Sagol-sagol* - a not so merry mix-up

Yesterday, we had guests from LA and Chicago: my niece, Brisa, her mom, Millet, and their relatives who attended their cousin's wedding last Saturday. As is wont of tourists and balikbayans who come to the Philippines, they feasted on local food which is truly delicious but which can be dangerous, too.

For example, three out of the six of them who ate the oysters in Bais suffered from very bad diarrhea and vomiting last night. They're not sure though if that (the oysters) was the real culprit because they also had halo-halo with coconut meat and milk yesterday afternoon. So there was a merry mix-up of flavors and textures and ingredients and other what-nots in their gastrointestinal tracts.

My word: don't eat the oysters that are sold in the flat bottles. Best to eat the oysters direct from the shell (after it's been cooked), at least you know how clean your hands are! And don't eat the oysters on an empty stomach. I did that once and I vow never to do it again.


So how come not everyone who ate the oysters developed upset GI tracts?


I believe it's because each of us has a different gastrointestinal make-up and wiring. Some of us have "stronger stomachs," meaning our GI tracts can tolerate trauma/irritation/insults better than others. And there are some of us who have "sensitive stomachs" who succumb to even the slightest hint of impurity/pH aberration/ osmolality variation in the food or drink taken in.

So, know your GIT and when in a new place, be careful about sampling the local fare.

(*sagol-sagol is a vernacular word meaning halo-halo, not the dessert, but a literal mixture of what nots)

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Did I sound so preachy? If I did it's because the latest TBR theme is about practicing what you preach... :-)