Sampling the local food is a wonderful part of traveling. And food carts and street food abound — but is the food safe or likely to make you sick?
More than once, tourists have come up to us as we’re getting food from a cart and said something along the lines of “don’t you know you shouldn’t eat that?”
Well, we’ve eaten from street carts not just in the US, but around the world: Mexico, Japan, Turkey, and all through Africa, South America, and Central America. The food is delicious and we’ve never gotten sick.
And we’re not alone . . . most cruisers eat street food and even have their favorite stands.
Listen in for the simple precautions we take when choosing where we eat . . .
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Lupari Sue says
Eating local street food is one of the best things about travelling, although there are some rules, like always eat it freshly cooked and hot. Anything lying around in a cart you leave alone. Dont eat salads either.
Peg Dixon says
Sometimes, you just gotta do it!! 😀
Paul Colbert says
The trick to eating street food is to eat at a busy place where the locals eat and if anything at all doesn’t look, smell or taste right to you then just walk away even if you’ve already paid and then realize there is a problem.