Food Poisoning And The Expat

[northtoalaska]

If you're buying bottles water make sure there is a factory seal on the bottle. If so you should be fine. If you're eating in busy restaurants with lots of expats about you're probably fine with the water and ice and tea, etc. made from the water. I've never had a problem. If the place looks run-down and there's not many customers stick with canned beverages or factory bottled drinks.

I once spent months in India and Egypt and Tanzania and Kenya, never had a single issue. On the way back home from that trip I stopped in Austria and decided to treat myself to a nice dinner at a nice restaurant. Yep! Spent the next three days intimately associated with my room's toilet. I'll never look at snitzle the same way again...

[BluesDude]

Lived there for 5 years, ate anywhere and never had a problem. After returning to the states from our visit I was doubling over in pain and hospitalized for three days hooked up to IV bags. Diagnosis inconclusive, "probable parasitic in nature". Who knows...?

[Gerald Glatt]

Lived there for 5 years, ate anywhere and never had a problem. After returning to the states from our visit I was doubling over in pain and hospitalized for three days hooked up to IV bags. Diagnosis inconclusive, "probable parasitic in nature".

 

Saw the Ex eh?

[Lowell]

^{I got food poisoning once at the Jollibee near Carbon market in Cebu.   It may not have been the food, because my GF at the same food.  But while I was there I had to use the restroom and it was by far the nastiest restroom I have ever seen in my life.  I was sick for three days.   I will never go to a Jolibee again.}

[paybaxz]

I have lived in the Philippines for two years...I am careful what I eat, of course, but not to the extent of being paranoid. I have rarely had even a stomach upset. I think that if one is always conscious of being particularly clean, especially washing your hands often, it will make a huge difference in picking up any bugs.

 

At one time we lives in house close to the water for about 7 months, there was soon problems with mold everywhere,  and although we cleaned everything well, I became very sick with a cough that almost killed me. We had to move to another home, and eventually I got better!

 

I love living here...and the people!

[jpbago]

An update on the time that I got an amoeba from a champ burger at Jollibees. An inside source said to stay away from the drive thrus as the food is prepared there ahead of the orders for fast pick up but if a customer does not order a champ burger thru the night, that burger may sit there under the counter for 12 hours.

[Gratefuled]

I got loose bowel movements once. We had just had a nice dinner at a Buffet style place. All you can eat. I wasn't too fond of it but tried some of it anyway just to be sociable. Never again and my wife is sympathetic about this.

I just eat at Mickey D's now and Mang Inasal.

I do not like Filipino food, sorry. I cook my own food. I buy foreign imported food. I BBQ at home and make my own lasagna, and pizza. My wife knows that if it doesn't look good or smell good, that I am not going to even taste it to see if it tastes good.

I've adjusted to the many insects present. I've adjusted to cold showers which was easy to do. I miss washing clothes and dishes with hot water. I've adjusted to the transportation system and not so efficient ways business is conducted.

I do miss a lot of things back home but I don't intend to make the Philippines my home.

[Larry45]

Lost 30 lbs back in 2012 from a bad pizza.  Same symptoms as one gets from drinking the water, but loperamide and another similar product didn't help, like they usually do.  After about 10 days, I put myself on ciprofloxacin and it was gone in another 10 days.  Not sure if the pizza guy hated me, or was just incompetent, but probably both.  I didn't go back and when we order pizza now, wife gets it on her way home.    

[frosty (chris)]

Well I have been sick twice since I have been here, had a chicken sandwich in a newly opened mall, there where four of us and we all had something different I was the only one that got crook, was in bed for three days, sick as a dog. Other time we went island hopping, mate and I drinking vodka, bought some ice from a sorry store and geez we were both sorry after that or maybe it was the vodka :unsure:  I do eat  at street stalls sometimes and have always been ok, but I do find Filipino food very bland so tend to do a lot of cooking at home. I think if you eat out just find places that are busy with locals, the food is usually ok.

[robert k]

The water is the only thing that has gotten to me here. Then too, you have to realize why they cook pork chops crispy and crispy tapa (beef). :tiphat: