|
| Things to Remember About Wine and Food |
 1. Time. If the trip is just about sampling a country's various cuisines it’s a good idea to find a week to 10 days to visit a few markets, restaurants and festivals. However if you wish to learn some intricacies through a tasting or cooking class you will need a bit longer, possibly a full two weeks.
2. Food hygiene. If you're planning on sampling the local cuisine a good adage that can save you a lot of hassle is "boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it". That means avoiding things that have been washed in tap water or unpeeled fruit. Grilled meats, boiled soup and noodles should be fine. Before trying food in buffet consider how long the food has been keeping warm. Food in buffets is usually okay at breakfast or early in the evening. Other things to avoid are milk products that go bad in tropical heat, shellfish or seafood particularly if it had been cooked a long way from the ocean and empty restaurants that even the locals avoid. Another good test for hygiene is the cleanliness of the cook's shirt! This might be a bit hard to gauge in fancy restaurants but many places in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America will have open kitchens. Street food in much of the developing world can be a bit dicey, particularly for those with sensitive stomachs.
3. Water hygiene. Get in the habit of washing hands before the meal, particularly after wandering through a bazaar or near animals. Always rub the cutlery down with serviettes/napkins before using them and check the plates and cups are dry. Try to drink bottled water. Check the seal on all water or drink products first. Bottled water is also good for cleaning teeth in some locations, and be careful not to swallow water when in the shower or swimming. In developing counties avoid ice drinks or even roadside ice cream that might contain unpurified water.
4. Health services. Get to know the medical facilities of your destination. Find the emergency numbers for your locality and find out where to go for help.
|
|
