food and drink

daver says on Apr 23, 2005, 15:07:

I find that Ron Medellin makes me happy, and Club Colombia has similar affects. I tend to talk louder, and make jokes. Sometimes I dance. I think I get better looking, but thats a big maybe. In the morning its a different story.

Colombian food makes me happy when I´m hungry. I think the fruit and vegitables I eat here are good for my immune system.

Did I mention coffee.... Oh God it affects me in the most pleasant ways. Before Colombian coffee I feel like a sack of dog poop... After I feel like I can face the day with a smile.

I´m Canadian so I assume the affects will be similar on Americans.

Dave

PS. The water in major Colombian cities is safe. The beer is good, and they have good rum too. You can always buy bottled water, and imported alcohol if your worried. The food is safe. If you eat a fruit or vegitable that you have never had before, it might upset your stomach, but I don´t think so. People get food poisioning here, just like they do in the US. Milk taste a bit different, and so does the beef and chicken, but that has to do with animal feed. You´ll be fine... its not like the Dominican Republic where you almost need to bring your own food and water to aviod parasites and disease.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Apr 23, 2005, 15:13:

I've found out that the food and drink in Colombia makes my hair and my nails grow faster and my skin glow...
Cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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Lionheart says on Apr 23, 2005, 15:39:

glow-in-the-dark-desi I hope not ... there are countries/regions where I would be worried though ...

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Apr 23, 2005, 15:42:

even in the dark, lionheart but with the happy, healthy glow of sunshine, plenty of vitamins and laughter. That jokes thread is already working wonders.

Cheers,
Desi
(pale and wilted after the loooooooong Swedish winter)

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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Lionheart says on Apr 23, 2005, 15:52:

I know the feeling I am fairly dark skinned, living in sunless areas makes me miserable and sick. No wonder Seattle has such high suicide rates. Give me sun and fun ... I am as healthy as an ox.

If you plan to stay only a short time in a foreign country and need to be fit from day one, I generally advise against risking tap water. Even though many may be resistant, there are subtle differences not every body handles well. The same goes for water-based ice cream (often not made with tap water, but with water from places you do not want to know where they are).

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dwmte says on Apr 23, 2005, 16:18:

well, i lived there a long time... and i never got 'montezuma's revenge' like i have in colombia and it's equivalent version in india.

i can't say i was lucky, but i ate everywhere and everything in all kinds of places and never had a problem.

if you're going to be in colombia on a sports tour where your health is of critical importance, i would definitely follow lionheart's advise. use bottled water and avoid eating in out of the way places.

as i said before, i never had a problem and trust me i've lived in a lot of 'out there' places. but for your own security, take interoviaform or lomatil pills (these are prescribed but avail over the counter in colombia) and that way you will be in one piece for the sports activities. nothing like the trots to change the day's agenda.

d w m

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Apr 23, 2005, 16:40:

well, I got all the goonies and then some, but that was back in the ice age. What I've heard tap water is safe in all major cities, but I still drink bottled every time I'm visiting, just to make sure. Brush your teeth with bottled water too, don't take ice cubes in your drinks or juices, peel all the fruit and avoid salads with lettuce and tomato. You'll be there just for a short while and need to be in top form all the time.
Cheers,
Desi

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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2retirensa says on Apr 23, 2005, 16:50:

Play it safe Not that I do, but if I were to get sick, no big deal. I eat, drink everything in sight from anyplace I please and so far so good. I am sure one day it will catch up with me, just like here in USA. Recently at the farm in Armenia I drank and cooked with bottled water, but brushed my teeth and washed dishes with what ever came out of the faucet. I might just be a tough bird (I am leaving out the "old" for vanity sake).

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sandramoreno80 says on Apr 23, 2005, 17:07:

I wouldn't drink tap water in Colombia as my nan has always said that the purification process isn't enough for all those "bichos".

But I don't even drink tap water here in England if I can avoid it as it always leaves my tummy feeling "heavy". My nan boils tap water and keeps in the kitchen for cooking and making juices.

But they have never and we have never had any problem with washing our teeth with tap water.

I am a bit wary on buying food on the street, just because of the dust and pollution from the cars but I have done it and lived to tell the tale.

Don't worry too much about it, I have been going to Colombia since I was a little girl and have never a Colombian "Delhi Belly" equivalent.

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kernow62 says on Apr 23, 2005, 17:33:

At least in Bogotá I think the water is very good. I used to dip the water out of a stream in the garden in the UK. In the warmer regions, Cartagena etc. I would be more cautious and only use bottled water, over time if you live there you would probably get used to it. I did catch a bug in San Andres and think it was the fruit juice which seemed watered down compared to Bogotá and Cartagena.

Buy some Lomatil tablets when arriving, they work wonders, forget Imodium.

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Miguel says on Apr 23, 2005, 19:30:

Agua I always drink bottled water in Colombia. Also my method before going there, as recommeded by my doctor and my pharmacist is to eat yogurt two weeks before the trip. While in Colombia, I always use the ice in my drinks wherever I am, and have never gotten sick.

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kernow62 says on Apr 23, 2005, 20:16:

Miguel if you are using the ice then you aren't sticking to bottled water. Yoghurt is good, I eat it every day at home as well as in Colombia. It is best to consume plain yoghurt not the flavoured ones, it is easy to make your own, I add some fruit to mine, sometimes tupelo honey.

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platano says on Apr 23, 2005, 20:26:

Here's my 2 cents on food and drink, I think I'm fairly sensitive to food/water contamination but I think whether or not you get sick has to do with which brand of microbials are enemies with your microbes. For example, in three different trips to India I got sick every time (2 weeks diarrhea type sick)

In all my time in Colombia I ate fruits and vegetables, drank tap water, used ice cubes, and never once got sick. I think the Colombian microbes were on friendly terms with my microbes but the Indian microbes had a beef or a score to settle. (ajuste de cuentas?)

This is how my feeble mind fantasizes and visualizes these things because basically I cannot explain why I always got sick in India and never got sick in Colombia, so I anthropomorphize the microbes.

Platano
Oxigeno Verde

plátano

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chaparon bonaparte says on Apr 23, 2005, 20:59:

Last time I went to the USA I got diarrhea. Better dont eat there.

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utopiacowboy says on Apr 23, 2005, 22:52:

I am with 2retirensa, I eat and drink everything in Colombia. Even the tap water in Monteria which I definitely was not supposed to do. No ill effects whatsoever.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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