Going on a culinary adventure when traveling to another country is one of the best ways to really experience another culture. Unfortunately, eating in another country is an adventure for a completely different reason. Because of sanitation and contamination there is the risk that you might get sick or contract an illness if you eat questionable food or in dubious places.
Below are some of the things you need to avoid to ensure you won’t get sick while traveling:
Tap water
Water is an especially important concern for the traveler. Contaminated water is the easiest way for you to contract a disease – and there are some water-borne illnesses that are potentially dangerous. Tap water is the most likely to get contaminated so stay away from it as much as possible.
You can do advance research on the water situation in the country you’re visiting. But to be safe just drink bottled water (make sure that it’s a sealed bottle), juices, soda, beer or very hot coffee or tea. Also, don’t order cold drinks with ice, this includes frappuccinos or smoothies since it usually includes crushed ice. You wouldn’t know if the water used for making the ice came from tap water. If you want to drink something cold just ask for cold soda, bottled juice or beer.
Food placed in fly-ridden areas
This happens more frequently than you think. You can be in a perfectly okay outdoor restaurant that may have a lot of flies buzzing around. The food may be top-grade but the flies are flying pieces of you know what. The flies’ legs carry whatever it is they landed on before – including rotting garbage and feces. They also regurgitate on the food they land on. It’s just not sanitary at all.
If you’re going to eat in outdoor places or in buffets where the food is left to sit uncovered, make a quick scan of the place to see if there are a lot of flies. If there are just too many flies flying around then do an about face and look for another place to dine in.
Food sitting around
As previously mentioned, food that is left out uncovered are just beacons for flies and other things that will want to make a beeline for that instant source of nourishment. If you really want a culinary taste of the local cuisine don’t get the cold food that’s out there, go look for a place that will cook the food as you order it. Newly cooked food won’t have any pathogens because the heat kills off any of the bad stuff. If you see a restaurant or outdoor food places that cooks food to go then mark it in your list of places you need to frequent during stay because you’ll be safe here.
Foods exposed to the sun
Do you know that extremely hot places can contribute to food spoiling faster? This can be exacerbated if the food is left uncovered and is exposed to the sun. The food becomes the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Don’t ever eat in places that are in the aforementioned condition. You’re just inviting trouble for yourself.
Raw food
While vegetables in salad are good for you in general it becomes a problem if you’re going to eat it where the quality of the tap water is dubious. These vegetables are most likely washed in tap water and the contamination can be transferred to the veggies and other raw food. Take precautions and just say no to the salad for the time being.
About The Author
Derek Gallimore is the owner of Boutique London Lets where travelers can book London holiday apartments.
