I am thinking about visiting Cairo for 4-5 in April, which will be my first trip to Africa. To stay on the safe side I will of course only drink bottled water, but what about availbale fastfood such as McDonald ?! Are burgers there safe to eat, even though they do contain uncooked vegatables, such as salads ? Any suggestions on that will be appreciated!
Posts: 4 | Registered: Mar 2006
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ive had a couple friends who have gotten really sick but they were eatin at the local resturants i guess it jusr depends on the place
Posts: 7 | From: alex | Registered: Mar 2006
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you don't need to eat mcdonalds. don't eat street food and wash your fruit before eating and you'll be fine.
tap water is drinkable, but when traveling (anywhere) it's recommended you always stick to bottled water because every city/water supply has a slightly different mix when chlorinating their water supplies, etc. and it takes a couple of weeks for your body to adjust.
the food in cairo is safe and any discomfort (aka the infamous pharaohs curse) is simply your body meeting new (but relatively) harmless bacteria.
in fact, the only time i experienced it, it was my first time in egypt eating at the fine 5-star hotels. egyptians traveling to your country would probably encounter the same thing until their bodies adjusted to the slightly different local food.
and if you really insist on fast food, there's plenty of local fast food restaurants that rival mickey d's. you can find typical menus of fast food places (and even have them delivered to your room)at www.otlob.comPosts: 2182 | Registered: Oct 2002
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I got typhoid from a dodgy rice pudding at the local Kushari restaurant, but I still eat pudding!
Posts: 266 | Registered: Sep 2001
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No, the thing is that I like to eat fast-food. So it would be good if that was avaliable for lunches a couple of days and so on. I therefore just wanted to know how safe it would be regarding a new stomach?!
Beside that, I would like to try camel meat and pigeon. Any good and cheap places near Zamalak where I may try out these ?!
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We refer to roadide stalls selling food in Indo as " cholera carts" LOl. But we still eat at them!And they are delicious! Camel meat? Wow-I think this would be very " hot" for your body , like goat or horse or kangaroo so maybe dont eat too much at once.How is it prepared?
Posts: 872 | From: Sydney | Registered: Nov 2005
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Egypt is a tropical country, and famous for attracting intestinal problems due to varying hygiene standards. My gp used to refer to Egypt as 'diarreaflights'. So, don't fool yourself, you don't get used to Salmonella, Shigella, Colibrae, even Typhus or Yellow fever, or Hepatitis, tropical parasytes and whatever. Go native at you're own risk and otherwise be prepared.
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Of course fast food are safe!!! I hate the kind of food they serve, but you can't find a cleaner place than a macdonalds, since they have very strict internaional hygienic rules. When I arrived in Cairo, it was the place I always go to, because at least I knew it was safe. I became so sick after eating in a local restaurant. It takes some time to adjust to the local food and the way it is prepared. Now I have no problem anymore, and I can eat all the delicious egyptian food, and even in the worst restaurant!!
Posts: 531 | Registered: Jan 2006
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In my family in Egypt they take green powderlike antibiotics. A few spoons anytime someone gets 'sick', would not recommend it. And they refer to the regular occuring intestinal problems as, eating to much sugar, cold wheather and other euphemism.
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Camel meat isn't bad actually. It tastes similar to beef only tougher. The first time I ate it I didn't know it was camel. I only ate fast food once while in Alex. We ate at McDonald's and it was fine. It tasted the same as McDonald's here in the states. Don't worry about finding fast food in Egypt. There are McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC, Hardees, Moa'mens, etc. pretty much on every street in the bigger cities.
quote:Originally posted by mrax: No, the thing is that I like to eat fast-food. So it would be good if that was avaliable for lunches a couple of days and so on. I therefore just wanted to know how safe it would be regarding a new stomach?!
Beside that, I would like to try camel meat and pigeon. Any good and cheap places near Zamalak where I may try out these ?!
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