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I was told many times that I'd better stick to some well-known fast-food restaurants rather than eat local food in China. Otherwise, I may spend my whole trip exploring the vast variety of chinese outhouses.

  1. Is this the case for a soft, european belly? Why?
  2. If so, can I somehow prevent it from happening while still enjoying some exotic (at least for me) dishes?
Leśny Rumcajs
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    Wash your hands before eating, while everyone blames the food for beijing belly, it is just as often what you handled before eating that is the culprit.. –  Jan 28 '16 at 08:09

2 Answers2

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I went to China and didn't have a single problem. There are a few measures you can take to avoid problems:

  1. Wash your hands carefully (I guess this is applicable everywhere).

  2. Don't go and eat directly too exotic foods. Leave a bit of time to your body to get used to Asian food.

  3. Alternate food you are used to with more exotic food so that the shock for your stomach isn't too hard

  4. Avoid fresh fruits and vegetables, at least at the beginning. Rather opt for cooked ones.

  5. Take with you some medicines so that if you run into problems, you have a faster recovery.

  6. Only drink water from sealed bottles.

Nean Der Thal
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Olielo
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    6/ is on par with 1/ - water quality can be a major problem in parts of China and taking water/drinks only from closed bottles or if cooked (i.e. the omnipresent tea) should be the first precaution. Together with washing your hands wiping your chopsticks before use might be a useful hint. – greyshade Jan 28 '16 at 08:42
  • What specific medicine do you have in mind? May be a stupid question, but I really didn't have any problems greater than a common cold, so it's terra incognita for me. – Leśny Rumcajs Jan 28 '16 at 08:46
  • @LeśnyRumcajs there are some medicines to treat diarrhea and gastroenterits problems.I am not sure if this is the right place to put medicines names. I am not a doctor and don't want to advertise any medicine here :) – Olielo Jan 28 '16 at 08:49
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    My additional tip to this topic: do NOT eat the plastic looking sausages they sell you on the street. Also, if you're buying streetfood somewhere and you see the raw meat is laying in the 30°C sun before prepared, you should think twice before eating it. For the rest, try as many new (and weird) food as possible. – Lewis Jan 28 '16 at 09:01
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    Loperamide Hydrochloride is a useful drug, what they might be suggesting. – CMaster Jan 28 '16 at 13:11
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I visited several places in China and had no problems. I will admit that I stayed in some nice hotels and took the obvious precaution of drinking bottled water.

That said, general hygiene considerations such as washing your hands and then being aware of what you are touching afterwards is important. The door handle for the toilet being one thing to watch out for, and the actual table surface. It may be wiped down regularly, but the cloth used might not be 'fresh'.

Some towns/places I visited had basic toilet facilities, so I advise having hand wipes or cleansing spray with you. Better to be safe than sorry!

John TGFX
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