5 year multiple entry DTV visa (Destination Thailand) from 2024-xx-xx

[Pattel]

Yesterday (24th) while walking around Big C I made an impulse buy of some Oysters (23 Baht in a little tub). I checked the dates on the price ticket and it said (I think) made 24th use by 27th.

So today (25th) I thought I'll wrap the Oysters in Bacon and grill them as a starter. After taking the store wrapping off I found that the plastic tub also had dates written on it. Only these dates were different.

The MFG date which I believe is shorthand for Manufactured was the 16th and the Expire date was the 22nd, 3 days ago.

I don't know if this slip up was unusual or if Big C routinely sells out of date foods but I will be going back tomorrow to have a word with the Manager (If I can get hold of him). I have nothing better to do tomorroew as the bars are shut.

I will post on here what transpires.

[Pattel]

Just to clarify the dates it definitely said the 24th and the 27th. It was only the Thai writing I wasn't sure about.

[willyumcr]

23 baht??? Get a life. Massage parlors are open tomorrow

[Jingthing]

It's not only that place. Shopping in Thailand, one must always keep in mind that date stamps are not always accurate. When you can, really look at the merchandise for signs of freshness or decay. Many times I have found the item with more recent date is actually more decayed than the older date option. An exception is when the dates are clearly from the manufacturer, such as egg cartons, etc. If the dates are from the store, be aware in Thai culture cheating you makes them the clever one.

Edited June 25, 2011 by Jingthing

[Pattel]

23 baht??? Get a life. Massage parlors are open tomorrow

The cost has nothing to do with it. I normally buy my Oyster from Makro, its just this is the first time ( and probably the last) that I bought from Big C. And stale Oyster can cause allsorts of stomach problems.

[somtampet]

It's not only that place. Shopping in Thailand, one must always keep in mind that date stamps are not always accurate. When you can, really look at the merchandise for signs of freshness or decay. Many times I have found the item with more recent date is actually more decayed than the older date option. An exception is when the dates are clearly from the manufacturer, such as egg cartons, etc. If the dates are from the store, be aware in Thai culture cheating you makes them the clever one.

Sounds a bit like most countries in the world

[somtampet]

So the food was stale as well as out of shelf life then ????

[Exsexyman]

23 baht??? Get a life. Massage parlors are open tomorrow

The cost has nothing to do with it. I normally buy my Oyster from Makro, its just this is the first time ( and probably the last) that I bought from Big C. And stale Oyster can cause allsorts of stomach problems.

You are not wrong there. I grew up on the Kent coast in the UK, near Whitstable which is a small seaside town famous for its oysters. I used to love them. Many years ago i had a dodgy one and got food poisoning. Never been so ill, just wanted to die. Vomiting and pissing out of my arse for about a week. Just the sight of an oyster now makes my stomach start heaving. I recommend it if you want to lose weight though. I must have lost a couple of stone in a week! If you eat oysters, make sure they are fresh.

[Pattel]

So the food was stale as well as out of shelf life then ????

I wouldn't know if they were stale. I only know that with something like Oysters I don't want to take that chance. Something like steak I will look at and make an educated guess but Oysters no.

[janverbeem]

23 baht??? Get a life. Massage parlors are open tomorrow

So if the OP hadn't noticed the sell by dates and eaten those oysters with the risk of sitting on the toilet for the next 24 hours,getting a serious food poisoning or even died,I have read story's of people dying because of contaminated seafood,he still should get a life because the price was only 23 Baht?

[Jingthing]

Agreed, rotten meat and seafood is a health issue.

[willyumcr]

23 baht??? Get a life. Massage parlors are open tomorrow

The cost has nothing to do with it. I normally buy my Oyster from Makro, its just this is the first time ( and probably the last) that I bought from Big C. And stale Oyster can cause allsorts of stomach problems.

You are not wrong there. I grew up on the Kent coast in the UK, near Whitstable which is a small seaside town famous for its oysters. I used to love them. Many years ago i had a dodgy one and got food poisoning. Never been so ill, just wanted to die. Vomiting and pissing out of my arse for about a week. Just the sight of an oyster now makes my stomach start heaving. I recommend it if you want to lose weight though. I must have lost a couple of stone in a week! If you eat oysters, make sure they are fresh.

"If you eat oysters, make sure they are fresh." Exactly. Buying a sealed tub of oysters is not a smart idea. FRESH only. As far as going back to complain, forget it even if the bars are closed.

[Pattel]

23 baht??? Get a life. Massage parlors are open tomorrow

So if the OP hadn't noticed the sell by dates and eaten those oysters with the risk of sitting on the toilet for the next 24 hours,getting a serious food poisoning or even died,I have read story's of people dying because of contaminated seafood,he still should get a life because the price was only 23 Baht?

As I said before the price is irrelevant. I have been buying Oysters in Tubs for years. Normally from Foodland and just lately from Makro (they are nearer).

Oysters are cheap here. In Makro they are about 32 Baht for a small tub or 100 Baht for a large bag. As Oysters are not something you normally buy in large quantities it make sense that they are sold in small tubs.

And yes I will be having a massage tomorrow after I come out of the Gym.

[PattayaParent]

23 baht??? Get a life. Massage parlors are open tomorrow

Oysters may be cheap but medical bills are expensive.

And do you think massage parlours would like people just coming in to drink beers when they also are not allowed to sell them anyway?

[xen]

23 baht??? Get a life. Massage parlors are open tomorrow

The cost has nothing to do with it. I normally buy my Oyster from Makro, its just this is the first time ( and probably the last) that I bought from Big C. And stale Oyster can cause allsorts of stomach problems.

You are not wrong there. I grew up on the Kent coast in the UK, near Whitstable which is a small seaside town famous for its oysters. I used to love them. Many years ago i had a dodgy one and got food poisoning. Never been so ill, just wanted to die. Vomiting and pissing out of my arse for about a week. Just the sight of an oyster now makes my stomach start heaving. I recommend it if you want to lose weight though. I must have lost a couple of stone in a week! If you eat oysters, make sure they are fresh.

"If you eat oysters, make sure they are fresh." Exactly. Buying a sealed tub of oysters is not a smart idea. FRESH only. As far as going back to complain, forget it even if the bars are closed.

I spent a few days in a hospital in Chonburi quiet a few years back because of oysters we ate at a beachside restaurant .The oyster beds were right in front of us, less than a few hundred metres from the restaurant, so i wrongly assumed we could not get much fresher than that, but who knows, perhaps after harvesting the were left in the sun,/off ice/out of refridgeration or just because of pollution in the Gulf of Thailand, some of them were dodgy. Last time i have ever had oysters in Thailand.

Edited June 25, 2011 by xen

[pauljones]

I notice Thais will keep perishable food items sitting out for days. Even if the refrigerator is only steps away.

Not sure why.

[Riley'sLife]

My in-laws have a special place where they put all their rotting food, it's not a fridge, but a steel framed glass fronted cabinet with steel mesh sides.

Food placed in there magically becomes edible, whatever state it was in before. (or so it seems!)

Not sure if it works for farang.

[rixalex]

You are not wrong there. I grew up on the Kent coast in the UK, near Whitstable which is a small seaside town famous for its oysters. I used to love them. Many years ago i had a dodgy one and got food poisoning. Never been so ill, just wanted to die. Vomiting and pissing out of my arse for about a week. Just the sight of an oyster now makes my stomach start heaving. I recommend it if you want to lose weight though. I must have lost a couple of stone in a week! If you eat oysters, make sure they are fresh.

Was in Whitstable a couple of months ago and had made the trip specifically for the seafood. The oysters were great - first time i had had them - and luckily no illness. One thing did surprise me though, most of the other seafood didn't look that fresh, and when i asked the seller where they had come from, was told "Iceland". It was only when i was walking away i started to wonder whether she had meant the country or the supermarket. Judging from how it tasted, my guess is the latter. Anyway, at least the oysters were great...

P.S. As for your last sentence, is there any way to check, besides sell by dates? Do they start kicking up the moment they are no good or could they smell alright but still be off?

[rixalex]

23 baht??? Get a life. Massage parlors are open tomorrow

From one type of oyster to another.

[rixalex]

My in-laws have a special place where they put all their rotting food, it's not a fridge, but a steel framed glass fronted cabinet with steel mesh sides.

Food placed in there magically becomes edible, whatever state it was in before. (or so it seems!)

Not sure if it works for farang.

Sounds straight out of Harry Potter.

[Exsexyman]

You are not wrong there. I grew up on the Kent coast in the UK, near Whitstable which is a small seaside town famous for its oysters. I used to love them. Many years ago i had a dodgy one and got food poisoning. Never been so ill, just wanted to die. Vomiting and pissing out of my arse for about a week. Just the sight of an oyster now makes my stomach start heaving. I recommend it if you want to lose weight though. I must have lost a couple of stone in a week! If you eat oysters, make sure they are fresh.

Was in Whitstable a couple of months ago and had made the trip specifically for the seafood. The oysters were great - first time i had had them - and luckily no illness. One thing did surprise me though, most of the other seafood didn't look that fresh, and when i asked the seller where they had come from, was told "Iceland". It was only when i was walking away i started to wonder whether she had meant the country or the supermarket. Judging from how it tasted, my guess is the latter. Anyway, at least the oysters were great...

P.S. As for your last sentence, is there any way to check, besides sell by dates? Do they start kicking up the moment they are no good or could they smell alright but still be off?

I am no expert i'm afraid, although when i got the mad shites i wished that i was! They all looked and smelt the same when i had that experience. Maybe someone more knowledgeable than me could help out here. I was once told by a doctor i worked with that shellfish poisoning is the worst kind. As someone else on here pointed out, people have died of it! Quite scary really as i love prawns, lobster, crab etc, and eat them regularly. But definitely no oysters! Despite their supposed aphrodisiac properties! A friend of mine had 10 in a sitting once and complained next day that only 8 of them worked! Sorry, i'll get my coat!

By the way, what did you think of Whitstable? I always think its like turning the clock back when i go back there, never seems to change much. Nice little town. The beach huts fetch crazy prices now though, Suggs from Madness has had one for years, goes there most weekends with his family.

[Pattel]

Well I went back to Big C yesterday with the evedence, got an apology and a promise that this will not happen again.

They did offer me another Tub of Oysters but I declined. Once bitten twice shy.

I am going to stick with Foodland in future. Most days in Foodland if you go late in the day they will have sold out already. Which I take to mean that the ones on sale in the morning are fresh.

[rixalex]

Was in Whitstable a couple of months ago and had made the trip specifically for the seafood. The oysters were great - first time i had had them - and luckily no illness. One thing did surprise me though, most of the other seafood didn't look that fresh, and when i asked the seller where they had come from, was told "Iceland". It was only when i was walking away i started to wonder whether she had meant the country or the supermarket. Judging from how it tasted, my guess is the latter. Anyway, at least the oysters were great...

P.S. As for your last sentence, is there any way to check, besides sell by dates? Do they start kicking up the moment they are no good or could they smell alright but still be off?

I am no expert i'm afraid, although when i got the mad shites i wished that i was! They all looked and smelt the same when i had that experience. Maybe someone more knowledgeable than me could help out here. I was once told by a doctor i worked with that shellfish poisoning is the worst kind. As someone else on here pointed out, people have died of it! Quite scary really as i love prawns, lobster, crab etc, and eat them regularly. But definitely no oysters! Despite their supposed aphrodisiac properties! A friend of mine had 10 in a sitting once and complained next day that only 8 of them worked! Sorry, i'll get my coat!

By the way, what did you think of Whitstable? I always think its like turning the clock back when i go back there, never seems to change much. Nice little town. The beach huts fetch crazy prices now though, Suggs from Madness has had one for years, goes there most weekends with his family.

I didn't really get to see enough of Whitstable to form a complete impression Exsexyman.

Parking was a nightmare. Spent a good 30 minutes driving around the public car park near the beach looking for a space, and got quite angry in the process as some people who were just driving into the car park got a space, as it was just down to luck as to who was closest when somebody was getting in there car and leaving... after we did get a space, spent another ten minutes going through the rigmarole of phoning in the car park payment - machine was broken so couldn't do it that way. When you phone in your payment it's an automated system that digitally recognises speech - accept that it doesn't recognise it accurately at times. I kept repeating "N" as one of the letters in our car registration, and it kept repeating back to me "M".

Anyway, all of that nonsense made us quite stressed before we had even got to the beach. When we did though, we had a pleasant few hours looking round and sampling different seafood on offer. Was a lovely day weather wise and a nice relaxed atmosphere. Would go again but try and choose a day when it wasn't so busy.

When you talk about beach huts and Suggs, i can't quite imagine what you are talking about. Are they the small little sheds that became popular after the war, that holidaymakers used to use basically to keep their deck chairs and change into their bathing suits, or something more upmarket?

P.S. Apologies to Pattel for going off topic.

Edited June 29, 2011 by rixalex

[Penkoprod]

ed]

I am no expert i'm afraid, although when i got the mad shites i wished that i was! They all looked and smelt the same when i had that experience. Maybe someone more knowledgeable than me could help out here. I was once told by a doctor i worked with that shellfish poisoning is the worst kind. As someone else on here pointed out, people have died of it! Quite scary really as i love prawns, lobster, crab etc, and eat them regularly. But definitely no oysters! Despite their supposed aphrodisiac properties! A friend of mine had 10 in a sitting once and complained next day that only 8 of them worked! Sorry, i'll get my coat!

By the way, what did you think of Whitstable? I always think its like turning the clock back when i go back there, never seems to change much. Nice little town. The beach huts fetch crazy prices now though, Suggs from Madness has had one for years, goes there most weekends with his family.

I didn't really get to see enough of Whitstable to form a complete impression Exsexyman.

Parking was a nightmare. Spent a good 30 minutes driving around the public car park near the beach looking for a space, and got quite angry in the process as some people who were just driving into the car park got a space, as it was just down to luck as to who was closest when somebody was getting in there car and leaving... after we did get a space, spent another ten minutes going through the rigmarole of phoning in the car park payment - machine was broken so couldn't do it that way. When you phone in your payment it's an automated system that digitally recognises speech - accept that it doesn't recognise it accurately at times. I kept repeating "N" as one of the letters in our car registration, and it kept repeating back to me "M".

Anyway, all of that nonsense made us quite stressed before we had even got to the beach. When we did though, we had a pleasant few hours looking round and sampling different seafood on offer. Was a lovely day weather wise and a nice relaxed atmosphere. Would go again but try and choose a day when it wasn't so busy.

When you talk about beach huts and Suggs, i can't quite imagine what you are talking about. Are they the small little sheds that became popular after the war, that holidaymakers used to use basically to keep their deck chairs and change into their bathing suits, or something more upmarket?

P.S. Apologies to Pattel for going off topic.

Apparently it's been in HIS WIFES family for the past 40 odd years, and became trendy a few years ago, with celebs like Nigella Lawson, Keith Richard etc having one....bumping the prices ever upwards in the process. And they are indeed "the small little sheds" you talk about:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/beach-huts-bright-shacks-worth-a-fortune-1658764.html

Penkoprod

[rixalex]

Apparently it's been in HIS WIFES family for the past 40 odd years, and became trendy a few years ago, with celebs like Nigella Lawson, Keith Richard etc having one....bumping the prices ever upwards in the process. And they are indeed "the small little sheds" you talk about:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/beach-huts-bright-shacks-worth-a-fortune-1658764.html

Penkoprod

Thanks for the info. Can't quite get my head round it all, having just read that article. I mean, what exactly do people do with their shed, besides keep a few deck chairs in it? A lot of money for a bit of storage is how it seems to me, but perhaps i'm missing something...

[Exsexyman]

Apparently it's been in HIS WIFES family for the past 40 odd years, and became trendy a few years ago, with celebs like Nigella Lawson, Keith Richard etc having one....bumping the prices ever upwards in the process. And they are indeed "the small little sheds" you talk about:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/beach-huts-bright-shacks-worth-a-fortune-1658764.html

Penkoprod

Thanks for the info. Can't quite get my head round it all, having just read that article. I mean, what exactly do people do with their shed, besides keep a few deck chairs in it? A lot of money for a bit of storage is how it seems to me, but perhaps i'm missing something...

Interesting article, thanks for posting it. I knew the beach huts had become expensive, my sister still lives in Whitstable, but had no idea how much. When i was a kid they could be rented by the day, i think for one pound, could probably have bought a few for a pittance. Isnt hindsight a wonderful thing! Now some of them are like little palaces, running water, electric etc. Back in the early 60s when i was a teenager they were mostly empty, quite often with no lock on the door. I think fishermen used some of them to store their nets, pots etc. We used to put them to good use, they were very popular for our, ahem, courting!

Sorry to hear about your parking problems rivalex, it has always been a problem there. When i go, i park in the car park round the back of the main pub fairly close to the beach, its called ' The bear and key'. Pop in there for a pint and then stroll down to the beach etc. Never been a problem. A good pub too, with good live music, although its been a while since i went there at night. Quite surprising how many celebs you can bump into at Whitstable, seems to be a trendy place to go for the weekend.

[rixalex]

Sorry to hear about your parking problems rivalex, it has always been a problem there. When i go, i park in the car park round the back of the main pub fairly close to the beach, its called ' The bear and key'. Pop in there for a pint and then stroll down to the beach etc. Never been a problem. A good pub too, with good live music, although its been a while since i went there at night. Quite surprising how many celebs you can bump into at Whitstable, seems to be a trendy place to go for the weekend.

Cheers for the tip. Will make a note for next time.