Food from Street Vendors

I would just like to point out that most specialists on travel medicine will advise you not to eat street food and that the reasons they give for this advise are not unfounded. Research on this issue and relevant issues has been quite extensive.

As this is posted in a public forum I also feel obliged to challenge your accusation of arrogance. I find it interesting that you disregard the advise of those whose sole job it is to follow the latest research in the field and advise travelers on the issue and then talk about arrogance.

First off I’d like to point out that you almost certainly lack the grounding to form an educated opinion of the matter. Second, that this will ease your way to misguided conceptions of the situations you experience. Third you cannot have conducted any research on the issue nor taken samples of the food in question or your views would be different and fourth:

You are but one man. The results of the research on this issue has come forth through the toil of thousands. Disregarding the work of these people and all others in the field on account of your own rather scant travel experience and knowledge and then accusing those who parley their findings of prejudice, paranoia and arrogance has to be called quite ironic. I would in fact question who should be called arrogant in regard to this matter.

Show a little humility.
These thousands have worked on this for decades. Perhaps they might even “know better” than you.

Taking an issue with everything I say is not presenting a viewpoint.

You say that “To assume that workers outside ‘Western’ countries have inferior standards of cleanliness, skill and quality is an assumption of breathtaking arrogance and paranoia”..

Does that not assume that I am assuming something? I am not. I am merely trying to relay some of the research on the matter. I have some knowledge of it since I have worked as an assistant to a specialist in travel medicine for 7 years. I thought this could be of use to other travelers concerned for their health. Note also that I never said anything about any particular area.

Also of note is that I use conditionals in all that I say. I am not for example saying that street food is all bad, what I said was that it has been shown to be the main cause for travelers’ diarrhea. It can be safe and it sure can be tasty. It is true that if you see it fried most germs should be killed, but keep in mind that street food has usually been able to acquire more bacteria to begin with than the comparison. It is a fair target to all that moves about the street and often provides the perfect nesting grounds for bacteria. The frying is often minimal since most often the food is already cooked. Apart from that the fact that these are not approved outlets nor these approved cooks is of matter. The concern is not whether or not they can cook or whether or not what they cook can be quite tasty.. The concern is about public health and safety. Due to a lack of facilities cleanliness is in almost all cases less than in approved restaurants. Let’s take the cleaning out and cleaning up of the trays and implements as an example. If an establishment does not have the manpower to man both cleaning and cooking duties it is likely that the latter will be neglected. If it does not have access to clean water nor boils or heats to at least 70°C (160°F) the water it cleans with, implements will not be clean. If employees have not been educated about microbes and the dangers they can cause the term “cleaning” is likely to refer only to cleaning all that is visible to the eye. If such an establishment also operates on a very low profit-margin it is not unlikely that none of the produce will be thrown away unless completly unsellable.

None of these statements imply anything about any particular establishment.. these are merely things to consider when choosing where to eat.

I never said anything about any area in particular either. When I travel in “the west” I take the same considerations to heart and would recommend others to do so too.

Travelers’ diarrhea is however usually caused by bacteria which are common in one area but less common in another. This is why it is called travelers’ diarrhea and separated from other diarrhea cases. Though you can get diarrhea from your local street vendors you will be less likely to do so than a traveler. Your theory on “the chemical mixture of the water in that country” is interesting, but I’m afraid few specialist will support it.

Travelers’ diarrhea is still not your only concern. I would advise travelers to be especially careful in areas which have dangerous food and waterborne diseases such as Cholera or Typhoid fever. I would also be especially on my guard in any country in which water quality is a problem. To take an example of how bad this can be; India is a good example. In India even some 70% of the bottled water is contaminated.

Now to your points of discontent:

“Employees are unskilled”

In many fast food places such as Mc Donalds the average duration of employment is only about a month or so. This leaves most of the workforce quite inexperienced.

“Apart from that fast food is a killer in itself.”

I will not argue that I have much knowledge of studies done on this matter but I have heard that there is a connection and even a correlation between the eating of fatty food and diseases such as heart-disease and obesity. Eating too fast is also not recommended by dietary specialists and doctors in general.

If you want an example of what fast food can do to you just have a look at the movie Super-Size Me. Though perhaps not the most scientific – It’s a good documentary and I wholly recommend it.

The point about the defecating cook is obviously not to be taken too seriously. This can though, as I pointed out, just as well be. At least you can be sure that the non-existent facilities have not been approved by local health officials.

If you feel so strongly on behalf of these people you have visited why won’t you help their economy a little and spend a little more money on food in their countries?

I know I would. I’d even say that if you have the money to get there you should have the money to spend there.

-Teitur

In the post above there are many things I agree with.

I could completely echo your points on fast food and would like to add that fruit you peel yourself is some of the safest food you can get^1,2. Personally I can say that I almost hate McDonalds but I also recognize that the very thing that makes you despise them is what often brings you in. In extended stays in foreign parts of the world anything with which you have a little bit of familiarity may relieve your travel stress and give you some sense of safety in this perhaps otherwise strange environment. Even though you know it’s dirt you’ll say to yourself phrases like – “it’s dirt I know” and “it’s just like home, they don’t even speak English :) ”. But therein lies the problem, it’s not quite like home though it may appear so. At a microbial level the world looks quite different and your gut might well notice.. :-/

It is true that kitchens will never be “clean” but there are degrees of cleanliness which one should consider.

Safest is to eat in the homes of locals or to cook oneself and second safest is to eat in local restaurants.

Eating in “western style” restaurants may be safe but personally I would not recommend it unless that is the local cuisine – as I thought I had mentioned before. Fast food is generally not recommended and street food is definitely not recommended. Uncooked food such as salads probably pose the greatest threat. Foods which have been cooked a long time ago can also well be just as risky.

When I travel I only go to what to my best knowledge are local restaurants. Usually these are the smaller ones as I usually have to travel on a budget. That is when I am not lucky enough to stay with a local and am also not cooking for myself.

I have a deep desire for exploration and it usually pushes me to rather stay longer than in greater luxury. I still believe this should be done within reason. When traveling in areas where life is cheaper or public safety generally less it is important to realize that what to the general public may be acceptable risks and losses might not be such to you.

Levels of water contamination vary greatly between areas in the world. As with food, boiled water is the safest to drink. Non-dehydrating hot drinks may be a good option for the wary traveler. This would include low caffeine teas such as herbal teas and white or green tea. Bottled and sealed water is also usually safe. In areas where forgery and foul play are common it is advisable only to buy your water in places you think are unlikely to be caught up in it (have solid and trustworthy supply lines and/or reputations to keep for example).

As for the supposed ethicality of eating in the street, I’m not quite sure this fits with the support you say you want to show in the development of the countries you visit. I still want to note that I’m not only talking about developing countries and that these general principles should apply to someone who’s come from a long way away to visit a country such as England as well.

By not eating in the often humble local restaurants and supporting what is often their main competition, the local street food, you are likely to be strengthening the black economy and with that undermining the local economy and government. This may all be well if you are totally cynical about it all – but one thing is certain and that is that without it’s income (taxes) it is unlikely the state will be to be able to assert it’s power and even less likely to divert funds to development. Strengthening the black economy of a country is also not the way to help it in it’s fight against corruption and lawlessness. Your support of unregulated eateries is also not likely to help build up standards of public health and safety in the country. Apart from that a big black economy within an economy is one of the biggest problems an economy can face. It’s effects are many and diverse but it can for example severely undermine fiscal institutions, encourage unlawful fiscal groups and practices, crime, corruption and even a paralyzation of the central bank, which may in turn cause runaway inflation and other chaotic behavior. On top of that it undermines labor and safety. All of this may still be taken with a grain of salt, since I’m no economist.

I’d also like to say that the obscenity you experience in a restaurant may well be the obscenity intrinsic in your presence in the country. You have traveled half the world to be there and you will leave these people behind. All of this you do by your own choice, a choice they may not have, and because of your own status as a part of the cream of capitalism, most likely bought with their blood. At the same time your travels rob all our children of their future by aiding in creating an unlivable atmosphere.

Perhaps we need to feel the obscenity of it.

As I said before; if you have the money to travel there…

.

^{1 – Apples and other fruit eaten without peeling can put one in harms way.}

^{2 – Melons and similar fruit in certain parts of the world can be dangerous as they are sometimes weighted by injecting them with water, which often is contaminated. This is especially widespread in Northern Africa.}

Your own judgment and immune system are of course your first line of defense

You can also probably rather afford getting sick than someone who’s staying for a shorter time. For someone who’s only staying for a week or even less getting diarrhea for a couple of days might well ruin most of his trip for him/her. Not to mention the inconvenience of such bowel movements if one wants to travel around.. let’s say in a bus for example!

It is also true that if you have the time to adjust to the local flora you will be less susceptible to getting the common infections of the area. I’d still try to introduce them to my gut gradually rather than in one go though.. no need to rush into things and shock the system ;-)

It’s still important that travelers recognize that some infections/attacks are worse than others and that they need to seek medical attention if they fear their system is not handling the infection. If you spot warning-signs such as a high fever, abdominal pain or blood in your diarrhea you should seek medical attention immediately. As always one should watch out to keep oneself hydrated and to make up for the loss of fluids. At your local travel-health clinic you can get advice as to what to do in such circumstances. They may also be able to provide you with a list of contacts in the country you intend to stay in. Do use this service if it is available to you. Medical service can wary greatly.

Note that though you may well build up a relative immunity to some of the more common diseases it may well be that you will not be able to build up an immunity to others. Engaging in risky behavior is therefore not recommended unless one can spare time for the treatment of the disease. Diseases brought back to your friends and family, who do not have any of the immunity you may have gained, are also perhaps not the nicest presents you can bring them ;-)

Note also that you can get vaccinated against diseases such as Typhoid fever and Cholera and that the Cholera vaccine (Dukoral) also includes a temporary defense against some common attacks on the digestive system.

I’m all for traveling of course. Especially traveling which includes plenty of positive interaction with locals. As you say, we need to learn of and try to understand each other and to create positive and respectful relationships between cultures. To do this I also think one should avoid and oppose the nihilistic “post-modern” relativism that seems to be plaguing many.

I’m not a big fan of flying though and urge all to rather sail and take trains as much as they can and also to rather take longer trips than shorter if they can manage. This is still often not a popular plea with travelers and some may even plainly deny that they do any harm. Such would not fit with their self image you see ;-)

Others of course just refuse to reflect on it and “defend” themselves with the quite sociopathic statement that “it’s no one else’s business what they do”...

As to the legality of street business.. this is varied across the world but generally it is some of the last business to get regulated. Therefore in the more developed countries you’ll find that these business are indeed watched but in most of the world they are generally not watched or only a part of them are.

If it weren’t for that fact that giving the business owner an uncut price for his product works against national unity this would be a fine thing to do, but it does breed a more unjust system. It favors entrepreneurship over other forms of work and especially disfavors labor. Without a strong and just tax system a social welfare system will likely not be built and those who do not receive such black payments will suffer. The commonness of black transactions increases the public support of them and the public tolerance of corruption and unlawfulness.

Though a tool such as the state is often misused I find it cynical to dismiss it’s need on that basis. If there is to be justice in an area unity is important. The state is what can bring it. Though defense budgets may be connected to how democratic and just societies are they are still mostly an unconnected issue.

I’d say the same applies to other forms of government and organization.

-May there be justice in your life!

-Good travels!

& – Good health!

It might be as you say that you have some immunity to some of the infectious agents in question but the strains mutate quite fast and immunity against these often doesn’t last for very long, take the immune response and mutations of diseases such as the common cold or influenza as a comparison.

I find it more likely that you just learnt some good travel habits from your parents ;-)

You are right about the viral causes of most diarrhea episodes, I’m not sure I did not mention this but in any case I usually talk quite generally about infections. These can include fungal- and viral infections as well.

The general guidelines regarding food do not change with their inclusion. The longer food is cooked and the higher the temperature it’s cooked at the safer it should be. The original state of the food can increase or lessen the cooking required for the food to be safe.

I’d also like to add that protozoa and small creatures can be taken up through food and drink as well and that these can have higher resistances to heat than other agents. Giving further reason to stick with well cooked food.

As with other agents these also have different ways of entering your system. Some can even bury in through your skin, making waters they inhabit unsafe for bathing in..

As it’s not possible to discuss all possible ways of catching diseases with travelers most attention is, and should be, payed to the greatest and most avoidable dangers. Stray airborne particles cause a much smaller risk to travelers than food- and waterborne particles.

Stray airborne particles are also almost impossible to avoid. In areas where air pollution is also a problem though you might consider wearing a simple mask for your own comfort.

People also usually know enough to avoid those who are sneezing or otherwise seem to have something which might be infectious.

It’s indeed noteworthy also that deceases travel both ways with travelers, and that these are general principles as I mentioned before. Jared Diamond’s book “Guns, Germs, and Steel” is an interesting read in connection to this for example.

And finally, regarding the dramatic possibilities often put up by people of a very set mind, I’d just like to say that the world is not very simple and it doesn’t help to think of it in simple terms ;-)

There are many responses to danger which are both popular and can’t stand up to inspection. Being in denial of reality, deciding to ignore it or cowering in fear of it are all either immature or not fully thought through responses. Also, though ignorance can be bliss it usually isn’t in hindsight ;-)

Learning of that you could have easily avoided something which has caused you great discomfort is usually not such a nice thing ;-)

I’d just say that by learning of the world you can prepare for it and armed with this preparation you can experience it and enjoy it to the fullest!

Happiness through enlightenment!

Happy new year!