I have to agree. In Thailand my sister ended up having her stomach pumped twice because she tried to eat the local food like she used to when she was actually a local. Her body could not handle it after a few years in the US and she got violently sick. EDIT: While we're on the subject: Indian villagers worshiping newly built toilets instead of using them http://www.planetcustodian.com/2015...ewly-built-toilets-instead-of-using-them.html
While attached to a Marine unit at a small FOB in Afghanistan, we'd occasionally get kabobs from the locals. They were good & broke up the monotony of the daily rations. For awhile we were got them weekly until one of the Marines caught a bad kabob...he lived in the port-a-john for about three days and lost over 20lbs in that same time frame. Surprisingly, the doc didn't have to IV him, but there were bets as to whether or not he'd get evac'd. We didn't get kabobs for a few months after that.
Trip to Mexico last April was fine with food/drinks no problems, that was until I was in the airport and was fucking starving. It was either Domino or a burger joint. I went with Domino's(bad idea even in Canada/US) because I wanted to carry it onto the plane. Needless to say that plane ride and the next few days were not fun.
As Bourdain said in Kitchen Confidential, "You have to pay to play." Anything perishable sitting in the sun, avoid it. Don't lick the subway pole. And stay out of India. Pretty simple traveler's rules. No, really. Fuck India. I love how everyone idealizes it as this place rife with the colors of spices and dyes, and everywhere is this innate, intense spirituality. It's a 3rd world shithole, home to more suffering than I can bear to imagine, and you will probably get raped. I do love me some Indian food, though.
^^^ That, right there. The only other country I've ever been to is Mexico, and we all know the warnings about their water. I know lots of people from Mexico, and people (Americans) who lived in Mexico for years, and this is what they said: Your body has to adjust to to the bacteria/whatever that's in the water, and after that, you're good to go. You'll go through a week or two of pissing out of your ass, and probably lose some weight, but then it's over. With that said, I have accidentally drunk Mexican tap water a few times (while drunk/high out of my mind), and I suffered no ill effects. I wouldn't recommend it, though.
Yeah I went through travelers diahrria when I went to China. It sucked for like 2 weeks and I lost 20 lbs. After that I was fine and put the weight on and then some eating local food. Turns out we were probably eating reconstituted sewer grease as well. Even locals avoided the tap water because of heavy metals. The worst part was the fact that those animals used little packets of tissues instead of toilet paper you bought from a coin machine in the bathrooms like truck stop condoms.
My boys' former stepmother decided to go on a ... Something ... In India to teach English and spiritually reconnect with the world. So she told my ex she was leaving and volunteering. He was like "uh. Okay." Paid for her ticket and they long distanced it for awhile. Then her 46 year old self got pregnant by a 21 year old Indian. So she's their former stepmother now.
My buddy used to work with this lady named Charlene, whom he referred to as "Cane Lady" due to her obesity and use of a stroke cane to get around. She was three times divorced with 4 kids, each from different fathers (the fourth being from a boyfriend). She was a mess of a person. Apparently she met some guy online from India who told her he was high up in the caste system and some kind of royalty or something, and wanted to marry her. So what did she do? She packed up her bags and left to meet this guy. No one at the company ever heard from her again.
I mean. I have a rule restricting travel to places where farm animals roam indoors so...obstetric care in those places is pretty much completely off the table.