There were many small food vendors on the street and they all seemed to have their own specialties. Everything looked and smelled delicious, but the Western stomach is renowned for its fragility.
There were places where we indulged in the local food cooked at the site, but we were very, very careful. We chose vendors who maintained clean areas, kept their meat on ice, and handled the food with gloved hands. A hot fire for well-cooked meat and veggies, served with disposable chopsticks commercially wrapped in paper for eating utensils, made me feel more comfortable eating the food. We made sure all our drinks were sealed when we got them. Perhaps we were too nit-picky, but the people seemed to know the ropes for those finicky Americans and we never once got sick. I bypassed cups and utensils when I saw they were being washed by hand. Even a crock pot with hot water to dip and "sterilize" eating utensils did not tempt me.
The squid, and many things I did not recognize, made for good eating. DS had talked about trying the octopus that is bought fresh and alive, then cooked quickly and eaten while it is still wriggling. I was not tempted even before I learned that the reflexively moving tentacles could attach themselves to your throat and strangle you. DS was looking forward to "squid-on-a-stick," but we never did find it.
After two weeks of eating like the locals, we both decided it was time to try out the McDonald's around the corner from our hotel.
There were places where we indulged in the local food cooked at the site, but we were very, very careful. We chose vendors who maintained clean areas, kept their meat on ice, and handled the food with gloved hands. A hot fire for well-cooked meat and veggies, served with disposable chopsticks commercially wrapped in paper for eating utensils, made me feel more comfortable eating the food. We made sure all our drinks were sealed when we got them. Perhaps we were too nit-picky, but the people seemed to know the ropes for those finicky Americans and we never once got sick. I bypassed cups and utensils when I saw they were being washed by hand. Even a crock pot with hot water to dip and "sterilize" eating utensils did not tempt me.
The squid, and many things I did not recognize, made for good eating. DS had talked about trying the octopus that is bought fresh and alive, then cooked quickly and eaten while it is still wriggling. I was not tempted even before I learned that the reflexively moving tentacles could attach themselves to your throat and strangle you. DS was looking forward to "squid-on-a-stick," but we never did find it.
After two weeks of eating like the locals, we both decided it was time to try out the McDonald's around the corner from our hotel.
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