Best Dining in Dumaguete City - Your Opinions Wanted!!!

I hear what you are sayin' but my personal experience (unfortunately having a digestive system that is highly susceptible to bacteria in food) agrees with the Mayo Clinic, who say: "Food poisoning symptoms, which can start within hours of eating contaminated food . . . ."

Due to my sensitive guts I can usually tell within an hour that the symptoms are coming. It is an unfortunate affliction but it has me sympathizing with Fritz and his stomach problems. I envy those with cast iron stomachs who can eat, with no ill effects, things that would put me in the hospital (been there, done that).

 

I'm going to agree with Dave, I have gotten very sick from eating at restaurants in Dgt several times, I will always be able to tell within one to two hours that it's coming. Full on max "on the floor in the cr" symptoms after about 4 to 6 hours.

 

Viruses and fungi are also responsible for food poisoning. As for bacteria and fungi, the problem is that they may already have multiplied into significant numbers within the food you ate and may also have produced toxins (poisons) in the food, so when you eat it you immediately have those toxins in your stomach (some may be destroyed, but not all). The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (commonly called 'staph') can cause symptoms even 30 minutes after ingestion.

Bacteria divide into two every 20 minutes (as a generality) and just try doubling 1 to 2 to 4 etc. every 20 minutes - you soon get a figure of millions. Viruses do not multiply in food as they need living cells for that process.

We seem to know when we visited somewhere where we ate bad food, be it immediately or days afterwards. My worst two cases were from a sausage in a pub and from a trifle - neither took place in the Philippines.

 

When we first arrived, we had stomach problems with some regularity. When we switched to BOTTLED WATER ONLY, 90% of the problems disappeared (even casablanca, one of our regular spots).. For awhile, we asked, "filtered or purified" for regular water, but we still had problems, (we think they fibbed a bit). Now we almost never have problems, maybe one a month... "Service Water" never never never, Bottled ONLY...

 

One of the reasons you had more frequency of infections when you first arrived would have been your lower immunity to the specific pathogens in the Philippines. Although you will have met SIMILAR types in your home country they would have had some antigenic differences. The longer you stay in a new country the more your body meets new organisms and becomes immune to them (unless they kill you first). In fact, getting low-grade infections is good as it helps develop immunity which may prevent more serious infections in the future - it is a bit like being vaccinated.

 

Very true NMRN, but i tried to make my post briefer by leaving out that when we forget and do get "service water" instead of bottled, we have a problem 6 times outta 10, and we're three months short of two years here.

 

My digestive system is a little fragile sometimes. If I get an upset bowel then I take ERCEFLORA. It's some type of biological similar to what's in Yakult.
Erceflora is available over the counter and the cost is small, maybe 25 pesos. It works great for me.
I avoid IMODIUM and similar products as you can end up terribly constipated.

 

There is also the method of 'faecal microbiota transplantation' to consider. This involves taking faecal matter (poo) from a healthy donor and giving it to a recipient who has a damaged 'normal gut flora' due to use of antibiotics or certain diseases. I am not aware if they come in different flavours. Something to think about.