I consider the issue with "prepared food" by other people is that you suffer the effects of their poor hygiene practices, after using the rest room for example. ..........edit............. doubt Tops staff wash the fruit before cutting it up so the chance of what is on the skin getting on to the cut surface is there......

And being to the toilet, NOT washing their hands, back on the job... but the ready to eat cut fruit in the larger Supermarkets are usually fruits which are close to the "expiry date"... so if the fruit is slight bit "overripe" - "fermenting" this, especially in the case of watermelon, could cause nausea and the like....ice cold water, ice cream, beer on top... would do the rest...

And being to the toilet, NOT washing their hands, back on the job... but the ready to eat cut fruit in the larger Supermarkets are usually fruits which are close to the "expiry date"... so if the fruit is slight bit "overripe" - "fermenting" this, especially in the case of watermelon, could cause nausea and the like....ice cold water, ice cream, beer on top... would do the rest...

Yes you are right... I bought the watermelon late at night and it was discounted I guess to get rid of it...I had a slice and a half of the tray of watermelon only,

thout it tasted a bit sour and threw the rest away... I cant imagine what would happen to me it I ate the whole thing!

I wouldn't worry too much about eating vinegar, som tam,or watermelons

different Thais at different times have told me

eating a lot of each of these these things is not good for you

apparently what we often are given with our Thai meals to add is not even real vinegar, which i understand is a tonic

i discovered artificial vinegar at the super market and figured that must be what they are serving and maybe that is the issue

glacial acetate???

apparently eating som tum (papaya salad) often is not good for you, i don't know why

and watermelon too, maybe due to all the chemicals used in growing

true or false

any news???

i very much enjoy all of these things in large amounts

but not together

Some years back it was mangos....because the mangos were supposed to have been found with very high levels of pesticide on them. So you weren't supposed to eat mangos. Rambuthan has had the same story told about them. Once here in Greece, I was told by a Greek friend who heard I was going to Thailand that I shouldn't eat any chicken while I was there. If I ate chicken, I would come down with bird flu and die. I like Korean food, but I've been told not to eat in Korean restaurants because they all serve "dog meat" in those restaurants. Don't eat Japanese food because the raw fish might make you sick. Hot dogs are bad for you because of the nitrates they use to preserve the meat. And so on, and so on.

Mostly they are all C##p, or at best a garbled memory of something that was read and not fully understood by someone.

Basically, eat what you like and what you enjoy, in moderate amounts. Don't worry about the rest. In the long run, everything is fatal. Unless you are plan to be immortal, your life is going to end fatally anyhow.

Good post IMA FARANG! Everything in moderation, you're going to die eventually, just try not to be too sick on your way there!