October 5, 2018: Sweets Shop, Delhi

Fresh cooked food doesn't often cause problems but you're right to be cautious, India has an impressive rage of bugs.

I recall seeing 2 young neurotics scraping black specks off toast (what about the knife, the plate etc) - they'd eaten toast and Lomotil for 3 weeks (not advised).

My own strategy was to chomp up 2 cloves of garlic and wash them down with yoghurt. Lyall Watson, writer, had a parasitologist friend supply him with a beef tapeworm (easily dispensed with); he then ate and drank all with impunity !!

I imagine that with all the places you've been and eaten at, you likely have the antimicrobial resistance of penicillin.  But those of us who get out less often do need to be careful.  Nothing can spoil a vacation quite as much as a case of vomiting or diarrhea.  A few minutes of gustatory pleasure don't make up for hours or days of GI distress.

I wouldn't recommend the tapeworm therapy, even if it works.  Has nasty potential side effects.

DrFumblefinger posted:

I imagine that with all the places you've been and eaten at, you likely have the antimicrobial resistance of penicillin.  But those of us who get out less often do need to be careful.  Nothing can spoil a vacation quite as much as a case of vomiting or diarrhea.  A few minutes of gustatory pleasure don't make up for hours or days of GI distress.

I wouldn't recommend the tapeworm therapy, even if it works.  Has nasty potential side effects.

Actually K, neither would I, but as the author of 'Supernature' it was kinda in his brief !

His friend advised the beef tapeworm because they're easier to evict than pork ones (!) - he had to eat ~50% extra to placate the sucker (sic)

BTW resistances don't really last that long but you're right, I very rarely got, or get ill.