Bali Belly
Bust A Move are posts focused on what Tyler and Megan are thinking and learning before, during and after their move to another country.
Learning about Food Poisoning in Bali the Delicious Way
It was only a matter of time, and this time it was week two. Bali Belly, Dehli Belly, Montezuma’s Revenge, the Shanghai Shock, Chinese Chocolate Sauce…all names for the same thing: traveler’s butt (I’m not using the “d-word” It's an ailment so all consuming, that it makes even a sight like this comforting:
So what got me? Honestly, I was playing with fire the entire night before. It could’ve been:
- One of the four mangosteens we bought at a SUPER local fruit stand and ate after only water washing them under local water.
- Some nasi jinggo—a banana leaf filled with fried tempeh, shredded chicken, rice and chillies I got from a nice lady on the street who mimed that it was “too hot” for "bule" (white people)—boy, did I showed her.
- A fire-roasted chicken leg slathered in chili sauce and cooked to perfection on a homemade grill in a “restaurant” operated out of the family’s garage.
- And finally…another chicken leg, but this time fried and served with fresh chili sauce being prepared by a guy smoking as he chopped the tomatoes.
There’s really no way of telling what it was (but I know it wasn't from the delicious babi guling at Gung Cung, tho.) It could’ve been from the day before at a SUPER touristy place that served tacos (I had a craving, ya’ll). It could’ve been all the fruit smoothies we’re drinking. It could’ve been something that got on my toothbrush!
Mind you, the universe gave me signs. Megan was a spectator watching me eat, as she was nursing her own case of food sickness from the night before. We had just walked by a pharmacy touting an aide for the runs that we both laughed at. I noted out loud that I should probably wash my hands before going fingers first into a pile of rice. Basically, I thought I was invincible because delicious flavors will always overpower rotten bacteria…right? Regardless, this was a top 10 food flavor night and I wouldn’t trade it for the resulting day-after case of the sit downs.
My onset happened overnight, and I woke up feeling like I just got ran over by a car—but for some reason I was so hungry I devoured breakfast immediately. Moments later, Bali Belly opened my floodgates for the next 48 hours, and had me looking at the landscape like this:
So, could I have done anything about this beyond being born and raised in a third-world country? The answer is basically no. After doing some research on the subject, doctors say that antibiotics could clear up what’s wrong with me, but taking it for “lighter” cases of Bali Belly like I had leaves you wide open to attacks from other bacteria and viruses—not to mention makes you immune to bacteria. Pepto is also an option, but it shouldn’t be taken long term. Plus, it isn’t necessarily a “cure” as much as it is a mask that hides your symptoms while you go about your day feeling 40%.
I guess all I can do is tough it out—after all, it’s what the Balinese people did growing up to get their steel-plated guts. But will I chill out on all the cart food intake from here on out just so I don’t get a 2-day tummy ache? You’ll need take take our more than my belly to keep that street meat away from my mouth!!!
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