Street food at your own risk.

There’s something about those people who try everything, never worry, and never get sick. You know what I mean? They take every risk in the books and nothing happens so it only emboldens them to take more risks.

They’re gonna eat the street food, love it, and be fine. They’ll brag about how little it cost and how great it tasted. And let me tell you, something about that fresh food tastes good.

Then there’s careful Sally who never takes a risk, travels to South America, steps out of her comfort zone, eats a pincho off the street and ends up in the ER for contracting some rare stomach disease.

I’m not prescribing. I’m just observing.

So just know before you eat.

When I refer to street food, I’m not talking about restaurants off the street. Even the little hole-in-the-wall restaurants I don’t count as street food. I’m saying the dude grilling the maduros in the park, the guy selling orange juice out of (reused?) bottles, etc.

My personal take was… common sense. If I see raw meat in the middle of the park being grilled at 2pm, I’m not gonna eat it. Orange juice out of a strangely familiar water bottle, nope (though plenty of my friends do and are fine!) Gum, packaged ice cream, an empanada out of a little shack on the side of the road… I’m cool with it. And (thankfully) I haven’t gotten sick yet.

Just think before you eat.