In Reply to: the belly posted by harrisfm on Thursday, 10. March 2005 at 20:25 Bali Time:
If they claim that of every 100 people who go to Bali, only 40 get Bali Belly, then that's not really terribly amazing. Most of the time you won't have any problems unless you have a sensitive gut already.
If they gave their product to 100 people and then fed them a sate made from three-day-old roadkill, and 60 of them were fine, then it sounds like a decent product.
But for $100 you may as well just eat in places where Bali Belly is least likely to strike, rather than at places that are cheaper but may be dodgy.
If you're really worried, just sit and have a drink at the place where you want to eat, and watch people who have already eaten to see if they look a bit crook. Most of the time, Bali Belly bacteria operate so quickly you'll hear the bowells gurgling before the infected person leaves the restaurant.
No method of avoidance is 100% effective, but the odds of getting BB these days are lower than most people would have you believe. I eat anything from anywhere, and the worst I've had was a day or two of mild squits. I usually just ask locals which food carts are the best ones. The archives are full of every possible safeguard you could imagine, and a few you'd never dream of.
As an added precaution, I make sure I have something to read, just in case I find myself sitting by myself for longer than usual.