Is It Safe to Eat Street Food in China?

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Is It Safe to Eat Street Food in China?

Written by Jean Chesterton on July 22, 2008 – 11:26 am

Ask Jean about China is a weekly feature on TeachAbroadChina.com. We welcome any questions related to living and working in China. Feel free to submit your questions by clicking here. We look forward to hearing from you.

Dear TeachAbroadChina.com

My Chinese colleagues colleagues in the English department will often invite me to eat with them after work on the street. I enjoy this opportunity to spend time with them but I am concerned about my health. Is it safe to eat food on the street in China?

Annette, an ESL teacher in Northern China

Jean responds to Annette’s question about eating off the street in China

Dear Annette,

Thank you for your question. It is difficult to answer your question satisfactorily because the cleanliness of the food and how it is prepared can vary greatly from street to street in China. Some foreigners come to China and find that their stomachs simply cannot handle street food in China. They are too sensitive. Others, such as myself, have never had a problem with Chinese street food. If I had to make a ‘blanket’ statement about eating street food in China, I would say that it is better to avoid it as much as possible. While contracting an actual disease by eating street food in China is relatively rare, there just is no question that the food on the street will not be very fresh. Food poisoning is also much more common on the street. Why not pay a few extra RMB and eat inside in China? This is a much safer alternative for your health.

If you for some reason really enjoy eating out on the street then perhaps it is a good idea to do a little observing first before you order. Are there flies buzzing around the food? How about the meat and vegetables? How are they being stored? Is your preparer using gloves? Does your server put new plastic on the dishes before he brings you the food? And always make sure that you ‘bathe’ your chopsticks in hot water before you use them. A little common sense can go along way when it comes to deciding whether or not to eat on the street in China.

We welcome your stories about eating in China. What do you think about street food? Leave us a comment below.

Sincerely,

Jean

Ask Jean about China is a weekly feature on TeachAbroadChina.com. We welcome any questions related to living and working in China. Feel free to submit your questions by clicking here. We look forward to hearing from you.

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