How to eat safely in China?

[Scandinavian]

With all due respect, that is far from "the only problem" with Chinese doctors.

of course, what I should have written was: "all doctors I have met in China seems qualified to give their opinion about health issues" that being said, if I were to have any suspicion of any serious medical problems with myself, such as cancer, cardiac problems etc, I am on a plane headed towards "home" right away.

Time will tell if my plan of staying young and healthy forever will work.

[liuzhou]

Why I'm leaving China #?????

[ChTTay]

Am I the only person that finds parts of this thread abit odd?

You live in the capital of China, I am sure that the doctors at one of the larger, reputable hospitals could handle your problem. The accusation that a woman gave you tap water because you heard a tap ... in a kitchen of a restaurant ... seems worth reconsidering.

I've lived in China for awhile, albeit not as long as some on here, but i've never been given or offered anything other than 开水 (boiled water) when I ask or just a sealed bottle. I doubt somewhere like Beijing is any different. Even most Chinese people know not to drink unboiled/untreated water.

Perhaps you are just getting yourself worked up over this and making it worse. Food poisoning etc can be scary which is why you should see a professional.

Take the advice given. Go to a doctor, eat plain foods. I am sure you will feel better soon and start enjoying all the good food around you.

[liuzhou]

Am I the only person that finds parts of this thread almost a bit odd?

No.

[roddy]

I'm not sure what I was most impressed by, the OP's mild paranoia about people trying to slip him tap water, or putonghua73's ability to shoehorn half a dozen references to having had a girlfriend into a topic about explosive diarrhea.

[newforeigner]

The nurse gave me some medicine this morning. After taking 4 tablets, I am completely cured!

[newforeigner]

Regardless of whether or not they served me tap water, after touching the money the staff should have washed his hands before making the sandwich.

[Silent]

Regardless of whether or not they served me tap water, after touching the money the staff should have washed his hands before making the sandwich.

Says who? It is not uncommon in emerging and developing countries that veggies are washed in a open sewer called river. Why freak out over minor substandard hygenic behaviour? Even in developed countries this behaviour is not that uncommon.

[newforeigner]

They did that even in front of the customer. Wonder what other substandard things they do behind the scene.

[Silent]

You know what substandard things they do in western restaurants? To me it's quite simple, if it's good enough for the locals for a lifetime it's good enough for me for a several months travelling. If you freak out on 'everything' that's not like it is at home you'ld better stay home. It makes no sense to expect western standards if you go to a developing country with a completely different culture.

[querido]

Thank you Silent. :-)

[abcdefg]

@Newforeigner -- I'm curious as to your background, since you seem to have a different perspective on things from many of us here. What's your story?

Could you tell us where you are from and whether you have traveled away from home before, especially to a different country? Where are you living in China and how long do you plan to stay? I'm guessing Shanghai from your previous thread. What do you teach? I'm guessing it's not English.

In other words, a little bit of self introduction would be helpful to those of us trying to answer your questions. If doing that is uncomfortable for whatever reasons, then just let it go. But you are likely to get more support here if people understand your situation.

BTW, I'm glad you are cured of your diarrhea by four magic tablets from "the nurse." You have witnessed another Miracle of Chinese Medicine! (I'm joking of course.)

[putonghua73]

Only half a dozen this time round? My standards must be slipping!

On a more serious tone, I must redact any references when in the company of my language partner. I'll stick to 朋友。

Edited August 18, 2012 at 12:36 PM by putonghua73

[crazy-meiguoren]

Are the same over-the-counter diarrhea medicines available in the West also available in China? (I'm thinking stuff like Pepto Bismol or Kaopectate. There are other products as well.) That would be a good place to start if you get a recurrence of it. I would not delay going to the doctor if the symptoms last over three days. There is also what we call the BRAT diet in the US: Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast. These foods have constipating properties, which may help bring balance to your digestive system. The diet is commonly used by parents to control diarrhea in young children. Adults may use it themselves for their own symptoms. It is also wise to avoid meat, eggs, or any other high-protein foods until the symptoms subside.

[Scandinavian]

Yes, you can get over the counter drugs containing loperamide which would be the "common clogging agent" in "western" over the counter drugs. Having the over the counter drugs may be a great thing, but consulting a doctor in case the symptoms last for days, or in case there is blood in the stool.

I think there are chinese copies of most "normal" drugs for humans. Ironically when we have had the need for antibiotics, vitamins, ointments etc these have been available in the pharmacies at cheap costs. Whenever our dog needs anything from the vet, there are not cheap Chinese copies, so that is then western drugs at western prices.

There is probably specific drugs that cannot be found in China, and when it comes to prescription drugs I have no experience. For the "over the counter" stuff, most of the things these will help remedy will your body will fix itself with rest and plenty of water.

[frankwall]

Glad that the drugs had an effect. As was said before, perhaps its better to experiment with local food and build up some resistance. If it doesn't work, better head to get some over the counter drugs and counteract any bad effects.

[XiaoXi]

When I first arrived in China everyone told me it was tap water too..even though I hadn't drunk any. Trust me, it ain't the tap water! It's the food. All the food has bacteria in it, in varying amounts. I lived there for almost 3 years and got sick several times. One test that proved the poison content of meat was that every time I bought fresh meat from the supermarket, if left in the fridge until the following day it would go bad. Every time. Thats just one day. Of course I soon stopped doing that and made sure I cooked it as soon as I arrived home and normally wouldn't suffer problems, mild diarrhea at the most. This was in the best area of Beijing so I can only imagine other areas and cities would be at least as bad if not worse.

Doing as the locals do is not good advice either since the locals have built up resistance to the bacteria over many years which you will not have. Best advice is to be careful. Particularly with meat.

[liuzhou]

Well, I've been in China for nearly 17 years now and the only time I got food poisoning was from ice cream in a western restaurant in Xi'an.

[ChTTay]

From travelling, I realized a get stomach problems pretty easiy. Living in China is no exception. I got food poisoning three times in around 9 months I think. The worst one was actually from a jar of peaches that were past it's best. The other two were in fairly nice-ish restaurants (but not western).

I've been eating in some dirty looking places and not had any problems. If a restaurant has a lot of people in it it's usually a good sign but sometimes you just get unlucky. I would prefer to live my life and risk food poisoning then be paranoid everything I eat will poison me. I know a few people who live here and never eat the food for that fear. Stupid.

[skylee]

I would prefer to live my life and risk food poisoning then be paranoid everything I eat will poison me. I know a few people who live here and never eat the food for that fear. Stupid.

Those people do not think the same way as you do. This does not mean they are stupid.