I'm hatin' it: feeling the power of Indian bacteria

One of my favorite movie scenes of all time is when Ben Stiller feels extremely sick after eating at a Moroccan restaurant with Jennifer Aniston in "Along came Polly". I always tought that Ben's reaction was exaggerated, until I saw a friend of mine allucinating and sweating like a barbequer on a bed in Nepal. The cause of his misfortune? Eating the Indian equivalent of a Big Mac, the only meal he had with salad during our 2-week visit to India.

India is the land of the Taj Mahal, Yoga, curry, Gandhi and several other interesting things. However, specially if you are a traveller and don't take the necessary precautions, it can also be considered "The Mecca" of food poisoning. I'm not saying you shouldn't eat Indian food, that would be unwise. The country has one of the best cuisines in the world, using plenty of spices that result in a richness of flavors unmatched by any other nation. But I think you don't need to risk your life eating at a dodgy restaurant, if you want to try the local food (in fact, the best Indian food I ever had was in London, but you can find great restaurants in India too).

It is very common to see Indians eating with their hands, instead of using fork and knife. They usually use their right hand, as the left one is dedicated to toilet related issues. For that reason, I avoided high-fiving anyone while there, afraid of slapping the left hand by mistake. It is very easy to eat with your hands, as you can use a very tasty type of bread called "naan" to help you grab food, which very often has curry (richly spiced sauce).

A big issue in India is that tap water is very often contaminated or carries substances that will let your stomach angry with you. Therefore, we had to take showers with eyes and mouth shut and we tried to brush our teeths with bottled water. We avoided salads or anything raw, as washing them with contaminated water is like curing a muscle pain with punches. Eating outside our hotel? Only if recommended by a trustworthy guidebook, like Lonely Planet. We acted like a pussy and everything went fine, until my friend suggested a last meal at Mac Donald's. It sounded fun. It's an international food chain, they have quality standards, right? Maybe not enough.

Chicken Maharaja Mac, India's Big Mac, uses chicken instead of meat (cows are considered sacred for Indians) and a curry-like condiment replaces the famous special sauce. It tastes good, but the only problem is that it has raw components, such as lettuce, onions and tomatoes. That was most likely the reason why 24 hours later, when we were already at Kathmandu, Nepal, my friend began a tough fight against a powerful type of Indian bacteria.

After watching my friend's misery, I concluded that if you visit a place where food poisoning is the norm for tourists, it is safer to stick with the basics: nothing raw (even at Mac Donald's!) and prefer well-know or recommended restaurants. I guess that old saying "when in Rome, do as the Romans", meaning when you visit a place you should act like the locals, shouldn't apply to every country. In my opinion, it doesn't for India.



Picture: Mac Donald's in India, good idea, right?



Picture: Chiken Maharaja Mac, India's Big Mac