Food Safety: How to Avoid Getting Sick While Traveling

You arrive in Bangkok and you decide that your first adventure after a great relaxing sleep is to fill your hunger both for adventure and your tummy. So off you go to be the next Tony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern of The Travel Channel.  Your destination is the Floating Market. You notice a number of small stalls and boats selling local fruits, produce treats, snacks and oh does that noodle dish look so yummy. And what about that grilled BBQ “whatyoumacallit” on a stick? My gosh it’s cheap, so of course you immediately want to buy-try-savor, right?... BUT WAIT.....Salmonellosis, E.coli, Norwalk virus, intestinal distress, traveler’s tummy, Montezuma’s Revenge, Traveler’s Trot,  the Toltec Two-Step, Delhi Belly, The Runs, TD (Traveler’s Diarrhea) are you listening here! IS ANYONE LISTENING??????

As a Smart Traveler you have got to be wise in your choices. It’s not to say that these local fruits, treats and snacks are all gonna make you sick! But there’s no guarantee that it won’t either. The reaction by one visitor may not affect the same way as in another. Below are some articles I came across that will hopefully assist you in guiding
your decisions to try various street food, colorful drinks and even safety on eating a local fruit. 

You be your best advocate! Princess Cruises may sponsor the shore excursions but understand that they use local guides and operators. So the guides may not think about reminding you about food safety and how to potentially avoid getting sick. 

An added note the photographer had was this notation under his photo which was taken in Bangkok Thailand...a good note to remember: " ...street food looks tempting, 30 degrees Centigrade being on the street for hours at night makes this a risky adventure, when it is healthy, its really tasty, when it isn't healthy, it's time for the emergency room"

  

Food Safety: How to Avoid Getting Sick While Traveling

http://www.independenttraveler.com/travel-tips/safety-and-health/food-safety-how-to-avoid-getting-sick-while-traveling

http://zesterdaily.com/world/asian-street-food-safety-tips/

http://www.travelfish.org/feature/235

http://goasia.about.com/od/Food-and-Drink/qt/Street-Food-in-Asia.htm

Photo provide by Flickr.drbutoni

Easily Misunderstood Abroad

etiquette |ˈetikit, -ˌket| , noun

the customary code of polite behavior in society 

or among members of a particular profession or group.

As a kid, our parents hopefully  taught us this important life lesson about manners. We learned to be polite, pay attention, be gracious, kind, considerate. We learned to shake hands and say “please and thank you”. It seems simple, doesn’t it? And it is here in America because it’s what is familiar to us. But now, what about the countries we will be visiting. In Asia, is it all the same? Is Thai the same as China or Japan or Korea? Then what about Singapore Malaysia where there are three major different cultures Chinese, Malay and Indian as in India, oh my! 

The term “Ugly American” derives from the 1958 political novel of the same title by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer as well as a 1963 Movie starring Marlon Brando. “The Ugly American”, is fiction based on reality, alluding to Americans losing political presence in Southeast Asia because of their failure to understand local culture. The novel quotes a Burmese character as saying,

For some reason, the [American] people I meet in my country are not the same as the ones I knew in the United States. A mysterious change seems to come over Americans when they go to a foreign land. They isolate themselves socially. They live pretentiously. They’re loud and ostentatious.

As best shared by my Japanese cousin on a past visit to Tokyo, he said “...of course we don’t expect you to know all of the customs, culture and ways of Japan as a tourist...”

But I still couldn’t help think that I certainly did not want to be THAT Ugly American! 

My cousin is right. We as tourists, aren’t expected to know everything, but I also don’t believe we need to be ignorant and not aware either. With a little effort, preparation and lessons from our parents we don’t have to be Ugly Americans. 

Let me leave you with this final quote:

“Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you, not because they are    

                      nice, but because you are...”     Unknown 

                                                                                                                                                        

So following are quite a few links to help you explore and prepare to create a better "International Relations" as you sightsee, dine, and shop in our various visiting ports of call.

    

International Etiquette Guide

10 Common Gestures Easily Misunderstood Abroad

Customs & Courtesies

Thai Etiquette

http://thailand.angloinfo.com/moving/country-file/customs-etiquette/

http://asiatours.net/thailand/info/customs.html

Vietnamese Etiquette

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/vietnam.html

http://www.asiarooms.com/en/travel-guide/vietnam/culture-of-vietnam/vietnamese-etiquette.html

Malay Etiquette

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/singapore.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00723/index_files/Page531.htm

Chinese Etiquette

http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00723/index_files/Page531.htm

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/china-country-profile.html

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/etiquette.htm

http://www.etiquetteinchina.com/

http://chineseculture.about.com/od/businesseconomy/a/Chinese-Culture-Learn-All-About-Chinese-Etiquette.htm

Korean Etiquette

http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00723/index_files/Page531.htm

http://kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/south-korea-country-profile.html

http://kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/south-korea-country-profile.html

http://www.vayama.com/etiquette/south-korea/

Japanese Etiquette

http://www.247travelguides.com/937/japanese-customs-tips-things-to-know-before-your-trip-to-japan/

http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00723/index_files/Page531.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etiquette_in_Japan