Getting sick at chinese buffet? what should I eat? do you get sick/?

Question

I went three times at different chinese buffets and vomited all three times. I do not get sick though at regular chinese restaurants. Today I am invited to a chjnese buffet, i am going to take pepto bismol prior and perhaps try to stay away from seafood. what should be safe to eat?

Answer 1

Are you crazy?  Stay away from that joint!

Answer 2

After your first vomiting experience, you've probably conditioned yourself to feel sick after Chinese buffet.  The mind and body's reaction to bad food is funny that way.  It very quickly "learns" from previous mistakes and it's hard to convince it otherwise with the rational part of the brain.  Sometimes even after a vomiting stomach bug you'll, be temporarily  conditioned to feel nauseated by whatever you happened to eat before the bug hit.

To re-teach yourself, try eating foods that are completely different from what you had during prior buffet visits.  Maybe you'll gradually get out of this pattern.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Yeah Chinese health standards are among the worst in the world. I work in a club where there's a chinese buffet and i tell EVERYONE i know not to go there. They leave buckets of raw chicken out of the fridge for days, leave raw seafood deliveries on the loading dock for hours in summer, the cool room is on 15 degrees celcius (should be 5) i've even seen them wash off the stir fry with the fire hose and cook it in new sauce! Dont even get me started on how much MSG they use.

Forgot to mention that this place has won multiple business excellence awards!

Answer 4

Eat something at home before you go and then at the restaurant, just eat the desserts and hot tea or coffee.

I love going to Asian buffets but can no longer go as frequently due to health problems I've developed -- I pig out & must have the desserts & then suffer later.

Answer 5

dont eat there again,

WOW, doesnt take a genius to figure that out.

Answer 6

Chinese restaurants are notorious for health code violations.

Answer 7

Further to Maria T's answer, I only eat chinese once a while - I would probably get sick if I were to eat the amount you eat.

Have you considered other types of food? Like Italian or Indian?

Answer 8

oh.....i ate Chinese today it was good i only eat it about twice a year id advise you too take rice and chow-min!!k?

Answer 9

I have had the pleasure of eating Chinese food at buffets in London, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong, Chinese cities Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Dongguan, Kunming ... never been sick. Those who say that Chinese health standards are below par probably never travelled outside their country.

Answer 10

omg... that is because chinese buffets are not sanitary, the food is not kept at the proper temp to keep bacteria from growing, and there are people with their grubby hands in everything...

if you have already been sick from it 3 times, WHY would you go again? if the event is so important that you are willing to risk your health, then go.

if you're smart, then don't.

and pepto-bismol does not prevent bacteria in food from effecting your digestive system.

you will be safer to eat only breads, and possibly the desserts. no meat whatsoever, especially seafood and chicken.

Answer 11

The most likely cause is anything with rice in it.  Rice has  a bacteria in it that does not get killed by boiling and it ferments if it is kept under 130 degrees.  It is called Bacillus Cereus.  It especially thrives in rice that has protein added to it, such as eggs and chicken in fried rice.  It is often called "fried rice syndrome" The symptoms are either acute vomiting that starts within six hours of eating and passes within 12 hours within eating the food.

The seafood is less likely a cause.  Most fried foods are safe such as the egg rolls and chicken in sweet sauce.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_ce...

Many people get this poisoning without thinking it is from the rice.  They usually suspect meat, but rice and salad are far more common causes of food borne illness than meat.  Cross contamination by poor hygene is the biggest cause.  Buffets are especially dangerous for food poisoning since left overs are often improperly chilled down and reheated which gives the food time to ferment when it is in the "Danger zone" between 45-130 degrees.

Bacteria need food warmth and moisture to thrive.  Acid sugar and salt all slow the growth of bacteria.  In general fully cooked meats are unlikely sources of contamination.

One of our local Chinese places was shut down after they discovered they were using cats.  I don't eat so much Chinese anymore.

Then there's this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=z9DAoX_kj6c&f...

:::Note that the restaurant was STILL in business after this!!!:::

So stick to the fried foods and beef and broc. Go early and check to see if the food looks like it is freshly made.

Cruise ships are another hot bed for food poisoning because of the buffets.

Answer 12

yeah you should just eat simple things like white rice or anything else simple that doesn't look like it will make you puke.

stay away from the spicy foods!

and if there isn't anything else you find that is easy on your stomach. Just have a bowl of rice and a fortune cookie and make an excuse why your not that hungry or say you  just CRAZY 'bout that white rice or something else that your friends would believe.

Answer 13

Many buffets (Chinese included) use certain chemical products so that the food stays fresher longer.  The food has to be out there in the trays for a long time.  Some people are allergic to this chemical.  I am not, but my spouse is.  If you are allergic to this, Pepto-bismol will not stop you from getting sick, but it might alleviate the symptoms afterward.  If the food was actually rancid, then everyone would be getting sick.

Answer 14

Not to make you sicker, but once I saw a video on tv of a Chinese Buffet where a server accidentally dropped a platter full of noodles all over the floor and he just mopped them up with his feet into a pile and put back into the serving dish. Tht was soooo gross!!

I suggest that you stay away from buffets and seafood.  Too many chances for contamination.