Foods That Can Make You Sick When You Travel Abroad

We Travel to Try New Foods
Travel and teaching English as a foreign language abroad are some of the most interesting and mind-altering experiences we can have. We travel to meet new people, to experience new cultures, to see bold new sights and to try new foods. We need to be careful though, some foods can make you really sick, turning your dream trip into a nightmare. The quantities of bacteria, protozoa, molds, fungi and parasites ingested from food is truly amazing.



Here Are Four Food Areas to Be Wary of When Traveling Abroad

• Water
The old saying, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink” That’s because ole horsey knows that water is most often unsafe for you to drink on foreign soil. Water supplies in many countries are subject to a multitude of factors you don’t want to know. Drink only bottled, treated (by you) or boiled (preferably by you) water when traveling abroad.

• Water-based Juices
Didn’t we just say, “don’t drink the water”? Well, if your lemonade or other juice is made with local water, you don’t know where the water comes from – and maybe you don’t want to know, either. The same holds true of ice and ice cubes. You can’t be sure what the water source was they are made from.

• Fresh Salads
Again, “don’t drink the water” holds true. Yes, even for fresh salads. What do you think they “washed” the vegetables with? If you don’t know or can’t be sure, you’d better not eat that garden salad. I don’t care how “good” it looks. You could be expressing your regrets later the same day quicker than you can ask, “where’s the toilet?”

• Street Vendor Foods
Are you kidding me? You’re not actually going to eat something from the cart of that slovenly-looking guy on the corner, are you? Hey, I know that you’re here to have new experiences and to try new things. But is a tour of all the local toilet facilities and emergency rooms on your list too? If not, then be very careful about what you put in your mouth (in more ways than one, too).

Be Wary When Traveling Abroad
By all means travel, explore new regions, see new sights and wonders, learn and grow. Just remember to be wary of these seven foods mentioned here when traveling abroad. That way you help yourself to be assured of good health when traveling and eating abroad. In the companion article to this series, “Foods to Be Wary of When Traveling Abroad”, we’ll detail some additional “delicacies” to watch out for. See you then.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book,"If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Teach English as a Foreign Language: Colombian Coffee

Colombian Coffee
While talking about the wide variety of new tastes and foods a teacher of English as a foreign language abroad could experience here, let’s not forget the tantalizing aroma of Colombia’s mild black coffee that will wake anyone from their deepest slumber with a smile. Coffee likes to be grown in the cool air of mountainous slopes. Because it also prefers the shade, it’s usually planted in the shade of banana trees. The steepness of the slopes, and being interspersed with tall, large banana trees makes harvesting difficult, so it must be done by hand – berry by berry. Unripe coffee beans are green as pictured above. When they turn red, they’re picked – one by one. The commercials really aren’t kidding you. And yes, there is a Juan Valdez. He’s the “official” spokesman for Colombian coffee and travels worldwide promoting it.

A Pound of Colombian Coffee
Now, there are two beans in each coffee berry. A coffee tree may produce around two thousand ripe coffee beans each year. Since it takes about two thousand beans to make one pound, a coffee tree yields only a pound of coffee per year. Colombian mountain-grown coffee, by many, is considered to be the richest coffee in the world. Called “tinto”, it’s served freshly-brewed to every house guest or office visitor as a common courtesy in Colombia.

More Uses Other than Drinking
As you might well expect, coffee is used for much more than drinking. There are a number of other products produced from coffee. There’s coffee candy, coffee liqueur, roasted then chocolate-covered coffee beans, coffee-flavored ice cream, coffee cake made using freshly-brewed coffee – the list goes on and on. These are just consumable coffee products. There are medicinal uses for coffee as well. A coffee grounds facial mask works wonders for all types of skin problems. Then there’s the infamous coffee enema; which we won’t go into any further here. Coffee is used as a rinse for damaged, treated hair and as a poultice for sprains or swelling of the extremities.

While You’re Abroad
So while you’re abroad, teaching English as a foreign language, make sure to avail yourself of the tastes, flavors and array of local fruits, vegetables and other specialty dishes of the region you’re living in. If you aren’t doing this already then get busy. Chances are, you’ll be glad you did.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 90 countries. Get your FREE E-book,"If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Teach English as a Foreign Language: Tropical Fruits Galore

Tropical Fruits Galore
Markets in Colombia abound with ripe, fresh tropical fruits in myriads of colors and flavors like the grapefruit-sized Borojo which is said to have aphrodisiac properties in its chocolate brown, thick, creamy pulp. Most often it’s blended with milk for a creamy, flavorful drink. Chontaduro, (pictured here with green mangoes) the plum-sized bright red and yellow fruit of a palm tree, is sold on street corners everywhere in Cali, Colombia’s second largest city, as a high-calorie snack eaten with salt or covered with honey. Okay, so it’s really high in cholesterol, but who thinks about that as they’re wolfing them down? The Carambolo, also called star fruit for its five pointed shape, has a haunting, light, bittersweet flavor you’ll find refreshing due to its ultra-high water content.

Try a Guama
Why not try a two-and-a-half foot long Guama? It’s reminiscent of a giant string bean, with a cottony, sweet pulp and thumb-sized, shiny black seeds. There's the dusty-looking Zapote with its burnt orange colored pulp that permanently stains all it touches, Granadilla, and Maracuya, which you might already know as Passion Fruit. The Curuba is another that should make your must-try list along with the pink-fleshed Guayaba with pinhead-sized seeds so hard that even a hammer won’t break them open. The bright orange and green Lulo (pronounced Lou – low), with its tart greenish pulp, makes a juice not unlike strong lemonade – but better. Don’t worry; you’ll add plenty of sugar – unless you want the hair taken off your chest – from the inside. All these and more are available to pack your pantry along with a bevy of over-sized vegetables. Haven’t sampled these yet? Let me tell you, they’re ALL delicious!

Just you wait and see.

Papayas the Size of Watermelons
The year-long growing season allows papayas to attain nearly the size of watermelons, carrots as big around as your wrist, mangoes weighing more than a pound each and coconuts containing up to three glasses of “water.” Orange juice bursting with flavor is always fresh-squeezed here as practically all other fruit and vegetable juices are.

“Are you SURE you didn’t add sugar to this?” I asked after a long “pull” on an orange juice.

“Nope. You don’t have to.” My friend replied.

“Why - don’t you think it’s more than sweet enough?”

I sure did.

When You're Teaching English Abroad
When you’re abroad, teaching English as a foreign language, make sure to avail yourself of the tastes, flavors and array of local fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood and other specialty dishes of the region you’ll be living and working in. If you’re already living and teaching English abroad and you aren’t doing this then get to it - pronto. Chances are, you’ll be glad you did.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 90 countries. Get your FREE E-books,"If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

Teach English as a Foreign Language: They Eat ANTS in Colombia!

They Eat Ants in Colombia!
Not only are the fruits and vegetables different in Colombia, but other foods as well. They eat ants here. Yeah, you read it right – ants. But not the ones you slap away from your picnic vittles, these are specially-raised “Hormigas Culonas” which have an enlarged abdomen. They’re cleaned, then roasted or fried and served with a wedge of cheese or a small container of honey. Only the crunchy abdomen is dipped in honey then bitten off and eaten. They’re sort of like partially popped kernels of popcorn. (Hey, don’t knock it unless you’ve tried it.) To be honest, I had the “willies” my first time too. Now I’m an “old hand” who buys’em by the bag when they’re on sale in the spring.

P.S. As a matter of fact, while I was in the Colombian capitol, Bogota this past holiday weekend, I bought a small package of Hormigas Culonas to bring back to Cali for some friends to try. And by the way, I know that they eat ants in parts of Mexico, too.

Bountiful Colombia
When teaching English as a foreign language abroad, one of the great benefits can be the instant exposure to all manner of unique and delicious new foods. This is especially true here in Colombia, where I teach English.

Nature yields, in full, her bounty and beauty all year long in the deep valleys, fertile grasslands, tropical rain forests and rolling plains shadowed by 3000 foot plus range of Andes peaks that divide Colombia lengthwise into thirds. Hundreds of varieties of flowers unfurl into bloom, perfuming the air even in winter, although winter in this northwestern corner of the South American continent is a subjective term. Hummingbirds and multi-colored finches dot even the urban scenery in such numbers that you’ll undoubtedly think, “Surely there’s a machine around the corner manufacturing them.” The fauna is impressive, but the quantities of new and unusual tropical fruits are astounding.

We’ll continue with additional taste treats found in Colombia, one of the world’s most exotic and notorious countries, in upcoming article posts. Why don’t you make a point to put aside a few of your old prejudices and foibles and try a new taste or two where you live and teach now? Who knows, you just might be in for a not-so-unpleasant surprise. Surely, where you are now, they must eat something “a bit different” that what you were used to “back home”, right?

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 80 countries. Get your FREE E-books,"If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.

They Eat What! Latin America's Most Exotic Foods - Part 2

They Eat WHAT!

If you’re teaching English as a foreign language abroad, you can expect changes in foods ranging from the simple to the outrageous as we noted in yesterday's part 1 of this series.

So you’re back for more, huh? Well if I didn’t get to you in part one with “treats” from Colombia, Brazil and Mexico you’re gonna just love what you’ll get here in part two of this three-part series. We’re going to travel into the jungles of Colombia and up into the high Andes mountain range in Ecuador to introduce you to some “Eye-opening”, high-flying specialties that’ll make partly-cooked greasy pork liver seem like “Haute Cuisine”. Hungry yet? Tighten up your belts then and let’s continue our culinary tour.

Three-Toed Sloth

Called “Oso Perezoso” (lazy bear) in Spanish, these dense-haired, slow moving creatures live off of jungle foliage and leaves. You would think they’d be easy to catch, but in fact, they can live high up in the trees and be extremely difficult to spot. Cleaning and preparing to cook one takes several hours. Most of time being spent just to remove the coarse, dense hair which is done by dipping the carcass in boiling water and painstakingly scraping or pulling the hair off. The result is worth it though as it has the most delicious meat I’ve ever tasted when cooked in a thick, rich stew. Sloths are kept as pets since they’re actually quite harmless despite having up to four-inch long claws.

In the Cartagena photo above, English as a foreign language teacher Geny Vidal, from the southern Colombia city of Popayan, cuddles someone else’s pet sloth.

Bofe

Pronounced “bow-fay”, the dried, roasted lungs of a cow are this snack food. Often available at airport restaurants and street food vendors in Colombia, it’s a somewhat acquired taste, but not one that’s unpleasant by any means. Most people simply have to get past the thought of what it is (believe me; you DON’T want to see it before it’s cooked). It’s difficult and time-consuming to prepare. Ready to eat, it’s a dark, unappetizing looking concoction cut into bite-sized cubes for easy munching.

Vulture

Yup, you read right – Buzzard, is eaten in some towns in the Central Highlands of Ecuador. It’s caught, plucked and thoroughly cleaned (I wouldn’t want THAT job!). The high Andes mountain range runs from Colombia south through to Chile and is home to vast flocks of Condors. Condors are carrion-eating birds. I don’t have to tell you what “carrion” is, do I? The cleaned, prepared bird is normally prepared in soup with seasonings, broth and vegetables like yucca, potato, plantain, celery and carrots.

Cow’s Eye

Ever wonder what happens to the “unwanted” parts of food animals like the reproductive organs? Well in Latin countries, these parts are eaten same as the rest of the animal. Consisting mostly of liquid, cow’s eye is sold fresh, of course. It’s most frequently cooked by being stirred into a hot pot of chocolate and served as a drink or a thick “soup” of sorts. Although it’s relatively common and popular in Colombia, I haven’t taken the plunge yet. Several of my acquaintances say the concoction’s quite tasty.

How would YOU like to try it?

In part one of this three-part series, we traveled through Brazil, Colombia and Mexico to sample ants, piranha and green iguana. In part two you were introduced to sloth, vulture and cow’s eye and lungs. In the final part of this series you’ll meet more exotic foods. From the Pacific coast to the mountain highlands of the Peruvian Andes we’re going to rock you with even more “treats” of Latin America you’ll never forget. Brace yourself for this one. It’s definitely NOT for pansies.

If you’d like to get part three of this series “They Eat What! Latin America’s Most Exotic Foods”, please e-mail me at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com . I’ll be waiting.

Bon Appetit!

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on entering or advancing in the fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language send for his no-cost pdf Ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know”, by sending an e-mail with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line. For comments, questions, requests, to receive more information or to be added to his free TESOL articles and teaching materials mailing list, e-mail: lynchlarrym@gmail.com