One of the best ways to save money while touring the world is to eat like locals. That means indulging into street foods, pop kiosks and other eateries you’ve never tried in your whole life. Unfortunately, not every place that sells street food is clean.
No one wants to experience food poisoning while on their dream vacation abroad. Follow these tips to enjoy street meals and not get sick.
Eat where the Locals Crowd
Stalls with the longest queues are mostly the safest for foreigners. The locals love these places and will line up until they buy what they want. Stalls with a wide variety of customers are better as they show you different people eat there. By variety, check out whether women and children are queued up too.
Some stalls are crowded by young men who probably do menial job. While there is nothing with that, they may be more resilient to poorer food qualities than you are.
Take a Glimpse at the Kitchen
With most street food stalls, you can watch as the cooks prepare foods. Watch out how they handle the ingredients, money and other items. If no gloves are used and they keep touching money plus the food, don’t eat there. Stalls with two or more people taking different roles are better as they are better able to keep things clean.
Eat together with Locals
Because of how foods in street stalls are preserved, it’s easy for bacteria to form up and expose you to food poisoning. Eating at the time of the locals give you a chance to eat the food while it’s still fresh. Take note of the cleanliness of the cutlery. You may want to carry your baby wipes to clean up the plates should you suspect they are not fully clean.
