Water and ice consumption
 

I'm generally pretty careful about avoiding ice and tap water when traveling to countries like China.

Couple of things I've had questions about and never really seen a definitive answer.

1. In cities like Beijing that have McDonalds and KFC, the soft drinks are from a fountain like in the US. Is that untreated tap water being used for both the soft drink and the ice? Are they as safe to drink as bottled water or should they be avoided just like tap water? Also, what about things like raw lettuce and other unpeeled veggies on sandwiches?

2. I've also wondered about airline catering originating from developing countries. Are raw salads and unpeeled veggies and ice safe to consume or are they to be avoided the same way one would avoid them while visiting? Last time I was in Beijing even the water at the airport was not potable and I got to wondering about catering.

1) Fountain drinks and ice consumption at the western-branded restaurants like McD's and KFC are safe. Water supply does not come from tap but from bottled, and ice comes from purified ice factories. I will also use ice in drinks from "better" restaurants. In local dives and very small town restaurants, I buy canned soft drinks from the cooler, and use a straw. Cold beer is always OK. (Actually even warm beer is OK just yucky.) Bottled water is everywhere. Tap water is not OK anywhere (even though in cities like Beijing, it is treated, there are still too many potential breakdowns in the treatment and distribution process to trust it).

2) I personally avoid lettuce and uncooked vegetables on sandwiches and elsewhere, since I can pretty much guarantee they will have been incompletely washed and then under tap water.. But then, I do this even in the USA and developed countries as well. I tend to avoid salads unless prepared at home, or at very particular restaurants. Five-star hotel catering should be above reproach, but often isn't.

3) Airline catering should always be suspect. Use same protocols as you would in ground-based restaurant. I avoid: any cold seafood such as seafood salad (actually on any airline anywhere, these days), cold salads with raw veggies (ditto), ice in drinks (though that's probably safe).

FWIW, I've lived in China for over 10 years, and have NEVER had a gastrointestinal illness at all. It is not inevitable that one will get sick on a trip, you just have to use common sense. A cousin once got horribly ill gobbling from the sushi bar at a Nanjing upscale hotel. Tried to tell him this wasn't a good idea but he wouldn't listen. His punishment for not listening to the Wisdom of Jiejie was a night in the bathroom praying to the Porcelain God. :D

Thanks good info. Glad to know you've stayed healthy. Any other tips for things to avoid?

What about food and ice on trains?

On domestic flights?

[QUOTE=mlasser;18279609]

Any other tips for things to avoid?

What about food and ice on trains?

[QUOTE]

Tips

#1 When eating hot pot if you put raw meat into the pot with your chopsticks be sure to dip the stick ends into the hot pot to sterilize
them from any bacteria from the raw meat.

#2 Beware of alcohol poisoning when attending functions with government
officials as baijiu may have >55% alcohol content and if its top shelf
it goes down very easy.

Water...I usually drink hot water as its good for your health.:cool:

Train food can be okay on the old school trains that have ovens, but is dreadful on HSR trains (microwave only).

I have never seen a single ice cube during my many years of train travel.

I trust airplane ice, when it is available.

I have neve seen ice on domestic flights. Pepsi and other drinks are usually served in room temp.

I have to say, unlike jiejie, I like to live a little more dangerously. I like fruit and salad, and just take it as a risk when eating out. I would perhaps be less inclined outside of big cities, where water sanitation is even less likely to be robust.

Re: ice, again, if it's a tiny place, with 'dubious' hygiene, avoid. Otherwise, it's probably OK.

My biggest issue is that I almost never see a Chinese person wash their hands. I don't know what goes on in restaurant kitchens, but I am happier in ignorance. Having said that, have rarely had an issue, and certainly no more than US and Europe.

As a casual visitor I would be more cautious, since you'll survive perfectly well without fruit/ raw vegetables/ice for a week or two.

I like the hotpot tip given above -- I usually use dedicated chopsticks for the raw meat.

tb

Something to consider is that American and other major chain hotels tend to have strict F&B handling requirements while locally owned and operated hotels can be more risky. YMMV

That's prudent, dedicated chopsticks. Don't see that as offensive to
a host, more so proper etiquette.

You shouldn't have a big problem in China if you just stick to bottled water (which is available for cheap anywhere), just make sure the seal is not tampered with or anything like that, but that is not a big problem at least not in Beijing. Soft drinks etc are all safe. Food, if the place is packed with locals you can assume it is safe.

And at PEK airport you can get free drinking water at the dedicated stations scattered around the terminals. Had no problem with that.

Both are safe IMO. I've never had an issue with fastfood places and drinks. Food too. YMMV.

One time I got very bad worms because of fresh chinese vegetables. After some month of medical treatment they was gone, but it was no fun.
But I still eat chinese vegetables now. Life is always a risk.
In Yunnan Province I drink also some soft drinks which was made with tap water. I got no problems from this.

With all due respect, I'm wondering how one can be sure it was the fresh chinese vegetables that were to blame, rather than, say, poorly cooked meat, or other issues? What 'worms' were they?

Glad that you are better now.

tb

Of course I can't be 100% sure, but for me I know where it came from. Was some nice nematodes.

Fair enough...although in my experience, except with certain pathogens with clear aetiology (e.g. T. solium), general poor hygiene -- e.g. in food handlers -- makes identifying culprit 'food' difficult.

tb