Street Food: What to Avoid/Advice...

[jdinasia]

I moved here at about the same time as 3 other friends.

We all got sick enough to need IV's about every 90 days the first year.

We lived in different areas and had different taste in foods.

Mine was never attributable to any single source. (food poisoning often isn't since it can take up to 24 hours to manifest)

My thoughts are that, since I was not vomiting, I was simply adjusting to new stomach flora.

I eat what I want and when I want. Relax and enjoy.

[smotherb]

A couple of posters have given you the right advice--as anywhere, eat where you see the locals congregating; almost a guarantee of good value--the trifecta; fresh, good, cheap.

I like to sit in a bar and instead of buying ladies' drinks, I'll buy some food; just ask the ladies to go get us some food.

[smotherb]

i average three meals a day sometimes more at various Thai restaurants and stalls. So three times a day times 365 is 1,095 meals a year times twenty years that is almost 22,000 meals likely at over a thousand different locations. I had a very slight stomach ache once likely because the curry was too spicy. not sure what i am doing correct but than again i don,t have a booze bottle glued to my hand 24/7. p.s I finally had a pizza last year buy one one free.

Ah, Jim, you didn't have a pizza then. It sounds like you had one of those franchise weak attempts. I don't know where you live, but every tourist resort area I know in Thailand has an Italian restaurant--many of them run by Italians. I can think of three or four places here in the South where the pizzas and toppings are quite acceptable--meaning to say, they would make money in the States. (As an American who likes good food, that was a compliment)

[soistalker]

I'm going to put this sentence in capital letters so that it will make an impression on you: WATCH VERY, VERY CAREFULLY HOW THEY PREPARE YOUR FOOD.

Twice and in different locations I ordered Pad Thai from street vendors who both did exactly the same thing. While waiting for them to serve previous Thai customers, they took an egg from the next available slot in the 30-egg carton to make the food. When it came time for them to make my food, they took a cracked egg from the middle of the carton, which I had already seen whilst waiting, and used that egg. I just walked away.

In western countries, this would be psychopathic behavior; knowingly feeding a customer potentially life-threatening food with full knowledge of what they were doing. In Thailand, it is Thais being Thais. They didn't want to get a regular customer sick, and stupid farang will go back to Farangland so who cares if they get food poisoning or salmonella or botulism? Purposely giving tainted food to someone is sick and not what human beings do. But, hey...this is Thailand. You could get stabbed and your attacker would do no jail time and pay a B500 fine.

Thais do not care about non-Thais. This is indisputable.

Bottom line: Watch how your food is prepared.

[JohanB]

Bangkok China Town. Yawarat road, just around 100 meters past ChinaTown Hotel on the same side, is a sidewalk stand with absolutely delicious roasted duck.

Opens on the sidewalk when it gets dark in the evenings. Very popular!!

I go there every time when visiting Bangkok.

If you want a beer with the duck, 7-11 is just 10 meters away... no problem to take to the table.

[KarenfromAus]

I have not had a problem with street food, unless it is laced with chilli and/or fish sauce, I am sensitive to both, must be my Chroanes desease.

I have eaten fried insects, muddy fish on sticks, satays..pork and chicken and have been fine, but one sniff of chilli and fish sauce, well I'm off running very fast with tissues in hand.

[Jungle Jim]

I won,t get within twenty miles of Chiang Mai. What a crap hole.

I know a good number of people suffer upset stomachs from eating the Som Tam with the little black crabs included.
I have long ago surmised if a bacterial test was performed on the various ingredients included in a Som Tam cart, set up on the roadside, you would not be eager to eat the Som Tam with the little black crabs included as I am certain the bacterial levels would be off the Richter scale.

Cheers

Theres a thai woman on fb now with parasitic worms emerging from her face thats supposed to come from those crabs.
I dont eat that shit or any sugary slimey pad thai but i eat the rest....anywhere and everywhere. Ive even sat in a roadside nosh hut with 1 of those food cullender things on my head to keep the flies off me while i ate.....no issues at all.
The worst food poisioning i ever had was in a german restaurant in chiang mai around wat praseng near the night market. Full on dysentary for 2 weeks.
I dont advise their pork medallions....or chiang mai.

[hanno]

I won,t get within twenty miles of Chiang Mai. What a crap hole.

I have had some of the best food in Chiang Mai, covering the gamut from street food to up-market.

[Moonlover]

Hello Swampypoom.

I think you’ve had some great advice on this thread and there’s not much to add. But I did notice that the fish has not been mentioned.

The fish you referred to. This is Nile Tilapia, a fresh water fish that intensively farmed here. Thailand is the world’s biggest producer by weight. I love it, but prefer it steamed as opposed to BBQ’d as you’ve seen it.

To eat it simply peel back the skin, (spoon and fork is best for this) then tease the flesh off the spine with the same utensils.

If it is served up at a food stall it should come with bowl of fresh salad and an egg and peanut dip. The Thai way to eat it is to make up little packets of fish and salads in a lettuce leaf and spoon on some dip. Then wrap it up and pop it in your mouth. Yum, yum.

Farangs usually make the parcel too big at first and end up with it everywhere. But persevere; you’ll get the hang of it.

Happy eating.

Edited March 5, 2015 by Moonlover

[maidee]

the food has been sitting there for hours, in the cart

you don't know how it was prepared or bought (dead chicken sold at the factory outlet)

ever been to a thai market, where the meat is hanging there, at 35°

mhhhhhhhhhh

and those lovely (rat-dog-cat-) sausages at only 10 baht a pop

[Jungle Jim]

I guess you will be sitting with the majority of foreigners that flew half way around the world to get at Burger King. Enjoy your cancer burger.

the food has been sitting there for hours, in the cart

you don't know how it was prepared or bought (dead chicken sold at the factory outlet)

ever been to a thai market, where the meat is hanging there, at 35°

mhhhhhhhhhh

and those lovely (rat-dog-cat-) sausages at only 10 baht a pop

[Swampypoom]

Eat anything but the klong fish and you'll be fine.

Would that be the whole fish skewers I see?

[Swampypoom]

There really is no golden rule, although I follow the "only eat from popular vendors" dictum.

The OP's aversion to pork is misguided. In Thailand it's really quite safe.

IMO the best plan is to prepare for what to do if and when you do get food poisoning. Where I live we go to the local MD's clinic and get a shot in the rump for less than 200 baht, and we also keep activated charcoal capsules and re-hydration salts well stocked at home. Personally I eat almost everything and get food poisoning less often than once per year. The shot in the rump normally clears it up within hours.

Avoid Raw Palaa (fermented fish), and Roo (Raw pig blood stew), and those black salty crabs in Som-tam. Also at the Sookee restaurants one needs to realize that they are preparing raw food and separate the utensils used in handling the raw meats with the ones used for eating the cooked meats.

Lastly, if you get a bad belly in Thailand don't wait 24 hours get help from a medical professional, do so immediately as the situation can degrade considerably very quickly, much more rapidly than it would in a non tropical country.

What sort of shot does one ask for and which hospitals near BTS Saphan Taksin would you suggest?

Additionally, where does one find charcoal capsules and what purpose do they serve?

Very helpful advice regarding this, so thank you!

[Swampypoom]

Never been sick here ever from any Thai food. My rule is i see a crowd of foreigners in a restaurant i run in the other direction. My hunch is 99.9999999 % of expats live on expensive foreign crap food. In the twenty years i have traveled to every corner of Thailand numerous times i have seen less than a dozen eating in a REAL Thai restaurant. The majority of tourists live off Pad Thai, Pad Thai and more Pad Thai. Likely why they are so brain dead. Like one said most foreigners live in their own fantasy bubble. McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, Burger King and 7-11. Travel half way around the world and eat crap. Shows high class.

One of my friends flew to Bangkok for a few weeks and I met up with her at an American Sports Bar near BTS Nana (I think) but anyway, I was shocked by seeing all the Westerners occupy this place as the food was quite heavy, not bad, but definitely a waste of money for a tourist visiting Asia.

Even to see the McDonalds at Narita Airport with a long line of Americans was shocking (it was at the Delta gates for the U.S.-bound destinations) and upon further inspection, there wasn't a Japanese-centric menu. Such a shame. Such a waste of holiday money.

[Swampypoom]

I love street food. Having said that, I tend to avoid very sad looking carts or ones that nobody is frequenting at a busy market.

I also tend to be a creature of habit and once I find my "person" I tend to stick to them. So I have a pork stick guy and a chicken lady etc..

I take tabs every 6 months or so for parasites / worms etc. Although in a tropical country they can come from anywhere.

Also have never had "gippo-guts" from street food.

What type of tabs do you take?

Re: chicken lady and pork stick guy, I have a duck noodle soup guy and Pad Thai ladies, oh and the judgmental Korean deokbokki lady when I am in Seoul... Aigoo...

[Swampypoom]

Ever think it might have more to do with the amount of booze you drink every day and not the food itself. Likely have eaten at over a thousand different places in Thailand, Laos , Malaysia, Cambodia and Burma. ZERO! problems in twenty years.

any restaurant is eat at your own risk here. dont believe the absolute bullshit about "never having a problem" ive gotten food poisoning more times than I can count here from street vendors and restaurants. kitchen sanitation standards are non-existant here. and all restaurants i got sick from were "busy", that advice an old wives tale. anywhere else in the world ive been never had a problem, here its once every month or two im on the shitter at least.

Funny you mention booze. As a rule, I am more cautious and drink far less in Thailand than I would in the United States because I am aware of all the street "happenings" I keep reading on Thai Visa. Half-naked Belgian comes to mind.

[Swampypoom]

i average three meals a day sometimes more at various Thai restaurants and stalls. So three times a day times 365 is 1,095 meals a year times twenty years that is almost 22,000 meals likely at over a thousand different locations. I had a very slight stomach ache once likely because the curry was too spicy. not sure what i am doing correct but than again i don,t have a booze bottle glued to my hand 24/7. p.s I finally had a pizza last year buy one one free.

Spicy food is a mixed-bag for me. Sometimes it agrees and other times it doesn't. In Seoul is where I have the most difficult time. Thailand not so bad for me.

How is the pizza in Thailand? I crave it once in a while and I keep eyeing this place in the neighborhood of Bangrak but cannot place the name in my mind.

[Swampypoom]

I know a good number of people suffer upset stomachs from eating the Som Tam with the little black crabs included.

I have long ago surmised if a bacterial test was performed on the various ingredients included in a Som Tam cart, set up on the roadside, you would not be eager to eat the Som Tam with the little black crabs included as I am certain the bacterial levels would be off the Richter scale.

Cheers

I have never seen a black crab before. Are they blackened versions of the red and blue crab?

[Swampypoom]

I won,t get within twenty miles of Chiang Mai. What a crap hole.

I know a good number of people suffer upset stomachs from eating the Som Tam with the little black crabs included.

I have long ago surmised if a bacterial test was performed on the various ingredients included in a Som Tam cart, set up on the roadside, you would not be eager to eat the Som Tam with the little black crabs included as I am certain the bacterial levels would be off the Richter scale.

Cheers

Theres a thai woman on fb now with parasitic worms emerging from her face thats supposed to come from those crabs.

I dont eat that shit or any sugary slimey pad thai but i eat the rest....anywhere and everywhere. Ive even sat in a roadside nosh hut with 1 of those food cullender things on my head to keep the flies off me while i ate.....no issues at all.

The worst food poisioning i ever had was in a german restaurant in chiang mai around wat praseng near the night market. Full on dysentary for 2 weeks.

I dont advise their pork medallions....or chiang mai.

Interesting of what you say regarding Chiang Mai. May I ask why? I haven't flown there, but I was entertaining a visit to Chiang Rai.

[Swampypoom]

Hello Swampypoom.

I think you’ve had some great advice on this thread and there’s not much to add. But I did notice that the fish has not been mentioned.

The fish you referred to. This is Nile Tilapia, a fresh water fish that intensively farmed here. Thailand is the world’s biggest producer by weight. I love it, but prefer it steamed as opposed to BBQ’d as you’ve seen it.

To eat it simply peel back the skin, (spoon and fork is best for this) then tease the flesh off the spine with the same utensils.

If it is served up at a food stall it should come with bowl of fresh salad and an egg and peanut dip. The Thai way to eat it is to make up little packets of fish and salads in a lettuce leaf and spoon on some dip. Then wrap it up and pop it in your mouth. Yum, yum.

Farangs usually make the parcel too big at first and end up with it everywhere. But persevere; you’ll get the hang of it.

Happy eating.

Finally my fish question has been answered!!! Thank you!!!

I love seafood. I was born in New England and spent many weekends in Maine enjoying all kids of seafood so this was really interesting to read as I have always wanted to try the Nile Tilapia. Interesting how it is consumed and delivered.

Thank you again!

[hanno]

I know a good number of people suffer upset stomachs from eating the Som Tam with the little black crabs included.

I have long ago surmised if a bacterial test was performed on the various ingredients included in a Som Tam cart, set up on the roadside, you would not be eager to eat the Som Tam with the little black crabs included as I am certain the bacterial levels would be off the Richter scale.

Cheers

I have never seen a black crab before. Are they blackened versions of the red and blue crab?

They are actually black and come from the paddies and swamps. I don't eat them either, not because of health concerns but because they taste nasty.

[Swampypoom]

I know a good number of people suffer upset stomachs from eating the Som Tam with the little black crabs included.

I have long ago surmised if a bacterial test was performed on the various ingredients included in a Som Tam cart, set up on the roadside, you would not be eager to eat the Som Tam with the little black crabs included as I am certain the bacterial levels would be off the Richter scale.

Cheers

I have never seen a black crab before. Are they blackened versions of the red and blue crab?

They are actually black and come from the paddies and swamps. I don't eat them either, not because of health concerns but because they taste nasty.

I never knew this. And for the reasons of this coming from a swamp and the poor taste, I will not even attempt this one.

Thanks for the information!

[jdinasia]

Never been sick here ever from any Thai food. My rule is i see a crowd of foreigners in a restaurant i run in the other direction. My hunch is 99.9999999 % of expats live on expensive foreign crap food. In the twenty years i have traveled to every corner of Thailand numerous times i have seen less than a dozen eating in a REAL Thai restaurant. The majority of tourists live off Pad Thai, Pad Thai and more Pad Thai. Likely why they are so brain dead. Like one said most foreigners live in their own fantasy bubble. McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, Burger King and 7-11. Travel half way around the world and eat crap. Shows high class.

One of my friends flew to Bangkok for a few weeks and I met up with her at an American Sports Bar near BTS Nana (I think) but anyway, I was shocked by seeing all the Westerners occupy this place as the food was quite heavy, not bad, but definitely a waste of money for a tourist visiting Asia.

Even to see the McDonalds at Narita Airport with a long line of Americans was shocking (it was at the Delta gates for the U.S.-bound destinations) and upon further inspection, there wasn't a Japanese-centric menu. Such a shame. Such a waste of holiday money.

What people eat and where they eat is unimportant to me. The important thing for me is that they enjoy their choices.

When I moved here my first meal in Thailand was junk food and my first sit down meal was a burger. I branched out 2 days later after I bought a motorcycle

I had been a tourist here before so I didn't feel compelled to focus on just local food.

[Swampypoom]

Never been sick here ever from any Thai food. My rule is i see a crowd of foreigners in a restaurant i run in the other direction. My hunch is 99.9999999 % of expats live on expensive foreign crap food. In the twenty years i have traveled to every corner of Thailand numerous times i have seen less than a dozen eating in a REAL Thai restaurant. The majority of tourists live off Pad Thai, Pad Thai and more Pad Thai. Likely why they are so brain dead. Like one said most foreigners live in their own fantasy bubble. McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, Burger King and 7-11. Travel half way around the world and eat crap. Shows high class.

One of my friends flew to Bangkok for a few weeks and I met up with her at an American Sports Bar near BTS Nana (I think) but anyway, I was shocked by seeing all the Westerners occupy this place as the food was quite heavy, not bad, but definitely a waste of money for a tourist visiting Asia.

Even to see the McDonalds at Narita Airport with a long line of Americans was shocking (it was at the Delta gates for the U.S.-bound destinations) and upon further inspection, there wasn't a Japanese-centric menu. Such a shame. Such a waste of holiday money.

What people eat and where they eat is unimportant to me. The important thing for me is that they enjoy their choices.

When I moved here my first meal in Thailand was junk food and my first sit down meal was a burger. I branched out 2 days later after I bought a motorcycle

I had been a tourist here before so I didn't feel compelled to focus on just local food.

Makes total sense to not focus on food as a resident.

[SoiBiker]

I'm a resident, and I'm pretty focussed on the local food. It's delicious.

[Jungle Jim]

Yea i just don,t get it . In all the years i have been here having traveled to every corner of Thailand. I have seen less than a dozen in a REAL Thai restaurant. What i mean by real is not paying 120 to 180 for watered down crap fried rice or the foreign staple pad thai.

Never been sick here ever from any Thai food. My rule is i see a crowd of foreigners in a restaurant i run in the other direction. My hunch is 99.9999999 % of expats live on expensive foreign crap food. In the twenty years i have traveled to every corner of Thailand numerous times i have seen less than a dozen eating in a REAL Thai restaurant. The majority of tourists live off Pad Thai, Pad Thai and more Pad Thai. Likely why they are so brain dead. Like one said most foreigners live in their own fantasy bubble. McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, Burger King and 7-11. Travel half way around the world and eat crap. Shows high class.

One of my friends flew to Bangkok for a few weeks and I met up with her at an American Sports Bar near BTS Nana (I think) but anyway, I was shocked by seeing all the Westerners occupy this place as the food was quite heavy, not bad, but definitely a waste of money for a tourist visiting Asia.

Even to see the McDonalds at Narita Airport with a long line of Americans was shocking (it was at the Delta gates for the U.S.-bound destinations) and upon further inspection, there wasn't a Japanese-centric menu. Such a shame. Such a waste of holiday money.

[jdinasia]

I'm a resident, and I'm pretty focussed on the local food. It's delicious.

Kinda my point. Eat what you want and enjoy. After a 34 hour journey when I was moving to a city I had never been to, all I wanted was comfort food

[hanno]

Yea i just don,t get it . In all the years i have been here having traveled to every corner of Thailand. I have seen less than a dozen in a REAL Thai restaurant. What i mean by real is not paying 120 to 180 for watered down crap fried rice or the foreign staple pad thai.

On my frequent visits I have been know to frequent everything from road-side stalls to 5-star hotels. Where you will not find me is in one of the fast-food chain places. I like a burger as much as the next man, and even Pad Thai, but I refuse to set foot into McDonalds and Co. I choice I made 30 years ago and I haven't wavered. As my mom likes to say: life is too short to waste on crap food (she actually means wine, but same thing:-))

[smokie36]

I cringed the other month in a 7/11 on suk as I watched two guys with backpacks buy their lunch to be pinged in the microwave.

Just sad to travel so far to eat crap....but maybe they were saving their cash for other savoury delights!

[Jungle Jim]

Don,t know how many foreigners i have seen living off food at 7-11 for days. Just typical dumb foreigners.

I cringed the other month in a 7/11 on suk as I watched two guys with backpacks buy their lunch to be pinged in the microwave.

Just sad to travel so far to eat crap....but maybe they were saving their cash for other savoury delights!