's certainly not open every night) outside the TMBank. Main problem with this latter place is exhaust fumes and noise from Petchkasem Rd which is just a few meters way from one's table, but hard to beat the food ... it's always very busy.

Favourite Pad Thai (50 baht) is the 'Corner Restaurant' right downtown on Dechanuchit Rd. Lots of farang here at night ~ sometimes a bad sign ~ but in fact the pad thai is really really tasty and the prices Thai style.

The best panang goong (my favourite) can be had at 'Friend Place' on Amnuyasin Rd down by the railway line. Great big fat prawns (they get fatter and more plentiful on the plate after the owner gets to know you ) and luscious curry. (70 or 80 baht if I remember correctly. Haven't been since April). Lek Lek's on the railway soi is always good value for money on just about any dish. Train going past across the road feels like about an 8 on the Richter Scale.

[johnnyk]

Yummy yummy!! ... my mouth is watering here (in cold damp Canada) and cannot wait to get back to ... Soi 80 where a husband and wife team (with cart and tooting horn) come along beside our place every day around lunchtime and sell the most delicious Isaan style BBQ'ed chicken with sticky rice and terrific Som Tum: the best I've ever tasted (about 80 baht for 2). Nearly as good for the same thing is the very popular stall in the Night Market beside San Paulo hospital (100 baht for 2) as well as the already mentioned outside restaurant which goes up 3 times a week (I think .. it's certainly not open every night) outside the TMBank. Main problem with this latter place is exhaust fumes and noise from Petchkasem Rd which is just a few meters way from one's table, but hard to beat the food ... it's always very busy.
Last January the boss lady said open 7/7. She makes the best som tam, not as good on her day off.Favourite Pad Thai (50 baht) is the 'Corner Restaurant' right downtown on Dechanuchit Rd. Lots of farang here at night ~ sometimes a bad sign ~ but in fact the pad thai is really really tasty and the prices Thai style.

The best panang goong (my favourite) can be had at 'Friend Place' on Amnuyasin Rd down by the railway line. Great big fat prawns (they get fatter and more plentiful on the plate after the owner gets to know you ) and luscious curry. (70 or 80 baht if I remember correctly. Haven't been since April). Lek Lek's on the railway soi is always good value for money on just about any dish. Train going past across the road feels like about an 8 on the Richter Scale.