Is Thailand The Place To Bomb-proof My Stomach

[FuninPlural]

At the risk of being my own guinea pig and giving myself food poisoning, I would like to know if Thailand would be a place where I can train my stomach to take anything. I recall listening to an old George Carlin bit where he talked about the fact that he almost never really got sick because as a kid he would swim in the dirty, infested Hudson River (and this supposedly strengthened his immune system). For all intents and purposes Thai food is dirtier than American food. Would it be possible to slowly take on more and more Thai food, and thus make myself immune to all types of parasites found in other dishes all over the world?

Please discuss.

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

Do you really think the food in the U.S. is cleaner than Thai food? It may seem that way, but the e. coli bacteria seems to now be pretty widespread through the U.S. food system. The reason: cattle ranches in close proximity to agriculture. Just travel though the U.S. breadbasket (the California central valley) and you'll see huge cattle ranches next to big farms. In Thailand, the worst I've experienced is some mild symptoms from chicken going a little wooly. Have you ever heard of salmonella in eggs or mad cow disease in beef in Thailand?

[Slaps]

Well for someone who spends most of his time talking sh!t I would have thought you would have been OK

Anyway I thought you'd had enough abuse from us lot,

maybe not

[lothda]

What you need is a 3 month vacation in India

[TheVinylMan]

I have spent 4 years working in America............ and 3 years in Thailand............ guess what........... had alot more shit food and poisoning in America than in Thailand.......... so after all the fatty american burgers etc........ think your stomach may thank you for giving it a break

[canuckamuck]

I have been eating here 7 years, and this week I am recovering from very nasty bout of food poisoning, so I guess your answer is no.

[whiterussian]

Yes , you should be able to collect a decent genetic library of gastronomic foes here.

Trouble is working out whether its a bug or just your body rejecting some super hot chilli as fast as possible.

[PhilHarries]

make myself immune to all types of parasites found in other dishes all over the world?

Google 'ascaris' for a start, even the Thai nationals ain't immune to ALL parasites. In fact I don't think anyone is, that's how parasites survive.

[aircut]

i believe the OD is just a trolling here.

no one but a troll would generalize on people and cultures like you just did,

i don't think you really deserve an answer beside that if training your guts to handle dirty food is your goal, you can do it anywhere, since it up to you what goes down your throat. so you can start at the comfort of your own home.

[Xonax]

Years back I started to come here on holiday af few weeks once a year and often had symptoms of food poisoning. But after i first started to spend 2-3 months here every year and later relocated to here, I never had any problems. The bacterias are a bit different here and you simply just need to get used to it. And dont try to drink the tap water unless you have a filter installed.

[whiterussian]

1 month on the throne is my record. 1994 - Dar es Salaam - Tanzania.

Edited March 27, 2010 by whiterussian

[IMA_FARANG]

"Training your stomach to take anything" does seem to be a rather silly thing to do.

Actually, when you get the "Delhi Belly" or the "Bangkok Belly" it isn't usually new and exotic parasites that are the cause.

Your intestines have a normal flourishing colony of imtestinal bacteria...even when you are healthy and feeling fine. They help your body dissolve and assimilate your food. Your body has adapted itself to that intestinal flora and fauna from the day you started eating.

When you travel to a foriegn country, and come down with the toliet runs, it's usually not a strange and unknown intestinal bug that floors you, it's another slightly different species of the old familiar bug you had back in the old country. Your body has a built in defense against entirely new types of intestinal critters...but it has long ago adapted to the old familiar type of intestinal bacteria. So when a slightly different varient of the old familiar critter enters your intestines, it isn't attacked like an entirely new and strange bug would be. But the slightly different varient of the old familiar bug...that's a problem because it is enough like the old familiar bug to be tolerated...but just different enough cause an upset in the normal orderly process in your intestines.

So it's the old familiar stuff, with just a twist to it, that causes the problems....not the totally new.

P.S. Do you know the old W.C. Fields routine? He is asked by someone, "Have you become adapted to the local Flora and Fauna?". "Oh yes", he says, "Flora and Fauna...I know them well. Flora is upstairs and Fauna is downstairs, isn't she?"

Sorry, but I just couldn't resist that one.

Edited March 27, 2010 by IMA_FARANG

[blue eyes]

Hang out with the red shirts.That should get you what you want.The runs.......................