Question for the well traveled: Where did the food make you sickest?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone get sick in Brazil? Traveling to São Paulo on business this summer, and will have to eat local food (much of which seems unappetizing since I don't eat meat).

Just asked dh, who lived there for a long time.... he got sick at first, but might have been just the transition. Otherwise never got sick. He drank bottled water but didn't use it for brushing teeth.

Btw he says it's a crazy city. He spent little time in that city though.

[Anonymous]

China has gotten a lot better. Most places, especially the smaller 3-table places on the sidewalk, serve food absolutely scaldling hot. Same with the tea. This is intentional, so you know it's safe. There was a big scare a few years ago with food being tainted, so the locals expect stuff to come piping hot to prove it's freshly cooked.

[Anonymous]

Johnny's Half Shell in DC. I've travelled to 30 countries, but have never gotten worse food poisoning as I did after eating there.

[Anonymous]

New Zealand, but not from a bug. Their dairy is different there, and we were eating lots of milk (B&Bs serving cereal for breakfast) and ice cream. So I was getting that lactose intolerance puffy stomach/disgusting smelling farts. We didn't know what was going on, so I got sicker and sicker, ha, and at one point was climbing something called "The Pinnacles" and I thought I was going to pass out and roll off the side of the mountain.

Some honeymoon!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone get sick in Brazil? Traveling to São Paulo on business this summer, and will have to eat local food (much of which seems unappetizing since I don't eat meat).

No, and I've been plenty of times and definitely eaten more than my fair share of street food and beach food. If you'll be staying in a nice hotel in São Paulo, you'll most likely be fine. If you are going with people familiar with the area, they should be able to help you know which restaurants are okay. Even for a non-meat eater, there are plenty of delicious salads (this is fine at good restaurants), cooked veggies, fresh fruit, cheeses, and rice and beans dishes that should keep you happy.

Despite never getting ill from Brazil, the Miami International Airport--which is the hub we usually pass through to get there--is a cesspool and I would make sure you're up to date on all vaccines before setting foot in that place.

?

What's wrong with MIA? I fly to or through Miami every year, and I've never had any issues. Are you talking about the restaurants or the patrons?

[Anonymous]

Agree with above poster, these do sound awful. Especially people who were very sick and had to actually be traveling (like in a plane or train). And of course the parasites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone get sick in Brazil? Traveling to São Paulo on business this summer, and will have to eat local food (much of which seems unappetizing since I don't eat meat).

No, and I've been plenty of times and definitely eaten more than my fair share of street food and beach food. If you'll be staying in a nice hotel in São Paulo, you'll most likely be fine. If you are going with people familiar with the area, they should be able to help you know which restaurants are okay. Even for a non-meat eater, there are plenty of delicious salads (this is fine at good restaurants), cooked veggies, fresh fruit, cheeses, and rice and beans dishes that should keep you happy.

Despite never getting ill from Brazil, the Miami International Airport--which is the hub we usually pass through to get there--is a cesspool and I would make sure you're up to date on all vaccines before setting foot in that place.

?

What's wrong with MIA? I fly to or through Miami every year, and I've never had any issues. Are you talking about the restaurants or the patrons?

The patrons. There's a thread somewhere (maybe in O/T?) asking why people don't clean up after themselves in public bathrooms and that question should be publicly posted in the MIA restrooms. I've never encountered such gross bathrooms in US airports, ever. Also saw a grown woman vomit all over the airport floor without breaking stride and she made no effort to clean it up and a kid pee on one of those rocking chairs in the waiting area and his parents were like, "Meh, it's just pee...". Foul.

[Anonymous]

Dysentery in Mali, Giardia in Egypt, the most regular old food poisoning was Myanmar.

[Anonymous]

I had food poisoning in Mexico that was the worst - violently ill from both ends simultaneously.

I ate exactly the same foods as my boyfriend, who did not get sick. EXCEPT for a chocolate mousse cake. Best guess was it used unpasteurized milk, or untreated water.

[Anonymous]

Vegas - food poisoning from Chipotle that sent me to the ER

No issues in India, Europe, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, etc, but I will never eat at Chipotle again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vegas - food poisoning from Chipotle that sent me to the ER

No issues in India, Europe, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, etc, but I will never eat at Chipotle again.

Good point. DC got food poisoning from Chipotle at Dulles Airport. Made for an unpleasant international flight.

[Anonymous]

Mexico. We got lulled into complancency and bought a few drinks from a street vendor. Ye gods.

Illinois. My aunt purchased some jamabalaya - I was violently ill. As in, waking up from a dead sleep to go to the bathroom ill. It was coming out of both ends for days. I stupidly ate another helping before realizing that was what was making me sick. So I extended the sickness. Ugh.

[Anonymous]

I've only gotten sick once and it was in Central Mexico...salmonella.

[Anonymous]

Rio de Janeiro!
Had a drink with ice my last day there. Took me a month to recover! Lost 9 lbs. in the first five days. Not good.

[Anonymous]

Canada. Food poisoning from bad liver. All of us got it who ate the liver. But I will never again eat liver at a 4-5-star restaurant and it has been 40+ years. Just thinking about it is giving me the vapors. No problems at all in China, India, Mexico, a few of the -stan countries, Vietnam, Thailand, etc.