The Informed Traveler
The Informed Traveler
Food Safety When Traveling & Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City
One of the great things about travel is trying news things and enjoying new experiences and that includes food. But there are a few things you should be aware of before you take that first bite and a few things you should just avoid all together. So on this week's show travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to talk about food safety while traveling. Then travel writer Debra Smith will be here to share her latest stay at the Auberge Saint-Antoine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the heart of historic Québec City.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00:Well, hello and welcome to the Informed Traveler podcast, a weekly travel podcast where our goal is to help you become a more informed traveler. I'm your host, Randy Sharman. One of the great things about travel is trying new things and enjoying new experiences, and that includes food. But there are a few things you should be aware of before you take that first bite and a few things you should just avoid altogether. So in a few seconds, travel expert Onanda Forbes will join me to talk about food safety while traveling. And then travel writer Debra Smith will be here to share her latest stay at the Aubert Saint-Antoine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the heart of historic Quebec City overlooking the St. Lawrence River. The hotel offers breathtaking views and is ideally situated just steps from the city's most popular tourist sites. So we'll find out more from Debra about that later in the podcast. But first, let's kick things off chatting with travel expert Onanda Forbes, who's joins us each week to discuss some of the travel news and travel trends. You can follow her adventures on Instagram, Facebook, and X at OnantaForbes. OnantaForbes.com is her website. Hi, Onanta.
SPEAKER_03:Hi, Randy. How are you?
SPEAKER_00:I'm very well, thank you. We're going to talk about food, something that I think all of us like to certain degrees. Some like it more than others. I love food.
SPEAKER_02:Well,
SPEAKER_00:it's kind of a necessity.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Who doesn't like food? We all all know what we like. Put it that way. Right. So we're not all the same. And interesting article from Christopher Elliott. He's a consumer and travel advocate. I get his newsletter and his one of his latest newsletters talking about don't eat this on vacation morning. And he goes through some lists of things that you should be aware of. So it's interesting. I thought it might be interesting that we talk about that. Have Have you ever run into like circumstances on holidays where you're kind of not sure if I should be trying this or you did try it and, you know, it wasn't a good result?
SPEAKER_03:Yes, actually, I did. It was last Christmas. I was in Antigua. And, you know, the food there, we're at an all-inclusive resort, four and a half star. Nothing like that I thought was awry. Straightforward, you know, having fun. having some food. But then later that night, it hit me where I did have some issues and it lasted throughout the next day where I couldn't leave my bed, couldn't enjoy that beautiful sunshine outside. So yeah, it does happen. And, you know, when you're traveling to a place that's new to you, there's germs that your body isn't used to or just something, something's happening that you just don't know what caused it in a sense.
SPEAKER_00:Well, yeah. And, you know, It's happened to me too in Venezuela. And I knew I shouldn't have done this, but there was a vendor on the beach selling fish. It was cooked fish. It wasn't raw fish. But yeah, same sort of circumstance. So yeah, once it happens to you, then you kind of learn your lesson a bit. But it's something that you don't want to happen. And I know when I interview a lot of people about destinations, one thing I always... ask is, you know, what's a local food you have to try kind of thing, because that's part of the fun of traveling is trying different dishes, local foods, that kind of thing. But you do have to be aware.
SPEAKER_03:Absolutely. And one of the biggest things that I, I even have this when I'm at home, but when I travel, I always have hand sanitizer. So if you, you know, always wash your hands before eating or preparing food, if you say you're doing a rental or whatever. And it's important to, you know, after you use the bathroom, maybe you have kids and you're changing diapers or having contact with animals or sick people. So I think that's hugely important. And if you don't have Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer. It's always to keep some with you when you travel. And especially after COVID, I think that, or even before COVID, you know, people are just really conscious of contact.
UNKNOWN:Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_00:Well, and again, Christopher Elliott's newsletter, Elliott Confidential, he talks about gives you some things that what you shouldn't eat when you travel and he pretty much covers everything. So you kind of have to pick and choose. But the first one he says is raw or undercooked meat and seafood. I am not a huge seafood lover. So this really isn't a problem with me. But some people are. And yeah, this is this is the one number one on the list.
SPEAKER_03:Right. So that includes meats, fish, as you say, including shellfish. And if you can, boil it, cook it, peel it, or then leave it. Because those are your four options. Because you never know what's happening with regards to how it's prepared or not prepared. And then the heat, you know, and also another good tip is eat fruits and vegetables if you've washed them in safe water or peel them yourself. You know, consider it like everybody wants to be healthy and they enjoy salads right but sometimes you might have to avoid salads or other items that are made with fresh produce I know one of the things I enjoy when I'm away is a cocktail and sometimes the ice like you might have to be very mindful of ice that's in your cocktail or in your drinks it doesn't even have to be a cocktail it could be a coke or water whatever the case may be so be mindful of the ice as well and With regards to food, you know, making sure that they're well cooked, that they are served hot, avoid foods that are served at room temperature. And sometimes, you know, at all-inclusive buffets are pretty difficult. or available. And that could be a breeding ground for bacteria, especially if they've been sitting out in lukewarm temperatures. So that might be a red flag for you as well.
SPEAKER_00:Well, yeah. And, you know, different countries have different preparation standards. And so, you know, we're not really picking on any destination because they all have different standards, different things. And again, it's just being aware. Street food is a big one. Like I said, my incident happened I'll call it street food was on the beach because you're never sure the preparation behind it, the sanitary standards in how it was presented and cooked and those types of things, right?
SPEAKER_03:Right. Absolutely. And so with regards to water in general, so drink water only if it's been boiled or disinfected or in a commercially sealed bottle. And then, as I said, with the ice, make sure it's asked. if you could, that it's made from purified or disinfected water. And then for commercially sealed beverages in cans and bottles that are served unopened, such as carbonated drinks and drinks made with boiled water and served steaming hot, such as coffee and tea, are generally safe. Another thing you might want to consider is when you brush your teeth with purified or bottled water, that
SPEAKER_02:might...
SPEAKER_03:help you as well. And then avoid unpasteurized dairy products and fruit juices. So lots to consider. But I think at the end of the day, though, that advice will go a long way.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, exactly. It used to be the old joke. You talk about water, don't drink the water when going to Mexico, but their standards have come up quite a bit. So I don't think that's the issue as much as it used to be. Again, it depends on where you're going. The last one that we didn't mention, it was dairy, you know, in hot climates. Again, it goes back to my comment about preparation standards and storage standards. If cheese and yogurt and milk have been out in the hot sun or not cooled properly, that could be a problem.
SPEAKER_03:Right. Absolutely. And, you know, you have to also think it's not just consuming food and drinks. It may be even while you're swimming or bathing because water may look clean, but it's still polluted or contaminated. So you can get sick if you inhale or swallow it while bathing or showering or swimming. And, you know, you should try and avoid getting water in your mouth or your nose when swimming or participating in activities like in freshwater, like streams or canals or lakes, or even water in pools or hot tubs, which may not be adequately treated. So again, things to look out for, but you don't want to get... I don't know, paranoid about traveling because it's still a fun activity and you still should enjoy it, but you just have to be aware.
SPEAKER_00:That's a good, yeah, I couldn't say it any better. Yeah, the whole joy of traveling is trying things new and experiencing new things. But yeah, just be aware and make sure that you're doing it safely. That's all.
SPEAKER_03:Right. And, you know, all this great advice may come too late.
SPEAKER_02:And so...
SPEAKER_03:How can you say no to the allure of space cake, which I think in Amsterdam, I think one of the authors of this article had said that they tried in Amsterdam or resist the smell like you did of spicy or just yummy street food. So let's assume you've eaten something you shouldn't have. Don't panic. Drink lots of water. Dehydration is probably the biggest risk with foodborne illnesses. Bottled or filtered water, not tap water, is recommended and If your symptoms persist more than 48 hours and include severe dehydration, high fever, seek medical attention. Don't wait until it's an emergency. And then, as we always say, always remember to get travel insurance before you leave because that will help you if you do have to go to a doctor or a hospital.
SPEAKER_00:Very good points. And we've got to thank Christopher Elliott again. Elliott Confidential is the newsletter. Elliottconfidential.com, by the way, if you want to sign up for his newsletter. It's pretty good. He gets some pretty good tips in there. And Onanta Forbes has her website, onantaforbes.com. You can follow her as well on Instagram, Facebook, and X at Onanta Forbes. Good stuff, Onanta. Thank you.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you. Have a good week.
SPEAKER_00:This is the informed traveler podcast. I'm Randy Sharman. Just want to remind you of our website, the informed traveler.org. That's where you can find our contact page. If you have any questions or comments about the podcast, you can also email me too, with any questions you might have. My email address is Randy at the informed traveler.org. And if you want to get up to date travel info through the week, or just see a few amusing travel stories and links, you can like us on Facebook at facebook.com slash informed traveler on Instagram at informed traveler. or on X at Informed Traveller. Plus, you can now sign up for our monthly newsletter. It's released at the beginning of every month. Our August issue is now available. Just go to our website, theinformedtraveller.org, click on the newsletter button. It'll take you right there, or you can subscribe to it and have it arrive in your inbox each month. Let's talk about traveling to Quebec City now, which is what travel writer and photographer Deborah Smith did recently, staying at the Aubert Auberge Saint-Antoine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the heart of historic Quebec City. And Debra joins us now to share her experience. Her website is wheretolady.com. You can also follow her on Instagram at wheretolady. Hi, Debra.
SPEAKER_01:How are you doing, Randy?
SPEAKER_00:I'm well, thank you. I have to say, we're going to talk about the Auberge Saint-Antoine. I hope I said that correctly. I'm sure that when people say it with a French accent, it comes out a lot smoother. But it's in Quebec City. I love Quebec City. I love it for all its history. I love the old part of the city, the cobblestone streets. It's absolutely amazing. And it looks like the Aubert Saint-Antoine kind of fits the bill if you're looking for a little bit of history and going back into time.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, absolutely. A lot of history. I think it would tick all the boxes there, including the cobblestone streets. It's on a very narrow historic street right down in the old port area of Quebec City. And the building itself, I can talk about that a bit. It's actually about 300 years old. And it was originally used as a... It's been owned by the Price family, so it's individually owned. owned and operated by the family. And they've been in Quebec City for over 200 years, originally from Wales.
SPEAKER_00:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. And so the great, great, great grandfather, Price, came over to do logging, wound up in the logging industry. And so they've been there for six generations. And they originally opened the hotel in 1992. Wow.
SPEAKER_00:Nick, when you're talking about history in Quebec City, if you're wandering around the old part of the city there, there's buildings there and they'll have a little plaque on there saying when it was built. And a lot of them go back to the 1700s. So, yeah, it truly is an amazing thing. So how many nights were you there? And what did you like about it?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, well, we just were there for one night, but it was memorable. It's a wonderful building. Just speaking of the history, it's actually a Relais and Chateau hotel, and it's a museum hotel. So when they were building the hotel, they worked very closely with the Museum of Civilization, which is right around the corner, and they kept... thousands and thousands of artifacts. And now throughout the hotel, these artifacts are sensitively displayed on all the floors. And it's the most fascinating thing. They have them in not glass cases, but they're actually glass. embedded right into the wall with a glass cover. And so you can see all these, oh, eyeglass spectacles, pieces of pottery, you know, and each room, well, I shouldn't say that not each room, but each suite has an artifact that's associated with it. So ours actually wound up being a glass bottle stopper, which was really cute.
SPEAKER_00:Well, it doesn't sound like it's a huge hotel.
SPEAKER_01:Well, actually, there's 95 rooms in the hotel. The interesting thing, of course, is that each one of those 95 rooms is completely unique and decorated, and each one is completely different. And they're... They all have historical touches. Some tend towards the rustic, I would say, but the majority of them fall somewhere between historic and contemporary. And then there is one or two that are like very contemporary rooms. But that being said, they've all been done to an incredibly high standard. So you'll find all the modern conveniences that you're looking for, USB outlets and all that, heated floors, all those nice things in every room.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, people like history, but they still like the modern touches too, right? Oh, yes,
SPEAKER_01:absolutely. And they just do that perfectly. So
SPEAKER_00:what do they offer as far as amenities, those types of things?
SPEAKER_01:Well, they have two really very nice products. dining experiences. The first one is their bar artifact. I'll talk a bit about that. When you enter the hotel, just off the lobby to the left, you'll see it right there. And it's a casual bar, very nice, also contemporary, wonderful design, beautiful bits of nature being brought in there. I could talk a bit about their light fixtures that look like tree branches with little birds on them, things of that nature. And in there as well, a Harkening back again to the history, they have a larger display. And in there, you can see one of the cannons that they found, a very small cannon.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, cool.
SPEAKER_01:Mounted into the wall. It's really interesting. It's wonderful. And huge swags of velvet curtains in some of the lunch areas. It's really a nice place to go for lunch or in the evening for a drink. Now, their dining room is called Chez Muffy. And It is stunningly beautiful. Again, the old exposed timbers, so it's got a really old Quebec feel about it, but it has a lovely terrace as well, and that's where we had dinner. The chef's tasting menu is just wonderful, and you can sit there and watch the St. Lawrence and enjoy your meal with a nice glass of wine. It's beautiful.
SPEAKER_00:I am looking on the Albert Saint Antoine website. It's saint-antoine.com. And it says on there, you're talking about the St. Lawrence, the views of the St. Lawrence. So, you know, talk about a little bit of just the neighborhood and some of the views as well.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, right. Well, you're right downtown in the old city of Quebec. You're steps away from the river. where there's a beautiful park. You're also just steps away too from where the boats leave. They have riverboat cruises up and down the St. Lawrence, which people might be interested in. You're right around the corner from that, which is wonderful. A few more steps and you're right in the heart of Old Town with their chocolate shops and maple syrup shops and
SPEAKER_02:all
SPEAKER_01:the wonderful things that you've come to expect from Quebec City. And not too far from the funicular, which is a little train that will the pedestrian train that takes you up to the top uh where the uh chateau front neck is so that you're overlooking the river there and um so very very you couldn't have a better location it's it's really everything
SPEAKER_00:how's your french by the way
SPEAKER_01:Oh, terrible. It's high school French, but I must say everyone there is so kind. And, you know, they do appreciate always, you know, a greeting. Bonjour. Hi. You know, say hello and just do your best. And they'll immediately, at least in Quebec City, switch into English as soon as they know that, you know, that you're not fluent. But, yeah. High school French will take you a long way.
SPEAKER_00:C'est bon. Yes.
UNKNOWN:Oui.
SPEAKER_01:One of the things they offer, which is quite unique, is that they have a collaboration with Volvo. So while you're staying there, they'll let you take a complimentary ride in this luxurious SUV with a panoramic roof, and it's all on the house, as it were. And you can take it out and take a little drive around, maybe go over to Ile d'Orleans, where they have their... garden they have a garden that supplies the restaurant so things couldn't be fresher um but you know that's kind of a fun thing to do and you can just as far as parking i should you know you're just going to valet park your car with them because as i said it's a very narrow road there's there's no parking there you just drop off your bags and they take care of your car and away
SPEAKER_02:it goes
SPEAKER_01:until
SPEAKER_00:you
SPEAKER_01:again
SPEAKER_00:anything else you want to add about it Or Quebec City in general?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, Quebec City in general. Well, you know, I'm with you there. I love it. I think it's beautiful. I'd go back in a heartbeat. I think really one of the nicest times to go there, which is last year I was there as well, is in the fall.
SPEAKER_02:And
SPEAKER_01:one of the things the hotel does offer is that they have a package where you have an overnight stay. You have your breakfast is included. A dinner is included. And... you know, in a nice suite. And the prices are quite reasonable. So if you're looking for a really nice weekend getaway in the fall to see those gorgeous fall colors when all the colors change out there, I can highly recommend Aubert Saint-Antoine for that.
SPEAKER_00:It is truly spectacular if you're flying into Quebec City in the fall and all the colours from the trees down below. It's really amazing. So it's an amazing sight to see. So you are correct. People can check out your Instagram page at WhereToLady, your website, wheretolady.com. Debra Smith is a travel writer and photographer. Really do appreciate your time, Debra. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, lovely chatting with you.
UNKNOWN:Thank you.
SPEAKER_00:And that is our show for this week. If you have comments or questions, we'd love to hear from you. If you have a show idea, send that along as well. My email is randy at theinformedtraveller.org. And if you like what you heard, tell a friend. You can check out our website too at theinformedtraveller.org. In the meantime, thanks for listening. Travel safe and be an informed traveller.