POLL: Have You Suffered Food Poisoning in Thailand?

[MrPlum]

I've been poisoned twice in 6 years both at Market Village Food Court. Once was chicken eaten late in the afternoon. The other seafood. Normally recover very quickly but not on these occasions.

[Vital Spark]

I've voted 'No', and (after nearly 15 years) it's probably down to the fact that I don't really like Thai food, I don't like seafood, and almost all of the food I eat is cooked at home by Mr.VS. I sometimes eat Gai Yang (grilled chicken stuffed under the skin with some herbs), and Gai Tort (deep fried chicken). Both of which are lovely, but I won't eat it if it's a bit too pink.

Sometimes being a fussy eater can reap benefits.

VS
P.S. Mr.VS washes his hands before, during, and after cooking.

[Frank Hovis]

I voted not sure.
Sometimes it's a bit looser at the back then I would expect, if you know what I mean, but it's not like I've ever been very ill due to food here.

[Bamboo Grove]

I replied "no". I lived in Thailand for 19 years and can't really think of any time having food poisoning.

[matthewnoel]

yes

[TingTongJohn]

Yes and one time it was very bad..Both ends let you figure that one out..Fever and chills and it all started on the way home in Hong Kong as I waited for the connecting flight from Thailand. That was not a fun time at all... I ended up in A calgary hospital on I.V and antibiotics.

[lindosfan1]

Yes once at a hotel in Bangkok, expensive meal by Thai standards, a fish dish with many varieties of fish and shell fish. Never ate shellfish IE cockles and whelks in Thailand again.

[margaretcarnes]

Only once and I wouldn't say it was proper 'poisoning' - bad runs and shivers which Immodium and plenty of water fixed in a few hours. A friend who was visiting got it as well and we could only put it down to eggs in a Chinese restaurant in Bangkok, although food hygeine could have been to blame I guess.
Seafood and chicken have never had any adverse effect on me in the LOS, neither has eating anything from stalls.
Mum was very sick on the second day of her visit - along with my Aunt - and was ill all the way from Bangkok to HH. A lot of that I think is down to change in climate more than anything, but first time visitors do often try to 'play safe' by avoiding street food, when in fact restaurants can be worse culprits.

[Takiap]

I voted "yes once", which happened after eating at an expensive Japanese restaurant in Bangkok. Fever, chills, and both ends working overtime. Worst thing of all is, I don't even like Japanese food.


Never been sick from eating regular Thai food and I've been eating it for 15 years already.

[migrant]

I listed mild.

Last trip to Phuket we ate at a floating restaurant and had the runs for a few days. No cramps, front end, etc though

[PeteC]

The problem is that no matter if mild or severe, you'll dwell on it for days trying to figure out what it was, and I've never known anyone to pinpoint it exactly. I don't even think hospitals can pinpoint the culprit, but just the bacteria type.

Severe twice resulting in actually passing out and doing a nose dive onto the floor. Once in 1970 as a young stupid lad eating kowpad upcountry from a street stall. Later found out it was a stall that used dog as the main ingredient. Second was at a major hotel in Pattaya from a bowl of Kow-ka-moo. Again, like the kowpad so many ingredients in that no way to be sure which one was the bad guy. Passed out while on the toilet evacuating from that end and woke up sometime later with face on floor with a chipped tooth, on my knees, and my butt still sticking straight up in the air. Oh to have a camera! Pete

[richard]

A few times I think. Difficult to pin point exact cause but twice after a Burger King meal and once after a roadside noodle place in the early hours in Bangkok

[Big Boy]

Once, over 20 years ago in Bangkok. I put it down to Thai Sausage purchased from a street vendor, but of course, we can never be 100% sure. I was hospitalised, and on I/V drip etc. A horrible holiday.

[lomuamart]

I'd reckon once and I'd put it down to a meal from a roadside cafe just north of Chumpon.
I was doing a border run via Ranong and Burma and the bus stopped at the cafe. Can't remember exactly what I ate but it was meat.
Made it to Ranong, through Imm and over in a long tail boat to Burma. However, on the way back, which takes about 30 minutes, I didn't feel too good. I was seriously thinking about telling the boatman that I would have to "go" over the side of the boat.
That wasn't necessary and somehow I made it via motorbike taxi back to the Imm office. Thankfully there wasn't a queue as it was fairly late in the afternoon. I knew there were toilets there and just presented my passport and said "excuse me, I've got to go or I'm going to make a big mess" and almost ran out of the office.
Well, the one toilet was a squat one, had virtually no water in the container and the supply was shut off. It got pretty messy in there!! I had to spend so long that the Imm officer came in and asked through the door if I was alright.
I cleaned up as best I could, walked back into the office and found my passport, duly stamped, lying on the counter. Not an Imm officer to be seen as it was gone 3.30pm and they'd all gone home. I hightailed it out of there and made it back to HH but I did consider finding a hotel and staying the night because the buses don't have a toilet. I made it back without incident.
I did pass down that way a few times again and even visited the cafe. Ate there and never had the same problem again.
Like Pete, the worst case I ever saw happened to my father when he took me and my brother out to dinner at a fish restaurant in London. We'd had oysters and he collapsed on the table. Was taken by ambulance to Bart's Hospital, give an ECG etc etc and fortunately recovered quickly. Not Thailand, I know, but that was scary.

[GLCQuantum]

Same as Frank... not sure.

A little bit of a dicky tummy sometimes but normally a trip to the toilet sorts that out quite quickly .