Comments on: Grilling Vendors

By: Jimmie

Jimmie — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:41:16 +0000

This is an excellent question and one that comes up a lot when I share about street vendors. I know that the conventional wisdom for short term trips and vacations is to avoid street foods. It's logical because there is a real risk of getting sick. And who wants to spend three days of your two week vacation sick in the hotel? But on the other hand, in China, you run that risk at most any restaurant or even in a person's home. The standards of hygiene are simply not the same. (One example stands out clearly in my mind. At a friend's home, I watched the hostess cut pork on a wooden chopping block. Later she wiped the board with a none too clean, dry cloth and cut fruit on it. Yes, I ate the fruit she gave me with a silent prayer.) So you can get sick at a fancy restaurant OR from a street vendor. Or you can get sick simply from riding a bus or taxi. The germs and viruses are everywhere. As you said, common sense needs to be used. If the vendor's set-up looks relatively clean and the food is cooked through and hot when you're eating it, it's probably safe. Drinks are especially dangerous as you don't know what type of water was used to make them. I recommend visitors ONLY drink bottled things. But again, if you're at someone's home, you can't politely refuse a cup of water or tea. Just pray and drink it. Same goes for sliced fruit sold on the street. I do eat it, but for newcomers it's probably not the best choice. But whole fruit and prepare it yourself. So hot, cooked foods - OKAY. Raw foods or beverages -- AVOID. Living here long term does acclimate you to the particular "bugs" in the food and water. So, you're absolutely right. You may come visit me and only you get sick after we both eat the same thing. Probably, I've already gotten that particular bug and I'm better able to fight it the second time. When we go to other provinces, we tend to get sick more easily until we get used to that area's "bugs." Interestingly, when we visit USA, we also have a time of adjustment to the food and water. We don't get sick, per se, but there is some discomfort.

By: Sandwich in Wi

Sandwich in Wi — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:03:48 +0000

I was going to ask about the safety aspect. I’ve been to India twice and everyone absolutely insists it is unsafe to eat from the street vendors. I’ve never done it. I’ve also never been sick in India. But I always have wanted to.

I assume, like anything else, common sense comes into play. Is the food freshly cooked and hot, how does it look and what kind of food is it?

Can you share your thoughts and guidelines on this issue as it relates to your experience in China? For instance, do you consider yourself acclimated enough to China to be more immune than a newcomer?

Blessings,
Sandwich
.-= Sandwich in Wi´s last blog ..Super, Secret Wednesday Adventure =-.

By: Maria

Maria — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:45:04 +0000

We have kebab here, the Mediterranean version. YUM! Thanks for sharing. .-= Maria´s last blog ..Cairo rooftops =-.

By: Richele

Richele — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:31:05 +0000

Oh, that looks great! I loved getting fried Calamari or potato pancakes in Germany, shashlyk (meat kabobs) in Russia but these suit my palate even better! Oh, and now I've got to put the kettle on. I enjoyed your tea ceremony post so much! .-= Richele´s last blog ..The Games We Play =-.

By: Alexandra

Alexandra — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:41:52 +0000

Yum! I used to eat street food in Latin America(wealthier countries only) like this. Meat on a stick is the best!

By: Marsha

Marsha — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:33:29 +0000

I would risk the hygiene to eat freshly grilled snacks like that!