Tips for avoiding food sickness in South East Asia

[Lobster]

Just to say that I understand from a pharmacist friend that unless you have to go out (i.e. you won't be near a loo), imodium isn't that good for you because it means you keep all the cr*p inside. You really want to take a handful of charcoal tablets (to neutralise/absorb toxins) and expel whatever it is which is causing your insides grief.

(If it's really bad, watch out that you don't become dehydrated - there are packets which you buy to mix with water; or you can make your own with salt and sugar (I forget the exact proportions now).)

Yes definitely better to let nature take its course. If you do not have any of the re-hydration powder you can always use Coke with a pinch of salt in it.

[MAN Flyer]

I am a big fan of street food over hotel food. Hotel food you have no idea how long the food has been sitting around, how fresh it and how well it has been kept. With street food you can ask the person to cook it for you freshly in front of your eyes.

When you say 'street food', are you talking about roadside vendors ?.

I rarely eat street food in anywhere other than Singapore, and by 'street food' in Singapore I am talking about Hawker Centres, which I am a big fan of.

I also don't eat much in Hotel restaurants. I tend to prefer going to a restaurant outside the Hotel, eating both local and other food. It's not because I don't trust Hotel food (I don't got for buffet style meals anyway, except for Sunday Brunch) it's more to do with wanting to get out and about.

Agreed - local/street food is part of the whole holiday experience and usually much tastier/nicer than more formal fare!

Great if you are actually on holiday. But if you're like me where virtually all your visits to S.E. Asia are on business, you've got to be a bit careful in certain places as cancelling a meeting arranged weeks or even months earlier at very short notice because you've 'copped an unfortunate one' while enjoying the 'local experience' sometimes does not go down too well.

Going back to the OP, it may help if you could specify where in S.E. Asia you were thinking of. It's a large and very diverse place.