Image by Saahib from Pixabay
An American travel vlogger has recently hit the news for attempting to get food poisoning while traveling in Pakistan. For many reasons, including the obvious ones, this is a bad idea.
There are much better souvenirs than a stomach bug, hospital stay, or returning to the US in a casket.
Colin Duthie, a University of Arizona student and travel vlogger’s recent trip to Pakistan to explore street food has garnered mixed reactions from followers.
On his Instagram page, @colinduthie/Instagram he tours the streets of Lahore with a clear mission in mind. “Eating street food until I get food poisoning.”
While sampling various local foods such as lassi, pakoras, and halwa, Colin attempts to deliberately contract food poisoning.
In his video he explains, “Eating street food until I get food poisoning. Currently, I’m in Lahore, Pakistan, and I’m going to be walking around finding the weirdest things I can possibly find and eating it.”
Despite being unsuccessful in his attempts to experience food poisoning while in Pakistan, he indicated that he intends to continue his efforts.
As with anything on the world wide web, people had something to say about his endeavor. From comments about his idea being “incredibly disrespectful” to criticisms at what he considers weird food.
In one comment response, an Instagram user stated, “Lol ‘weird’ foods? That’s incredibly disrespectful. If you grew up on sandwiches that’s fine. Food you haven’t been exposed to before isn’t ‘weird’ it is ‘new’ or ‘different’. “ Going on to say, “English is your first language bestie choose better, more respectful words.”
Another commenter says, “Bro basically ate fudge and yogurt and said it was weird.”
One commenter brought up a good point. “If its cooked you will not get food poisoning. Especially freshly cooked. Food poisoning mostly comes from contaminated water and other liquids.”
But overwhelmingly, criticisms pointed to going to another country to exploit and make fun of their culture. One commenter says, “Wow, I’m shocked. To tell us into the mic that you’re scared, and think you’re going to get poisoned by the food for views but then smile in the faces of locals isn’t wild? It’s inauthentic and exploitative.”
In the end, the travel vlogger praised the country, highlighting the hospitality her received and many vendors refused payment. He indicated that Pakistan was now one of his favorite places for food.
“Definitely one of my favorite days from my trip to Pakistan was exploring the narrow streets in the walled in city of Lahore.” He went on to say that “Pakistanis are some of the kindest people in the world.
Getting sick in a foreign country can be dangerous. Intentionally getting sick in a foreign country is a bad idea!
For the most part, the United States is urbanized. In most cases, roads are well established. Highway systems allow easy movement from one area to another. City centers (or at the very least large suburban towns) are spaced within a reasonable distance from one another.
An emergency room or hospital is likely less than 30 minutes or an hour away.
Of course, very rural areas may not be so lucky. But most Americans can get prompt access to a medical facility.
Once you get there, very regulated medical practices and standards of care are required. There are whole agencies that govern this.
In a foreign country, this could be far from the truth.
Of course, heavily traveled and touristy areas will likely have similar amenities. However, if your goal is to roam the road less traveled, you will experience a different situation entirely.
That less traveled road may not be vehicle accessible. Trained medical staff may not be available for many villages or towns over.
What amounts to a simple food poisoning complication could turn serious without adequate medical supplies or reasonable transportation to get there.
Foodborne illness is fairly common among travelers during or immediately following trips. An estimated 30 to 70% of travelers experience gastrointestinal illness related to food or water during their trip.
Even domestic travelers experience food poisoning. Within the United States, nearly one in six people fall sick each year. Nearly one in 10 people worldwide end up suffering from illnesses caused by bacteria (E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella), viruses (hepatitis A, norovirus), and parasites (giardia, roundworms, tapeworms).
While lower-income countries get a bad reputation for foodborne illness, you can become sick just as easily from poorly handled food anywhere. Raw cheese in France, improperly bottled olive oil in Italy, undercooked meat in Australia, or sushi from your local supermarket.
Unfortunately, most foodborne illnesses simply require time to go through your system. This can put a halt to your travel plans. However, there are a few things you can do to help yourself through this unfortunate situation.
Staying hydrated will stave off some pretty bad complications. Your body loses significant fluid with diarrheal illnesses and vomiting. Replace those fluids with clean, safe water and electrolytes.
Over the counter medications such as ibuprofen and naproxen may help alleviate stomach cramps. However, antidiarrheal medications such as loperamide (Imodium A-D) and bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) should only be taken if access to a bathroom is restricted. Your body’s natural response to ridding itself of the toxin is to evacuate it through vomiting or diarrhea. Restricting that natural function may extend your illness.
There are better choices for souvenirs. Travel vlogger or not. Don’t go out of your way to get food poisoning!
Eat foods that are piping hot and fully cooked. Don’t drink unfamiliar water. Wash fruits and vegetables with bottled water. Avoid raw dairy and undercooked meats. As always, use common sense food safety.
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “American Travel Vlogger Seeks Food Poisoning in Pakistan. A Dangerous Souvenir.” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)
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