How to Eat Street Food Abroad Without Getting Sick

Some of the best food we have ever eaten came from places with no menu, no name and no chairs. A bowl of noodles in a Bangkok alley. Hot pani puri in Kathmandu, eaten too fast so the shells would not go soft. Grilled corn on a mountain road, handed over in a piece of newspaper.

Street food is where a country's food actually lives. Skipping it out of fear means missing half the trip.

But we have also spent a few miserable days in guesthouse bathrooms. So here is how to eat boldly and stay well.

Rule 1: Follow the crowd

The single best sign of a good stall is a queue of locals. A busy stall means:

• the food is good (people vote with their money),
• food is sold fast, so nothing sits around for hours,
• the cook has a reputation to protect.

An empty stall at peak meal time in a busy area is telling you something.

Rule 2: Hot, fresh and in front of you

The safest street food is cooked at high heat right in front of you and handed over immediately. Noodles from the wok, meat off the grill, soup from a boiling pot, momo straight out of the steamer.

Be more careful with food that has been sitting out at warm temperatures, especially meat, seafood and anything with mayonnaise or cream.

Rule 3: Watch the water

Water is the usual troublemaker, not the food itself.

• Drink bottled, boiled or properly filtered water where tap water is not safe to drink.
• Be thoughtful about ice. In many big cities ice is factory-made and fine. In more rural places, or where you are unsure, skip it.
• Be careful with raw salads and garnishes washed in tap water.
• Fruit you peel yourself, like bananas, mangoes and oranges, is a safe bet.
• Brush your teeth with safe water if the tap water is questionable.

Rule 4: Ease in

Your stomach needs a few days to meet a new place. Do not start your first day with the spiciest, most adventurous thing on the street. Begin with simple cooked dishes, then build up.

Also: jet lag, heat, dehydration and a lot of new food at once make your body more vulnerable. Drink plenty of water and sleep.

Rule 5: Clean hands, every time

Carry hand sanitiser and use it before you eat. Most of the time, what makes travelers sick did not come from the stall. It came from their own hands after a day of touching rails, money and phones.

Rule 6: Look at the stall

You are not doing a health inspection, but you can notice:

• Does the cook handle money and food with the same hands? (Some stalls have one person for each, which is a good sign.)
• Are raw and cooked foods kept apart?
• Is there clean water for washing plates, or is everything rinsed in one grey bucket?

You do not need a perfect stall. You just need a sensible one.

If your stomach turns anyway

It happens to almost everyone eventually. Do not panic.

• Rest. Cancel the bus. Your plans can wait a day.
• Drink a lot of fluids, and use oral rehydration salts. Pack a few sachets before you leave; they take up no space.
• Eat simple food when you can: plain rice, bananas, toast, plain soup.
• See a doctor if you have a high fever, blood in your stool, severe pain, or you cannot keep fluids down. Do not tough that out.

Good travel insurance helps a lot here. Check that yours covers medical visits.

Street food is also the best budget tip

Here is the other good news. Street food is often a fraction of the price of a restaurant, and frequently better. Travelers who eat where locals eat can stretch their food budget remarkably far, leaving room for the things that cost real money.

Just log those small meals too. A lot of tiny street food purchases are the hardest thing to remember at the end of a day, and the easiest to underestimate.

Eat with curiosity

Point at what the person in front of you is eating. Ask what it is called. Say thank you in the local language. Sit on the small plastic stool even if your knees complain.

Food is the fastest way into a place. Go in carefully, but go in.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I choose a safe street food stall?

Look for busy stalls with a high turnover, especially ones full of locals, where food is cooked fresh and hot in front of you.

Should I avoid ice and salads when traveling?

It depends on the place. In many cities ice is factory-made and safe. Where water quality is a concern, be careful with ice, raw salads and fruit you did not peel yourself.

What should I do if I get food poisoning while traveling?

Rest, drink plenty of fluids and use oral rehydration salts. If you have a high fever, blood in your stool, or you cannot keep fluids down, see a doctor.