I guess any food you buy outside comes with inherent risks. It’s outside after all.

Eat at any barbecue and you’ll spend half the time swatting flies away from the sun-baked, mayonnaise-based potato salad.

Wait, what? Eww…

And it seems Bangkok has a big problem with food served from street carts, especially fruit and fruit drinks. That stuff can be contaminated with bacteria.

A Thai survey of Bangkok’s fruit carts, selling fruit and exotic treats, found many contain unsafe levels of bacteria and chemicals, masked by Bangkok’s tropical heat, which keeps the fruit looking fresh.

Researchers tested 153 samples of fresh fruit from 38 vendors across Bangkok, and discovered 67% had unsafe amounts of coliform bacteria. Coliform bacteria is common in bacteria and not necessarily unsafe, but the report says its presence in poop may indicate other stuff, like E. coli.

So, the Prime Minister’s Office has launched a one-month campaign to encourage fruit vendors to improve hygiene. Oh, and if a vendor fails to clean up their act, they face a fine, and up to two years in the slammer.

Here’s a look at what a Bangkok street-fair is like. I don’t know, the fruit looks pretty good. Hard to believe it might be crawling with nastiness.

If fruit isn’t your thing, but crazy is. You can fly all the way to Bangkok and satisfy your masochistic hunger with fried bugs, ticks, and jiggers.

As an American, or anyone from a Western or “developed” country, street food in foreign countries can look a little scary, especially when that food is crispy beetles, water bugs, and giants ants.

But, I’d still love to go on a trip with Andrew Zimmern, even if it meant a nasty case of dysentery. Just no big bugs, I’m freaking terrified!

Image credit: positiveworldtravel

View the original article here