Eating Out With the Locals - Night Markets, Hawker Stalls, Street Stands
If you subscribe to the idea that eating out when travelling on a family vacation is part of the whole learning and cultural experience, and also that eating out with the kids is a fundamentally social activity, you may want to try eating out with the locals at night markets or "hawker stalls" and rub shoulders with the people.
It's a great way of mixing with the locals and tasting the different types of cuisine, as well as witnessing firsthand the methods of food preparation which is invariably an eye opening educational experience.
The benefits of eating out like this is that it is cheap, authentic and watching the food being prepared and cooked in front of you is extremely entertaining and educational.
You can use it later on in life as a teaching tool, for example if you've ever seen the cricket and scorpion stall in the night market food stands in Thailand, your children may never ever complain about eating their broccoli again! When you're travelling with children on your vacation, however, there is little doubt that considerable caution must be exercised, but there are ways you can be adventurous without spending the rest of the holiday in the bathroom.
Here are some tips for making the local eating out experience safe and enjoyable, if you are sampling the local delicacies.
[1] Wash your hands- observing basic hygiene rules and precautions is always important.
Be extra meticulous with the kids.
If the water supply is dubious, then take some hand disinfectant like Aquuim or Dettol and use it before and after every meal and toilet stop.
[2]Taste the kids food first- if it tastes bad, spit it out and get something else freshly cooked.
Keep in mind that lots of Asian food uses different spices and curries and chilies, so It a good idea to taste it to make sure it isn't too chili hot or spicy for the little ones if they are not used to it as well.
[3] Get recommendations- ask the locals, the staff at your hotel, other travelers [4] Watch, look and listen- the busier stalls have a higher turnover of food which tends to be fresher.
The favorite stands are usually because it's cheaper and tastier.
If there is a long queue of locals, it's probably the best there is.
However when you go to the stall owner and they look as if they haven't washed or shaved for months, and there are lice and maggots, and dirty hands and finger nails, it's probably a good idea to move on.
Stalls next to drains, piles of rubbish and sewer pipes are generally bad news.
If the food stinks, it's probably wrong.
If it's still moving, you should move on too.
[5] Take your own plastic ware- even if the food is piping hot and freshly cooked, if it is served on a dirty plate that is just dipped in filthy water for at clean, chances are you will get sick from the washing up water.
It is not a bad idea to plan ahead and carry with you some little plates and spoons for the kids and yourself and ask the vendor to serve it up on your plate.
In my experience they are happy not to wash up, and you can just explain that your kid will only eat off a pink/ blue plate with a smile! [6] Be especially careful of Seafood- if you can eat it after being caught from a "live" tank, it is the best, otherwise it may go bad very quickly and if you eat It undercooked, it will make you very sick.
Undercooked pork and chicken equally have potent side effects like salmonella and shigella.
Bad news on a family holiday.
Some seasoned travelers will argue that it is actually safer to eat piping hot fresh thoroughly cooked food from a street stall than it is off a four hour old buffet with under washed salads in a luxury hotel.
It is never actually possible to prevent illness entirely, and some people have more a proclivity to getting sick on holidays from the different types of food.
Others have an iron gut, and nothing can faze them.
Some people say that drinking the local brew or spirits will kill any germ that threatens your intestinal lining! However, when you are traveling with kids, you have to be extra careful.
In the long run, your kids will see whole new worlds open up from a culinary and cultural experience, having not only seen, watched but also tasted the delights of another culture and another way of life on your luxury family vacation.
It's a great way of mixing with the locals and tasting the different types of cuisine, as well as witnessing firsthand the methods of food preparation which is invariably an eye opening educational experience.
The benefits of eating out like this is that it is cheap, authentic and watching the food being prepared and cooked in front of you is extremely entertaining and educational.
You can use it later on in life as a teaching tool, for example if you've ever seen the cricket and scorpion stall in the night market food stands in Thailand, your children may never ever complain about eating their broccoli again! When you're travelling with children on your vacation, however, there is little doubt that considerable caution must be exercised, but there are ways you can be adventurous without spending the rest of the holiday in the bathroom.
Here are some tips for making the local eating out experience safe and enjoyable, if you are sampling the local delicacies.
[1] Wash your hands- observing basic hygiene rules and precautions is always important.
Be extra meticulous with the kids.
If the water supply is dubious, then take some hand disinfectant like Aquuim or Dettol and use it before and after every meal and toilet stop.
[2]Taste the kids food first- if it tastes bad, spit it out and get something else freshly cooked.
Keep in mind that lots of Asian food uses different spices and curries and chilies, so It a good idea to taste it to make sure it isn't too chili hot or spicy for the little ones if they are not used to it as well.
[3] Get recommendations- ask the locals, the staff at your hotel, other travelers [4] Watch, look and listen- the busier stalls have a higher turnover of food which tends to be fresher.
The favorite stands are usually because it's cheaper and tastier.
If there is a long queue of locals, it's probably the best there is.
However when you go to the stall owner and they look as if they haven't washed or shaved for months, and there are lice and maggots, and dirty hands and finger nails, it's probably a good idea to move on.
Stalls next to drains, piles of rubbish and sewer pipes are generally bad news.
If the food stinks, it's probably wrong.
If it's still moving, you should move on too.
[5] Take your own plastic ware- even if the food is piping hot and freshly cooked, if it is served on a dirty plate that is just dipped in filthy water for at clean, chances are you will get sick from the washing up water.
It is not a bad idea to plan ahead and carry with you some little plates and spoons for the kids and yourself and ask the vendor to serve it up on your plate.
In my experience they are happy not to wash up, and you can just explain that your kid will only eat off a pink/ blue plate with a smile! [6] Be especially careful of Seafood- if you can eat it after being caught from a "live" tank, it is the best, otherwise it may go bad very quickly and if you eat It undercooked, it will make you very sick.
Undercooked pork and chicken equally have potent side effects like salmonella and shigella.
Bad news on a family holiday.
Some seasoned travelers will argue that it is actually safer to eat piping hot fresh thoroughly cooked food from a street stall than it is off a four hour old buffet with under washed salads in a luxury hotel.
It is never actually possible to prevent illness entirely, and some people have more a proclivity to getting sick on holidays from the different types of food.
Others have an iron gut, and nothing can faze them.
Some people say that drinking the local brew or spirits will kill any germ that threatens your intestinal lining! However, when you are traveling with kids, you have to be extra careful.
In the long run, your kids will see whole new worlds open up from a culinary and cultural experience, having not only seen, watched but also tasted the delights of another culture and another way of life on your luxury family vacation.
