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Could someone who has visited Sri Lanka give me a quick steer on food? As I understand it, there are few issues with food hygiene, and that generally speaking one can eat salads and fruit etc. Obviously sensible precautions need to be taken when visiting small cafes or roadside stalls, as would be the case in many countries. Any guidance much appreciated.
I didn’t have any issues eating at the smaller establishments, I generally avoided meat though when doing so. I also stuck to the recommendations of my driver.
Could someone who has visited Sri Lanka give me a quick steer on food? As I understand it, there are few issues with food hygiene, and that generally speaking one can eat salads and fruit etc. Obviously sensible precautions need to be taken when visiting small cafes or roadside stalls, as would be the case in many countries. Any guidance much appreciated.
These things are all about risk – you could spend two weeks sampling street food happy go lucky and avoid infections, or you could get one from a single meal where somebody was careless with chicken.
My personal choice is to avoid water, ice, salads or unpeeled fruit unless at a 5* hotel. There’s so much great food to eat without it. I’d also suggest only piping hot food whether that’s in a fancy restaurant or a street vendor.
I don’t think I even saw a single salad in Sri Lanka. I did see a lot of outstanding food though and I ate everything I saw.
My wife tells me I have a cast iron stomach and I’ve only got ill twice travelling the world: once eating badly reheated pizza at an Indian airport and once doing I don’t know what in Kenya. The Indian pizza was solved with some 20 quids worth of tablets from a doctor, the Kenyan whatever with a day in hospital on IV antibiotics.
My personal choice is to avoid water, ice, salads or unpeeled fruit unless at a 5* hotel. There’s so much great food to eat without it. I’d also suggest only piping hot food whether that’s in a fancy restaurant or a street vendor.
Piping hot food always.
Just look for any food that needs to be freshly made. If you ask them they’ll obviously claim everything’s fresh!Even at 5* hotels, most salads and fruits are old food they keep in fridge and bring out every day for the buffet.
I met someone who had audited the Taj hotels. After taking one look at the kitchen he swore to never eat there.Thanks that’s very helpful. Will report back!
Going to the Maldives and Sri Lanka, back via Bengaluru in a few weeks. What have you done regarding vaccinations? None mandatory it seems but Typhoid and Hep A recommended? Any help is appreciated.
‘A few weeks’ won’t be helpful as the vaccines need atleast 6-8 weeks to take effect. Check with your GP.
Don’t forget to take mosquito repellents.
That’s not the case with all vaccinations, the combined Hep A and Typhoid can be taken a month before or even closer. None seem to be mandatory, awaiting the doctors response.
We did an appointment with a travel clinic to see what vaccines we might need for Sri Lanka and they basically told us as long as we were not going to engage in any high risk activities (which would be either spending time with animals or extreme sports) we would be fine. Though a course of Hep A is always good to have and lasts for many many years, so no reason not to get it!
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