Bourdain in Thailand-I'm SOOO excited!

[Missy]

I can't wait for tonight!!!! I'm going to Bangkok in October. True, it's only for 3 full days and true, I'll be in a meeting until 5 every day-BUT I still have to eat! And I love to eat on the street-so I'm hoping Anthony will come thru with some tips!

[fresnohotspot]

I liked the episode but I can see where the format is starting to wear thin. You've got to give it to Bourdain though, the sonofagun lives the life. I liked it when he stated his personal foodie philosophy that he was going to try stuff at least once. It even seemed the food was better when he was in an area experiencing social unrest - like Thailand and when he was in Sri Lanka.

[Ericandblueboy]

I didn't get much out of last night's episode other than it's hot and humid in Thailand.

[alkapal]

the spit roasted baby pig looked good -- esp. the skin.

[tofuburrito]

I thought Bourdain hit this one out of the park. A No Res classic in my opinion.

[linguafood]

Boy, was I underwhelmed by this episode. Having spent a good 4 weeks traveling all over Thailand, I had great expectations. Disappointing.

[Ericandblueboy]

Are you worried about getting sick? I didn't dare eat streetfood in Morocco or Peru. From what I heard, Asia's streetfood isn't much safer.

I wonder if TB or Anthony Z get sick on a regular basis or their stomachs have adjusted.

[Miss Needle]

I've eaten street food in Thailand and didn't encounter any problems until I had papaya salad. I think you'll be fine with all the cooked food. Things can be a bit more iffy with the raw stuff. I had papaya salad twice from the street. First time was fine. Second time was a disaster. Thank goodness for antibiotics.

Before I left for Thailand, I saw a travel doctor to get a Hep A immunization. He told me to stay away from street food. I told him that would be a problem because I want to experience everything. He then confessed that he does the same exact thing I do but he has to tell his patients his spiel because that's what he's supposed to do.

[Missy]

I am a pretty fearless eater, but I do try try to be a little careful about water, ice, and unpeeled fruits/veggies. I got a Hep A immunization in 2001, when I went to tunisia. Wonder if I need a booster? I reallllly want to try the papaya salad, though...... At any rate, surely Tony will steer us to the most hygenic places. RIGHT?!

[LindaWhit]

At any rate, surely Tony will steer us to the most hygenic places. RIGHT?!
~~~~~~~
This is a man who ate warthog anus. 'Nuf said. ;-)

[Asumnuthin]

lol warthog anus
yeah and then he warns us against mussels, how ironic

[Miss Needle]

Yes, I also realllllllly wanted to try the papaya salad as well and am glad that I did, even though I got sick. Granted, I was in relatively good health at the time and never would even think about pulling a stunt like that if I was pregnant or had some sort of immune disorder or something.

You need to contact a doctor about your Hep A vaccine, but it is my understanding that if you have gotten two rounds of immunization (spaced 6 months apart), that you should be fine. If you only got one round, I think you would need to get vaccinated again.

I hope you enjoy Bangkok. It was a wonderful city for eating, both street food and restaurants. If you're not too fond of where Bourdain goes to eat on this episode (and I have to say that I've been disappointed by some of the restaurants/stands he has gone to), there are a few great blogs out there on Bangkok street food.

[saeyedoc]

If you get to Chiang Mai, there's great Papaya salad in the night market. In Bangkok, there is a food court on one of the upper floors at MBK ( a mall), that has many, many street food type options and is clean

[Ericandblueboy]

I'm going on a tour of China and I intend to eat street food but I don't want to spend my days in the hotel room nor do I really want to use those "shitholes."

[Miss Needle]

I hear you. When I got sick in Thailand, I was in Chiang Mai (old city), and there weren't too many modern restrooms. My first episode happened at a Buddhist temple where it was basically a hole in the ground. After a few more episodes, I headed to the nearest pharmacy. But I'd do it all over again.

[Missy]

You're a wonder Miss Needle!
As soon as I figure out where I'm staying I intend to plumb the board for a detailed eating itinerary. Too bad the majority of the trip is work. Oh well... if it wasn't for work, I'd probably never have a ticket to Bangkok..

[Scrapironchef]

I've done multiple trips to Thailand and never had a problem eating the streetfood. Everything is out in the open and it's easy to see whether or not you have anything to worry about.

Do stick with the bottled water but don't miss out on the tasty street treats.

[LindaWhit]

Missy - just a quick note - perhaps you could fix your subject line (Thailand), as it will be easier for others to find in searches later on. (ETA: You fixed it. <g>)

I hope the show gives you some good ideas!