food and water safety

How safe is it to eat at the night markets? Also, is it necessary to buy bottled water.

We are first time visitors to Taipei and I thought I should ask.

food and water safety

Night market food is safe. I have brought many Western friends to night markets, and no one has gotten sick yet.

As for water, you can%26#39;t drink directly from the tap. However, I wouldn%26#39;t carry bottled water around; first of all it is cumbersome, plus there are so many drink vendors on the street you are not going to have problems getting something to drink.

food and water safety

If you%26#39;re going in the summer, I would advise against eating grilled seafood/meat since it might have been sitting out without refrigeration.

Convenience stores are everywhere, so you can buy your water or drinks there. Drinking fountains are rare.

Most foods are safe at the night market, except shellfish (esp. shrimps and crabs) and raw fish (e.g. sushi)- you don%26#39;t know how long they%26#39;ve been sitting there. I would only drink bottled water since the tap water is not always safe to drink. By the same token, avoid shaved ice and any dessert with crushed ice, cut fruits, raw vegetables, and drinks that are not from a can, since the ice may not be made from broiled water. If you stick with foods that are thoroughly cooked you should not have any problem.

Foods from restaurants, hotels, and food courts in department stores, prepared foods from supermarkets and 7-11 are generally very safe. I%26#39;ve never had any problems.

Thank you very much for your help.

Just to be sure, can you drink tap water in the hotels?

In our last visit my 6-yr old son drank from the tap a few times until I stopped him, but did not have any problem whatsoever. So the water quality is not too bad. However my mom, who lives in Taipei, would never drink the tap water. So just on the safe side, I would stick with bottled water.

Actually Taipei city tap water is very safe and checked very frequently for its quality. However, we have been brought up to boil everything since the old days and that is a habit difficult to break.

Locals say, the water may be good but the problem is with the old pipes that bring the water to you. :):)

Welcome to the forums, n to Taipei too, Restless2006.

Here are my 2-cent%26#39;s worth of tips. ;-)

..... Night market eating .....

1. We saw hawker%26#39;s hygiene to be on the thumb up side, from my stay in Taiwan in 1991, to our visits in 2006 %26amp; 2008.

2. For recommended foods, look for queues at the stalls.

3. As a ';night market caution';, I advise my fellow visitors NOT to buy n eat cut fruits in the street stalls. Those that has fruits pre-cut n displayed.

Fellow experts, do tell me if there%26#39;s new info to assure me of eating those cut fruits. Thks. :-)

..... Bottled water .....

1. Yes. I buy big bottles of mineral water. Picks of local tea drinks etc. Why? To rehydrate, simply. From the intensity of touring, n the drying weather (freezing cold or warm summer).

2. I use hot tap water in the hotel to rinse my mouth, as a precaution as drinking tap water.

Hv yr fun in Taipei!

TA :-)

TaipeiDreams.com

Clarification, I meant:

';2. I use hot tap water in the hotel to rinse my mouth, as a precaution [against, NOT as] drinking tap water.';

TA :-)

Thank you again everyone.