Sushi at the supermarket

[alexstardust]

Sometimes I don't want to go to a restaurant alone and I'm too lazy to cook, so I just buy food like those rice and chicken bowls you can find everywhere.

 

At Villa Market, at the end of Suk Soi 11, almost next to Insanity, they have cheap ready-to-eat sushi trays that actually look good and taste ok (much better than those at 7-11, that I would never eat).

 

The price is really good so I was wondering if you consider it too risky to have some salmon sashimi... I don't have a clear idea about hygiene standards here in Thailand.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

[westexpat3]

See what the packaging date is. No way it is kept at proper temp so if it’s not from that day it seems sketchy to me. Same with tops but the sushi sucks personally even as an option to Mcdonald. The sushi at sushi express in terminal 21 is cheap fresh and ok for the price. Also try sushi and other prepared meals at emporium. At 7 it goes on sale all the prepared food is on sale 30-50% off. Its kept at a better temp than other super markets and it’s pretty good and ok price. 89-130b

[pgstc776]

😬  Yeah... packaged sushi is almost always a HARD pass; the only exception is if you're sitting there watching them package it. 

[JVHyatt]

any riskier than street food bro?  I dont think so.

[schnytzal]

1 hour ago, JVHyatt said:

any riskier than street food bro?  I dont think so.

it's a function of possible contamination, time, and temperature. with pretty much *any* food borne pathogen.

if the supermarket keeps the sushi cold enough, like most non-terrible sushi restaurants do, then i'd do it. i get salmon from the Tops near me (usually early in the day).

street food, i look for stuff that's cooked on the spot, not stuff that's cooked and sits there waiting for flies to accumulate. curries etc are ok if they keep the heat on 'em. but sitting around at ambient temperature? yikes.

funny thing about street food is westerners are so afraid of pla ra, it smells funky but it's a lactoferment. if it ferments properly other bacteria can't live there! if you get sick from somtam and it ain't chilli belly it's probably from the nasty little field crabs. but the thing is, isaan style somtam just isn't as good without the nasty little field crabs even though you don't eat the damn things lol. could also be poor hygiene on the part of the cook, but that can happen anywhere on Earth in any restaurant.

[little_me]

3 hours ago, JVHyatt said:

any riskier than street food bro?  I dont think so.

I've gotten a bug at least twice that I clearly remember in Thailand.  Both times from under cooked meat (I'm pretty sure, once beef, once chicken) that I was too dumb to stop eating.

If it's fully cooked it's fine, especially fully cooked right in front of you, even if on a cart in the street...

Fresh food, fruits and vegetables, stick to things that can be pealed. 

Any kinda leafy green that needs to be washed, i.e. no lettuce, no raw cauliflower or broccoli, etc.  Doesn't really matter where, street cart or fancy western'ish restaurant, if you're not going to drink the tap water don't eat shit that relies on being washed in it.

I've had sushi numerous times at different Fuji and Shabu Shabu locations, never had a problem.  But my experience eating packaged sushi (never tried in Thailand...) has been that the rice gets all gunked up and it end up just tasting poor enough it's just not worth bothering.  Never understood how the rice can get funky before the fish, but, remember what they say "Eating sushi is a lot like eating pussy, it's all about the texture, if it taste like fish, it's gone bad, stay away from it!!!".