What and where were you eating when you contracted food poisoning?
Sep 8, 2008, 12:28 pm
#181
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Bklyn, NY. ex-UA 1P, ex-US pref, ex-CO plat, ex-DL sil, ex-HH dmnd. Presently Free Agent
Posts: 391
Sep 12, 2008, 11:08 am
#182
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Eagar AZ 85925
Programs: Miles N More, One World
Posts: 140
In Amsterdam,
I had 3 things to eat that day, Pancakes which were the best i've ever eaten
everything was good in the A.M. About 3pm I ate from the FEBO Automatik
Some sort of fried cheese. That was good.
That evening 8 pm went to a high end Indian restaurant and had Chicken Curry. Woke up about 2 AM and couldnt stop expelling from either end.
Was sick for 10 days. Still cant have curry since.
I had 3 things to eat that day, Pancakes which were the best i've ever eaten
everything was good in the A.M. About 3pm I ate from the FEBO Automatik
Some sort of fried cheese. That was good.
That evening 8 pm went to a high end Indian restaurant and had Chicken Curry. Woke up about 2 AM and couldnt stop expelling from either end.
Was sick for 10 days. Still cant have curry since.
Sep 12, 2008, 11:23 am
#183
Original Member, Moderator: Hotel Deals and MilesBuzz
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 14,257
I dredged up a trip report from 2001 about my worst food poisoning episode ever...
My wife, son and I just returned home from a mostly wonderful Hawaiian vacation. We started our trip at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Oahu and flew over to Lihue for a four night stay at the Hyatt Regency Kauai.
I should mention that this is an incredibly beautiful resort with the most amazing swimming pools/rivers/lagoons ever imaginable. The Anara Spa is exceptional and I received one of the best massages in my life. Dondero's Restaurant will serve you a meal you will never forget. The staff is attentive in every way possible and proved its worth after we attended a luau on Sunday evening. The flashy show performers were professional, the music outstanding and the quality of the luau buffet was authentic and tasty. Fortunately for my 3 year old son, he was not in the mood to eat that evening and munched on a dinner roll. My wife and I sampled many dishes and had a great time. About four hours later is when it hit us. Sparing all of you the details, you know what happens with food poisoning. Lots of visits to the potty for sitting and praying. Hey, we are world travellers and know what a touch of nausea or Montezuma's Revenge is all about but the was pretty darn severe. By morning, after no sleep, we were exhausted. I called the manager and we had an extensive discussion about the timeline, elimination of other meal probabilities and the fact that the food is not served by staff but by communal serving utensils. He promptly removed the luau charge from my billing summary and offer me a generous credit for the Anara Spa. In addition, the Food & Bev Manager called and was geniunely concerned. A tray of herbal tea selections was sent to our room as well as a full ice cooler of a dozen bottles of water and a basket of various medications (Pepto-Bismol, Imodium, Alka-Seltzer, etc.) This happened on our last night at the resort so we maintained a stiff upper lip and headed home in rough shape. No mention of any other illnesses of other guest but I think they would keep that confidential to avoid publicity. However, as we were heading out to the lobby, we passed another doorway that reeked of similar unpleasant odors that were unfortunately very familiar to us by that time. As of today, both of us still feel like crap. I will say the staff was genuinely sympathetic and caring and I would not hesitate to visit this property again in the future....I will pass on the luau next time.
Oh by the way, since we were heading home and had no time or desire for spa treatments in our condition, my wife used the spa credit for a truckload of la-dee-da bath salts, lotions, shampoos, etc.
My wife, son and I just returned home from a mostly wonderful Hawaiian vacation. We started our trip at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Oahu and flew over to Lihue for a four night stay at the Hyatt Regency Kauai.
I should mention that this is an incredibly beautiful resort with the most amazing swimming pools/rivers/lagoons ever imaginable. The Anara Spa is exceptional and I received one of the best massages in my life. Dondero's Restaurant will serve you a meal you will never forget. The staff is attentive in every way possible and proved its worth after we attended a luau on Sunday evening. The flashy show performers were professional, the music outstanding and the quality of the luau buffet was authentic and tasty. Fortunately for my 3 year old son, he was not in the mood to eat that evening and munched on a dinner roll. My wife and I sampled many dishes and had a great time. About four hours later is when it hit us. Sparing all of you the details, you know what happens with food poisoning. Lots of visits to the potty for sitting and praying. Hey, we are world travellers and know what a touch of nausea or Montezuma's Revenge is all about but the was pretty darn severe. By morning, after no sleep, we were exhausted. I called the manager and we had an extensive discussion about the timeline, elimination of other meal probabilities and the fact that the food is not served by staff but by communal serving utensils. He promptly removed the luau charge from my billing summary and offer me a generous credit for the Anara Spa. In addition, the Food & Bev Manager called and was geniunely concerned. A tray of herbal tea selections was sent to our room as well as a full ice cooler of a dozen bottles of water and a basket of various medications (Pepto-Bismol, Imodium, Alka-Seltzer, etc.) This happened on our last night at the resort so we maintained a stiff upper lip and headed home in rough shape. No mention of any other illnesses of other guest but I think they would keep that confidential to avoid publicity. However, as we were heading out to the lobby, we passed another doorway that reeked of similar unpleasant odors that were unfortunately very familiar to us by that time. As of today, both of us still feel like crap. I will say the staff was genuinely sympathetic and caring and I would not hesitate to visit this property again in the future....I will pass on the luau next time.
Oh by the way, since we were heading home and had no time or desire for spa treatments in our condition, my wife used the spa credit for a truckload of la-dee-da bath salts, lotions, shampoos, etc.
Sep 17, 2008, 7:43 pm
#185
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Flying out of CHI-MSP-CWA
Programs: UA, PC Plat
Posts: 1,036
I've eaten a lot of wickedly scary things in my life...meteorite-hot things, are-you-sure-this-is-really-food strange things, things which have been left out a lot longer than they probably should have. I have a pretty hardy stomach in general...it can get upset, and every once in a blue moon I'll blow giant monkey chunks (usually virus based, seldom food related), but in general my system doesn't fail me much. The only thing I try to avoid is Jalepenos...I can chug Habenero salsa or vindaloo until my lips melt off, but eat one lousy Jalepeno and I get...heartburn. Go figure. The point in sharing that is *if* food bothers me, it's always the top side and I very rarely get issues, um, on the other end.
The cupboards were a bit bare at lunch, and the only appealing options were a package of ready-to-eat Channa Masala or the lone crinkley veggie burger in the back of my freezer. I cooked up the Channa Masala in the Microwave per the instructions, and there didn't appear to be anything wrong with it...
Until an hour later.
FT friends....if you ever take a word of advice from me, let it be this: Do not, under ANY circumstances, even if faced with certain starvation, ever, ever, ever eat MRE Channa Masala you've bought from a hole-in-the-wall Indian grocer you passed by in Po'Dunk, MI on a road trip. Ever.
It started with the tiniest rumble/gas pain, which I thought was just the garbanzo beans playing the magical fruit tune in my colon. Oh, I wish! Before I knew it, I was gripping the vanity with one hand and the towel bar with the other, first praying for my life and later, for my death. Let's just say if I swallowed some gum five years ago, there is no chance it is still in my system.
At one point, I unsuccesfully attempted to execute a 'clench and sprint' maneuver to my cell phone which was a mere 20 steps away in the living room. What good it could have possibly done I don't know...but I was quite prepared to call my partner, 911, poison control, and/or the funeral home. Man, it was that baaaaad. Eventually it subsided enough and I was able to drink a LOT of water before round two, and then round three, hit.
I still feel like death.
Looking at the box, it was made/packaged in India but it indicates it's 'made for export'. I don't know what kind of FDA criteria/approval something like this needs to meet, but I'm wondering if eating it was the equivelent of drinking the water in Mexico.
Needless to say, I feel a fool and I'm off Indian food for a while...
It actually reminded me of an old Billy Connolly skit...if you really want to experience life as I knew it this afternoon, here you go.
The cupboards were a bit bare at lunch, and the only appealing options were a package of ready-to-eat Channa Masala or the lone crinkley veggie burger in the back of my freezer. I cooked up the Channa Masala in the Microwave per the instructions, and there didn't appear to be anything wrong with it...
Until an hour later.
FT friends....if you ever take a word of advice from me, let it be this: Do not, under ANY circumstances, even if faced with certain starvation, ever, ever, ever eat MRE Channa Masala you've bought from a hole-in-the-wall Indian grocer you passed by in Po'Dunk, MI on a road trip. Ever.
It started with the tiniest rumble/gas pain, which I thought was just the garbanzo beans playing the magical fruit tune in my colon. Oh, I wish! Before I knew it, I was gripping the vanity with one hand and the towel bar with the other, first praying for my life and later, for my death. Let's just say if I swallowed some gum five years ago, there is no chance it is still in my system.
At one point, I unsuccesfully attempted to execute a 'clench and sprint' maneuver to my cell phone which was a mere 20 steps away in the living room. What good it could have possibly done I don't know...but I was quite prepared to call my partner, 911, poison control, and/or the funeral home. Man, it was that baaaaad. Eventually it subsided enough and I was able to drink a LOT of water before round two, and then round three, hit.
I still feel like death.
Looking at the box, it was made/packaged in India but it indicates it's 'made for export'. I don't know what kind of FDA criteria/approval something like this needs to meet, but I'm wondering if eating it was the equivelent of drinking the water in Mexico.
Needless to say, I feel a fool and I'm off Indian food for a while...It actually reminded me of an old Billy Connolly skit...if you really want to experience life as I knew it this afternoon, here you go.
Sep 24, 2008, 4:32 pm
#187
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 16,901
Two episodes for me:
1. Famous restaurant in Philly that I won't name. About 24 hours later I thought I was going to die. Barely made it to the rest room the first time (I was in meetings) and then got back to my hotel somehow. Spent the next 2 days in bed with cold sweats, shaking and periodically crawling into the bathroom to deal with what was spewing out one end or the other (sometimes at the same time). Just as I reached the point where I had decided to call downstairs to say "I need a doctor" I must have fallen asleep and woke up several hours later realizing that I was going to live. It took several more days before I was hungry enough to each more than a little soup or something.
2. Street bratwurst in Frankfurt. It hit me a day or so later, by which time we were in France. Again the cold sweats, vomiting, etc. At one point when I went out into the cold air I started shaking so hard I couldn't get the key back in the hotel door. Mrs. Milepig was with me this time, and was ready to drive me to the ER just when I started feeling a little better.
Funny thing is that ever since these episodes I've become much more sensitive to food that is slightly off. I used to have the proverbial cast iron stomach. Now I know there are certain things I just can't eat at a deli - any kind of chicken/tuna/egg salad and I'll be in the john a few hours later. Ditto with using mayo unless it is directly from a sealed container. All these things are fine if I make them at home, but anything that is prepared ahead of time will send me for a loop every time.
1. Famous restaurant in Philly that I won't name. About 24 hours later I thought I was going to die. Barely made it to the rest room the first time (I was in meetings) and then got back to my hotel somehow. Spent the next 2 days in bed with cold sweats, shaking and periodically crawling into the bathroom to deal with what was spewing out one end or the other (sometimes at the same time). Just as I reached the point where I had decided to call downstairs to say "I need a doctor" I must have fallen asleep and woke up several hours later realizing that I was going to live. It took several more days before I was hungry enough to each more than a little soup or something.
2. Street bratwurst in Frankfurt. It hit me a day or so later, by which time we were in France. Again the cold sweats, vomiting, etc. At one point when I went out into the cold air I started shaking so hard I couldn't get the key back in the hotel door. Mrs. Milepig was with me this time, and was ready to drive me to the ER just when I started feeling a little better.
Funny thing is that ever since these episodes I've become much more sensitive to food that is slightly off. I used to have the proverbial cast iron stomach. Now I know there are certain things I just can't eat at a deli - any kind of chicken/tuna/egg salad and I'll be in the john a few hours later. Ditto with using mayo unless it is directly from a sealed container. All these things are fine if I make them at home, but anything that is prepared ahead of time will send me for a loop every time.
Oct 4, 2008, 4:12 pm
#188
Moderator, Marriott Bonvoy & FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: McKinney, TX, USA
Programs: United Silver; AA Plat/2MM; Marriott LT Titanium; Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,727
Sydney, Australia. I asked some friends if there was a local restaurant that advertised itself as a US resturant like the Outback Steakhouse in the US advertises itself as an Australian one. They sent me to someplace called the Hogsbreath or Hogsmead or something like that. I have only rarely ever been as sick as I was after that. I learned NOT to eat American food (fast or otherwise) outside of NA.
Oct 6, 2008, 2:18 pm
#189
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Des Moines, Iowa, US
Programs: NWA Platinum Elite, Million miler plus
Posts: 294
Sherman's Deli in Palm Springs last year. 3 of us had lunch outside in the heat, all had different menu items, but all three of us ate the cole slaw, potato salad, and pickles. All 3 of us got sick later in the evening, and all 3 at about the same time, within an hour of each other. It was a nightmare, from both ends, and lasted about 36 hours.
Oct 7, 2008, 7:14 am
#190
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Franklin TWP, NJ
Programs: Co-Onepass, Delta-Useless Skymiles
Posts: 651
I became sick eating @ a Johnny Rockets in Hoboken, NJ & Paramus, NJ location and as well as CLE airport.. I just order a standard cheesburger.. and hit my stomach like a ton of bricks.. pain & cramps... a near death experince.. I thought maybe it was a fluke.. dehydrated and weak.. was in bed for 2 days.. could not even keep sunflower seeds or water down.. everytime you ate something it was violent diarehhia.. even when drinking water.. Chain food joint are banned for life...
Oct 7, 2008, 7:17 am
#191
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Franklin TWP, NJ
Programs: Co-Onepass, Delta-Useless Skymiles
Posts: 651
I've eaten a lot of wickedly scary things in my life...meteorite-hot things, are-you-sure-this-is-really-food strange things, things which have been left out a lot longer than they probably should have. I have a pretty hardy stomach in general...it can get upset, and every once in a blue moon I'll blow giant monkey chunks (usually virus based, seldom food related), but in general my system doesn't fail me much. The only thing I try to avoid is Jalepenos...I can chug Habenero salsa or vindaloo until my lips melt off, but eat one lousy Jalepeno and I get...heartburn. Go figure. The point in sharing that is *if* food bothers me, it's always the top side and I very rarely get issues, um, on the other end.
The cupboards were a bit bare at lunch, and the only appealing options were a package of ready-to-eat Channa Masala or the lone crinkley veggie burger in the back of my freezer. I cooked up the Channa Masala in the Microwave per the instructions, and there didn't appear to be anything wrong with it...
Until an hour later.
FT friends....if you ever take a word of advice from me, let it be this: Do not, under ANY circumstances, even if faced with certain starvation, ever, ever, ever eat MRE Channa Masala you've bought from a hole-in-the-wall Indian grocer you passed by in Po'Dunk, MI on a road trip. Ever.
It started with the tiniest rumble/gas pain, which I thought was just the garbanzo beans playing the magical fruit tune in my colon. Oh, I wish! Before I knew it, I was gripping the vanity with one hand and the towel bar with the other, first praying for my life and later, for my death. Let's just say if I swallowed some gum five years ago, there is no chance it is still in my system.
At one point, I unsuccesfully attempted to execute a 'clench and sprint' maneuver to my cell phone which was a mere 20 steps away in the living room. What good it could have possibly done I don't know...but I was quite prepared to call my partner, 911, poison control, and/or the funeral home. Man, it was that baaaaad. Eventually it subsided enough and I was able to drink a LOT of water before round two, and then round three, hit.
I still feel like death.
Looking at the box, it was made/packaged in India but it indicates it's 'made for export'. I don't know what kind of FDA criteria/approval something like this needs to meet, but I'm wondering if eating it was the equivelent of drinking the water in Mexico. Needless to say, I feel a fool and I'm off Indian food for a while...
It actually reminded me of an old Billy Connolly skit...if you really want to experience life as I knew it this afternoon, here you go.
The cupboards were a bit bare at lunch, and the only appealing options were a package of ready-to-eat Channa Masala or the lone crinkley veggie burger in the back of my freezer. I cooked up the Channa Masala in the Microwave per the instructions, and there didn't appear to be anything wrong with it...
Until an hour later.
FT friends....if you ever take a word of advice from me, let it be this: Do not, under ANY circumstances, even if faced with certain starvation, ever, ever, ever eat MRE Channa Masala you've bought from a hole-in-the-wall Indian grocer you passed by in Po'Dunk, MI on a road trip. Ever.
It started with the tiniest rumble/gas pain, which I thought was just the garbanzo beans playing the magical fruit tune in my colon. Oh, I wish! Before I knew it, I was gripping the vanity with one hand and the towel bar with the other, first praying for my life and later, for my death. Let's just say if I swallowed some gum five years ago, there is no chance it is still in my system.
At one point, I unsuccesfully attempted to execute a 'clench and sprint' maneuver to my cell phone which was a mere 20 steps away in the living room. What good it could have possibly done I don't know...but I was quite prepared to call my partner, 911, poison control, and/or the funeral home. Man, it was that baaaaad. Eventually it subsided enough and I was able to drink a LOT of water before round two, and then round three, hit.
I still feel like death.
Looking at the box, it was made/packaged in India but it indicates it's 'made for export'. I don't know what kind of FDA criteria/approval something like this needs to meet, but I'm wondering if eating it was the equivelent of drinking the water in Mexico.
Needless to say, I feel a fool and I'm off Indian food for a while...It actually reminded me of an old Billy Connolly skit...if you really want to experience life as I knew it this afternoon, here you go.
Nov 27, 2008, 9:54 pm
#193
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: SAN
Posts: 2,426
Serious enteritis. Campylobacter culture positive. Got a follow-up call from the health department yesterday.
The culprit? Something in Shanghai (returned a few days before falling ill). I had numerous dishes from the Lazy Susans of about 6 or 7 "quality" restaurants over a four-day period. I was the guest of honor and sort-of had to try almost everything. If I were putting money on it, I'd guess the drunken chicken.
The culprit? Something in Shanghai (returned a few days before falling ill). I had numerous dishes from the Lazy Susans of about 6 or 7 "quality" restaurants over a four-day period. I was the guest of honor and sort-of had to try almost everything. If I were putting money on it, I'd guess the drunken chicken.
Dec 3, 2008, 10:50 pm
#195
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: UA_MP, SPG
Posts: 127
In a plane, coming back from Europe, a few years ago ... not sure what food I had, nothing fancy as you can imagine. But what surprised me was that at the airport I was told that they couldn't call a dr for something like this, and I was recommended to drink ginger ale or 7 up. Bought some and it did help ... so those are my drinks in the plane ever since 