Eating Guidelines

Our goal is to eat at venues that serve you the best authentic, and most delicious, food possible. For that reason, do not assume that every meal (or occasionally even most meals) will be eaten in fancy restaurants. Often times the simplest and most basic foods can be the most tantalizing and satisfying. For example, I have eaten all over Thailand , in every class of restaurant and venue imaginable, from 5-star to something below a street vendor. One of the best meals I have eaten there was at a simple shed-roofed, side-of-the-road, in the middle-of-nowhere joint on the side of a mountain, where three generations of ladies ran a “restaurant” that catered primarily to passing songtaow (taxi minibus) drivers. Grandma, mom, and daughter all worked side by side serving up some of the most incredible Thai food produced on this planet, and all of the herbs and vegetables used were still growing in their garden moments before they were prepared, while the offspring of the chicken on my plate pecked the dirt beneath my shoes.

If you get tired of eating the foods of the destination, although we can’t imagine why you would, you can always opt out on your own for the standard Western standbys. These are available worldwide, and regardless of where we might be touring, rest easy that you can get a pizza or hamburger when you just have to have one.

Your guides will make recommendations on any potential culinary concerns, if there are things that you should not be eating or drinking at each specific destination, especially in the third world, but here are some general guidelines for when you are roaming on your own. The overwhelming majority of market and vendor food is fine to eat, but select your vendor (or any restaurant for that matter) based on how popular and busy it is. Popularity usually means good food (where local diners are involved), and high traffic equals a higher turnover of product. Turnover is good.

Generally you want foods that are combined and cooked at the last minute, and served piping hot. With cold foods you want to look first for cleanliness, and then for clean ice or refrigeration. Food and drink vendors (as well as restaurants in most destinations) exist in a very competitive market, and any one of them that makes people sick won’t stay in business for very long. That said, keep in mind that at most of our destinations, the locals have been cooking and eating their foods (exactly as you will see them doing) for hundreds or thousands of years and tens of generations, and it has served them very well.

If in doubt of the water source, drink bottled water or canned/bottled drinks. Do not drink water from a faucet on any airplane while in transit (recent samplings have allegedly shown high bacteria counts)…always request bottled water or canned drinks from the flight stewards instead. Don’t forget to brush your teeth with bottled water (normally provided by the hotel) if the water source is in doubt. Covering the hotel faucet handles with a dishcloth before you go to bed can serve as a reminder to prevent you from brushing your teeth with bad water when you’re half asleep.  Always try to make sure that ice sources are safe before consuming (modern hotels and well-established restaurants will have reliable ice and water). Generally all ice is produced under safe conditions, including large blocks of ice, but you must be careful of how those blocks were transported to the vendor. Therefore chipped ice can be suspect, while flakes, cubes and tubes are usually of no concern.

Be wary of fresh greens and cut fruit on the street or in the markets, not so much because they themselves might be contaminated, but because they might have been washed with contaminated water. Generally if you can peel a fruit or vegetable yourself it will be completely safe. Bacteria begin to grow on some cooked items after about 4 hours (or sooner under very favorable conditions), so diners should be wary of foods that look like they might have been sitting for long periods of time. Remember, however, that many methods of cooking food as a means of preserving them without refrigeration have been developed over centuries, especially in the tropics, so don’t be too quick to discount foods cooked certain ways, even if they look like they might have been sitting there a while. Watch the locals and see what they do.

Above all, keep in mind that you aren’t in your hometown…you’re in a whole different world, and you have to expect conditions other than what you’re familiar with. Bottom line, if you stick strictly to the officially sanctioned and recommended State Department/government guidelines for eating in foreign countries you could almost starve to death. Be assured that we would never knowingly put any of our clients in a situation where they could suffer harm or serious discomfort and we will be watching your back, but sometimes judgment calls have to be made on the spot when you are out on your own and culinary temptation hits.

The Gastro Gods: What to Do When You’ve Angered Them

Any time one changes one’s culinary environment, even between cities within the States, a very brief period of mild gastro disturbance can be normal. If the digestive gods are somehow angered beyond mild distress (and they rarely ever are), there are several degrees of stomach distress that they can inflict, and most are easily and quickly self-treatable.

You should carry a supply of a regular anti-acid with you, as well as a product such as Immodium® or Lomotil® for gastro-intestinal distress or mild diarrhea. These should be taken only when absolutely necessary because, by their very nature, they will alter the normal digestive process, but they will solve most problems within a couple of hours. Most Stateside travel clinics will send you out the door before you leave with a few days’ supply of an antibiotic such as Noroxin®, Cipro® or the newer Xifaxan® for extreme cases of distress. You should always see a physician immediately if you experience blood in you stool or develop a fever (dysentery).

All of our travel destinations have competent medical staff (many of them US-trained) capable of dealing with any gastrointestinal problems immediately and effectively in case they should occur, but you should expect no problems, and should definitely not worry about it.  We eat damn near everything when we are traveling and our biggest problem is usually mustering a good belch.

Should you encounter a gastro ailment of some sort the key is to keep your body re-hydrated…as the liquid passes from your body, in whatever form that passing takes, it must be replaced. The best way of doing this is to combine pre-measured packets of a mix of salt and sugar with bottled water (the packets are available at most pharmacies, here and abroad), or you can mix a dilute solution on your own. If packets are unavailable a reasonable substitute can be made from a mixture of 6 teaspoons sugar + ½ tsp salt + 1 liter of bottled water or weak tea.

Take Care of Yourself!

Lastly, try to not allow your body to get run down…get plenty of rest, avoid heavy drinking, and don’t push yourself too hard. Infections of any kind are much more likely to be able to attack a compromised system. The best way to avoid ailments of many kinds, especially gastro, is to wash your hands frequently and always wash them before eating and after a visit to the restroom…disposable antiseptic wipes in sealed pouches are ideal for this purpose if hand-washing facilities aren’t readily available, and should be in your daypack constantly.