Foods You Definitely Should Not Eat In Southeast Asia

While Southeast Asia is home to some pretty fantastic eats (hello, Thailand!), it’s also home to some unsanitary food safety practices. Actually, food safety is practically non-existent in some countries.

Cut Fruits

Many of the street vendors sell fruits pre-cut, and as delicious as they look, you’ll want to avoid them. If they’re washed at all, it’s in unclean water that hasn’t been filtered. Stick to fruits you have to peel yourself.

Street Meats

Many of the meats you see being sold on the streets of countries like Laos and Cambodia have likely been sitting in the sun for hours before actually being cooked, and your stomach will hate you if you try and down any of them. Only order meats in a restaurant.

Salads

Yep, even the salads aren’t safe in Southeast Asia. Restaurants catering to Western tourists are typically safe, but locals will wash their salads in unsanitary water if they wash the vegetables at all.

Fruit Drinks

Truthfully, you should be wary of any drink being sold by street vendors that doesn’t come in a sealed container. You really have no idea how much of that is clean fruit or soda and how much is river water. Just don’t do it.