Street Food

[RoyalOrchid]

Who doesn't love street food? It's loaded with cholesterol, fat, salt, sugar and other healthy stuff. It's been cooked right on the street, covered with layers of healthy and yammy car fumes, bugs sit on it and cooks spit on it. Salmonella found a great home in that "fresh" meat and beautiful deep-deep-deep fried coackroages and scorpions, very healthy and tasty meal indeed

[grantbkk]

All the time.....

Most of the arguments against street food are fallacious and based on prejudice rather than a serious look at what's going on or how we get sick from food and drink.

I do get prejudice when I pee out my rear end. I would only eat street food if I was bound up. I continue my additional prejudicial life style against the dreaded device that you put up there to get the load out.

Back to the real world. In developed countries they have adopted public health standards which helps prevent us from harming ourselves. They try to reduce bad bacteria through hygiene and refrigeration. This is very basic and not widely practiced here. Hot water is nonexistent in the street so lets forget about that. Take 10 minutes at a busy stall and watch how the food is handled. The preparers and servers will from time to time shove half of there hand up their respective noses to recover a hard piece of mucus left over from childhood. Watch them as they handle the utensils and where they set them when not in use. Watch them make a valiant attempt to wash and rinse any dishes and flatware from previous customers. Keep in mind that even if the food cart personnel are hygienic the customer base may not be. Watch all of the people around the cart touching everything including their eyes and mouth while scratching their rear ends because no toilet paper was available the last time they dumped which was probably the day before.

I admit I'm a little germophobic but I am also heathy. As others have mentioned they steer clear of the seafood for the simple reason that it breaks down faster than other food and should require refrigeration. I don't see how anyone can eat the meat skewers sitting out in the hot sun for who knows how long. When I see the new arrivals from Western Europe digging into their first street food experience I know I will not see them for 3 days secure in the knowledge that they have destroyed 20 to 25 percent of their vacation experience. There is something positive to be said for those new antibodies we now all have. I guess it's true, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger".

QED - only half the argument and a lot of unsubstantiated assumptions and assertions....you really need to take some time out and think about how the food gets to be contaminated and how that is transmitted to yourself.

you also need to think about how you contract "the shits" and re-think where you REALLY caught it. steering clear of street -food is certainly not a guarantee against food poisoning in THailand - in fact the alternatives are often the higher risk.

No assumptions on my part. Everything I wrote is common knowledge and has been in the west for more than a century. I can say that common sense is not really that common. As you say, steering clear of street food does not guarantee you will not get sick but it is a good beginning. You are right by saying that higher risk may exist in alternatives to the street food. Many people don't think about what they cannot see in those kitchens behind closed doors. Buyer beware. This stuff usually doesn't kill you it is just a bit unconfortable for a while.

What you are saying is only HALF the story....and you ARE making assertions and assumptions about people you don't know eating street food.

As I said you need to look at the process by which the bacteria that cause food poisoning get a grip on your digestive tract...that is from the stall to your arse.

Also the idea of "common knowledge" is not a good idea to base any judgment on as a lot of it is not accurate.

Another thing to bear in mind is the this is NOT THE WEST and cooking methods here have grown up over thousands of years to cope with the climate and environment...so methods that would apply in the west (like the dependence on refrigeration and the ubiquitous "chill serve") do not necessarily work as well here in the tropics where they have learned to prepare food in a hot and humid atmosphere that "common sense" dictates is a perfect climate for most food poisoning.

OK Wilko, If it works for you and yours thats fine. I began by answering the OP's original question and by giving my personal opinion of the street food scene. I realize my Western education is limited but you have not swayed me. I don't know what QED means or what you refer to as half the story.

Whether you're in the tropics or Germany you still need refrigeration. I'm not talking about full blown food poisoning but simple contamination. Other posters refer to the fact that this food sits out in the atmosphere for hours, sometimes next to the roadway where heavy metals and carbon makes its way to the surface of your dinner. I have eaten street food and I give it the well done treatment myself hoping the higher temperature will kill most of the living organisms that were alive and well in my food awaiting consumption.

Certainly not everyone is going to be sick eating street food or coming in contact with the dirty utensil but some people's seem to handle it better than others. Many expats brag that they have never gotten sick from eating street food.

I did not mean to personally offend you and respect your opinion. I was just giving my view and relying somewhat on Western science. I guess sometimes it doesn't apply in the tropics.

[zorro1]

Yep I draw the line at seafood unless its steamed on Pattaya beach. No insects either but I don't mind the dried or is it bbq? frog with a few beers

Whoa. Personally I eat everything from road side vendors, including seafood which is mostly kept on ice and/or in a cooler box. But I DONT take seafood from beach vendors in places like Pattaya.. those people are part of the imported Cambo/Burmese crowd to hawk just about anything around to tourists, not people who's vocation and talent it is to provide tasty and clean food and who operate a shop or stall relying on return business or, heck, their customers staying alive so they'd return. :DPlus I've seen them prepare it in the back sois and I think I'll pass.

Additionally, when I'm in Pattaya it's usually to make the most of a short visit, and this is one special time when I want to make 10000000% sure not to be out of the game and on the toilet!!!!!

Forgot to mention only the steamed prawns, no prep involved. They have the added protection of being in a shell and dam_n you can see the freshness, bright red and tender. laying back on a deck chair with steamed prawns and som tam is one of my favorite things when visiting patters

[zorro1]

All the time.....

Most of the arguments against street food are fallacious and based on prejudice rather than a serious look at what's going on or how we get sick from food and drink.

I do get prejudice when I pee out my rear end. I would only eat street food if I was bound up. I continue my additional prejudicial life style against the dreaded device that you put up there to get the load out.

Back to the real world. In developed countries they have adopted public health standards which helps prevent us from harming ourselves. They try to reduce bad bacteria through hygiene and refrigeration. This is very basic and not widely practiced here. Hot water is nonexistent in the street so lets forget about that. Take 10 minutes at a busy stall and watch how the food is handled. The preparers and servers will from time to time shove half of there hand up their respective noses to recover a hard piece of mucus left over from childhood. Watch them as they handle the utensils and where they set them when not in use. Watch them make a valiant attempt to wash and rinse any dishes and flatware from previous customers. Keep in mind that even if the food cart personnel are hygienic the customer base may not be. Watch all of the people around the cart touching everything including their eyes and mouth while scratching their rear ends because no toilet paper was available the last time they dumped which was probably the day before.

I admit I'm a little germophobic but I am also heathy. As others have mentioned they steer clear of the seafood for the simple reason that it breaks down faster than other food and should require refrigeration. I don't see how anyone can eat the meat skewers sitting out in the hot sun for who knows how long. When I see the new arrivals from Western Europe digging into their first street food experience I know I will not see them for 3 days secure in the knowledge that they have destroyed 20 to 25 percent of their vacation experience. There is something positive to be said for those new antibodies we now all have. I guess it's true, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger".

QED - only half the argument and a lot of unsubstantiated assumptions and assertions....you really need to take some time out and think about how the food gets to be contaminated and how that is transmitted to yourself.

you also need to think about how you contract "the shits" and re-think where you REALLY caught it. steering clear of street -food is certainly not a guarantee against food poisoning in THailand - in fact the alternatives are often the higher risk.

No assumptions on my part. Everything I wrote is common knowledge and has been in the west for more than a century. I can say that common sense is not really that common. As you say, steering clear of street food does not guarantee you will not get sick but it is a good beginning. You are right by saying that higher risk may exist in alternatives to the street food. Many people don't think about what they cannot see in those kitchens behind closed doors. Buyer beware. This stuff usually doesn't kill you it is just a bit unconfortable for a while.

What you are saying is only HALF the story....and you ARE making assertions and assumptions about people you don't know eating street food.

As I said you need to look at the process by which the bacteria that cause food poisoning get a grip on your digestive tract...that is from the stall to your arse.

Also the idea of "common knowledge" is not a good idea to base any judgment on as a lot of it is not accurate.

Another thing to bear in mind is the this is NOT THE WEST and cooking methods here have grown up over thousands of years to cope with the climate and environment...so methods that would apply in the west (like the dependence on refrigeration and the ubiquitous "chill serve") do not necessarily work as well here in the tropics where they have learned to prepare food in a hot and humid atmosphere that "common sense" dictates is a perfect climate for most food poisoning.

OK Wilko, If it works for you and yours thats fine. I began by answering the OP's original question and by giving my personal opinion of the street food scene. I realize my Western education is limited but you have not swayed me. I don't know what QED means or what you refer to as half the story.

Whether you're in the tropics or Germany you still need refrigeration. I'm not talking about full blown food poisoning but simple contamination. Other posters refer to the fact that this food sits out in the atmosphere for hours, sometimes next to the roadway where heavy metals and carbon makes its way to the surface of your dinner. I have eaten street food and I give it the well done treatment myself hoping the higher temperature will kill most of the living organisms that were alive and well in my food awaiting consumption.

Certainly not everyone is going to be sick eating street food or coming in contact with the dirty utensil but some people's seem to handle it better than others. Many expats brag that they have never gotten sick from eating street food.

I did not mean to personally offend you and respect your opinion. I was just giving my view and relying somewhat on Western science. I guess sometimes it doesn't apply in the tropics.

From what Ive noticed most of that stuff is precooked or at least seared. Probably giving it a shelf life of at least 24 hours

[TheDon]

When I first went to Thailand, street food gave me the runs, but now I have built a super gut which I can eat anything in Thailand and I never get the runs

[solent01]

Eat at street stalls nearly everyday.... Rum tae tae (arroy mak for you Thai speakers )

[kiakaha]

daily.

[mrtoad]

Just finishing off a nice plate of som tam and a bowl of noodles cooked down the road. Eat from the stalls most days, and have never had a problem. Had several bad experiences though in the UK and several European countries in supposedly decent establishments.

[LKIBA]

I eat street food alot, but wont touch any soups, but I will eat anything grilled or fried. Never had a problem with it. Actuallu I had stomach problems when I ate a grasshopper

what happened did it try and jump back out

[LKIBA]

Just finishing off a nice plate of som tam and a bowl of noodles cooked down the road. Eat from the stalls most days, and have never had a problem. Had several bad experiences though in the UK and several European countries in supposedly decent establishments.

you better be quite the thais love a nice bbq toad

[misterme]

I eat street food a lot. Since my 1st visit, I loved eating it, and I see no end in sight.

I did go for a Hepatitus vaccine a few years back. The doctor refused to give me the vaccine until he checked my antibodies. His feeling was that, after years of eating street food, the chances that I had already been in contact with the Hep virus was too high. I ran the checks but was still Hep free. I did the Hep shots following that.

But, last month, I tested again. I have no Hepatitus Anti-bodies... meaning that the Virus/Antibodies didn't stay in my system. I'd assumed until now that because I went throught the shots, I was protected. But, now I know that I have to start the immunization cycle over again.

[LKIBA]

I eat street food everyday.

Haven't had anything more serious than slight tummy rumbles in five years.

Soundman.

Which you can get anywhere in the world. When i used to live in Bangkok, we(the wife and I) used to eat street food most days. Some of the best food is bought from the people selling by the road. The good thing is that you can usually see them cooking it in front of you. Not like some restaurants that charge more and its cooked out the back.

i didnt know they had a street stall in thailand serving haggis neeps and taties

[Captain Chaos]

Yes, all the time when I'm in BKK - which ain't that often these days so I do miss a bit of the old street tucker

Brekkie - 'gai yang' and sticky rice, or maybe 'khao tom' or 'jok' if the lady with the relevant stall is passing by

Lunch - maybe 'bami tom yam moo' - extra spicy, double yum!

Dinner - bit more of the Isaan grub ('nam tok moo' even though I'm often told I'll get horrid things from it), or maybe a trip to a long standing favourite shophouse place on Suk 22 where they do some really nice 'hoi lai' shellfish and various other old trusties - it's a bit five star though - has fans and a fridge for the beer chang!

CC

PS. hawker centres in SG are OK but can't beat a noodle stall in a shady corner somewhere for 'sanook' factor - and yes, I do think that's why a lot of Thailand veterans eat there - for the looks of horror on the tourists faces as they walk by

[Tinkelbell]

I did not mean to personally offend you and respect your opinion. I was just giving my view and relying somewhat on Western science. I guess sometimes it doesn't apply in the tropics.

...............................................................

grantbkk, I'm one, who didn't feel offend by your remarks at all, as a matter of fact I'm totally agree with your point.

I'm saying this because I had the same experiences as you had described yours in LOS.

Please keep them coming.

[Misplaced]

I would rather see them cooking it in front of me than behind closed door. Who knows, the cooks at your local restaurant could be doing much worse things to your food.

My pick: STREET FOOD. It's good and cheap.

[harleyclarkey]

Sure do and so far no problems....touch wood. Now where's my head?

I usually send the lady of the night out for a selection and she comes back having spent the enormous sum of 100 baht with enough food to stuff us for the night! Tasty and cheap and she will know the better ones to buy from.

I won't eat any sea food and only things I see cooked in front of me. Oh...avoid those small blue crabs in Som tam...can be really nasty.

[cobra]

If it comes on a stick, I've probably eaten it.

At first I was leery, but remember, we routinely ate some dirt and bugs when we were young.

Our digestive system is pretty robust. I've yet to have any issues with street food.

What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger,

[suegha]

I have to add, I have often eaten street food and have never been ill, ever!

[wilko]

All the time.....

Most of the arguments against street food are fallacious and based on prejudice rather than a serious look at what's going on or how we get sick from food and drink.

I do get prejudice when I pee out my rear end. I would only eat street food if I was bound up. I continue my additional prejudicial life style against the dreaded device that you put up there to get the load out.

Back to the real world. In developed countries they have adopted public health standards which helps prevent us from harming ourselves. They try to reduce bad bacteria through hygiene and refrigeration. This is very basic and not widely practiced here. Hot water is nonexistent in the street so lets forget about that. Take 10 minutes at a busy stall and watch how the food is handled. The preparers and servers will from time to time shove half of there hand up their respective noses to recover a hard piece of mucus left over from childhood. Watch them as they handle the utensils and where they set them when not in use. Watch them make a valiant attempt to wash and rinse any dishes and flatware from previous customers. Keep in mind that even if the food cart personnel are hygienic the customer base may not be. Watch all of the people around the cart touching everything including their eyes and mouth while scratching their rear ends because no toilet paper was available the last time they dumped which was probably the day before.

I admit I'm a little germophobic but I am also heathy. As others have mentioned they steer clear of the seafood for the simple reason that it breaks down faster than other food and should require refrigeration. I don't see how anyone can eat the meat skewers sitting out in the hot sun for who knows how long. When I see the new arrivals from Western Europe digging into their first street food experience I know I will not see them for 3 days secure in the knowledge that they have destroyed 20 to 25 percent of their vacation experience. There is something positive to be said for those new antibodies we now all have. I guess it's true, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger".

QED - only half the argument and a lot of unsubstantiated assumptions and assertions....you really need to take some time out and think about how the food gets to be contaminated and how that is transmitted to yourself.

you also need to think about how you contract "the shits" and re-think where you REALLY caught it. steering clear of street -food is certainly not a guarantee against food poisoning in THailand - in fact the alternatives are often the higher risk.

No assumptions on my part. Everything I wrote is common knowledge and has been in the west for more than a century. I can say that common sense is not really that common. As you say, steering clear of street food does not guarantee you will not get sick but it is a good beginning. You are right by saying that higher risk may exist in alternatives to the street food. Many people don't think about what they cannot see in those kitchens behind closed doors. Buyer beware. This stuff usually doesn't kill you it is just a bit unconfortable for a while.

What you are saying is only HALF the story....and you ARE making assertions and assumptions about people you don't know eating street food.

As I said you need to look at the process by which the bacteria that cause food poisoning get a grip on your digestive tract...that is from the stall to your arse.

Also the idea of "common knowledge" is not a good idea to base any judgment on as a lot of it is not accurate.

Another thing to bear in mind is the this is NOT THE WEST and cooking methods here have grown up over thousands of years to cope with the climate and environment...so methods that would apply in the west (like the dependence on refrigeration and the ubiquitous "chill serve") do not necessarily work as well here in the tropics where they have learned to prepare food in a hot and humid atmosphere that "common sense" dictates is a perfect climate for most food poisoning.

OK Wilko, If it works for you and yours thats fine. I began by answering the OP's original question and by giving my personal opinion of the street food scene. I realize my Western education is limited but you have not swayed me. I don't know what QED means or what you refer to as half the story.

Whether you're in the tropics or Germany you still need refrigeration. I'm not talking about full blown food poisoning but simple contamination. Other posters refer to the fact that this food sits out in the atmosphere for hours, sometimes next to the roadway where heavy metals and carbon makes its way to the surface of your dinner. I have eaten street food and I give it the well done treatment myself hoping the higher temperature will kill most of the living organisms that were alive and well in my food awaiting consumption.

Certainly not everyone is going to be sick eating street food or coming in contact with the dirty utensil but some people's seem to handle it better than others. Many expats brag that they have never gotten sick from eating street food.

I did not mean to personally offend you and respect your opinion. I was just giving my view and relying somewhat on Western science. I guess sometimes it doesn't apply in the tropics.

Part of what I'm saying is that you are continuing to look at this from a western perspective - not a scientific one - "Whether you're in the tropics or Germany you still need refrigeration." - How long do you think that refrigeration has been commonly available in Thailand?

Why do you think it is needed? - It is one of the elements in "processed food" the industrialization of food production.

We all have a rough idea of what causes food poisoning (other pollutants are a different issue here) - but in reality this doesn't work so well for street food in Thailand, unlike say India - so the question is why?

I won't pretend to know the whole answer but you have to look at what people ASSUME about the food and how it gets contaminated and how that is passed on to you (or me).......

".....refer to the fact that this food sits out in the atmosphere for hours," - this is actually a perceived truth, and not substantiated.......and how important Is this to small chopped pieces of meat?....certainly pok-pok won't be affected to badly, or a lot of the other street products

To confirm this one would have to watch each piece of food and monitor its progress....just because you come back and it LOOKS the same doesn't necessarily mean it IS the same.

Even if the food seems to be out in tropical heat for excessive periods of time - how then do so few people get sick? This is probably down to the nature of preparation and cooking. The cooking is high temp so the bacteria which live on the OUTSIDE of eat will be killed - If I were to smear a small piece of shit on a piece of chicken and then seared it, it is very unlikely that you would suffer any ill effects from eating it.

etc etc...basically you can go through each stage of preparing street food and find that although western "truth" tells us it should be deadly, the closer you look, the more explanation you can find as to why it isn't so toxic.

Western food on the other hand .................................

Edited April 22, 2008 by wilko