It's that feeling, accompanied by a tummy rumble, that you really shouldn't have eaten that tasty meal from a street stall that will make you more careful next time.
Years of dining under flyovers on busy roads has given Tom Vandenberghe and Eva Verplaetse, authors of Bangkok street food, cooking and travelling in Thailand, a rare insight into South-East Asian street food.
Tom has a list of street
food dos and don'ts, simple rules which make a great list for any traveller who wants to enjoy all their holiday.
- Do choose a street vendor based on the buzz around the place. Local people queuing up means the dishes are sold regularly and quickly, plus ingredients are usually fresh.
- Don’t eat from a food stall where the cook has dirty hands or fingernails or where fish or meat is stored unrefrigerated.
- Do look at the cook, check how they handle the food and how they preserve and store their ingredients.
- Don’t forget to avoid ice. There is no label on ice, and no way to judge the freshness or determine its origins.”
- Do choose vegetables or fruit that have been peeled. Select fresh fruits and vegetables in preference to older ones and take your time to pick the most shining, bright ingredients.
- Don’t eat at a street stall unless you are completely happy with the food on offer and the way it is prepared.
Disclaimer: Ed+bK was gifted a copy of Bangkok street food