Did I mess up ordering my food and give myself food poisoning?

Trainman33

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Dec 11, 2009
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At a restaurant in Jarabacoa Thursday I asked for a steak cooked "3/4" meaning "medium well". Was this correct? According to my wife the steak was not cooked in the middle. Last night I had to spend the night in a clinica due to fever from food poisoning.
 

keepcoming

Moderator - Living & General Stuff
May 25, 2011
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I have always ordered my steak here "medio rojo" (my term) and have not had a problem. I wonder if it was the beef or something else that came with the meal. But I feel for you, not a fun time.
 

bronzeallspice

Live everyday like it's your last
Mar 26, 2012
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If your wife is Dominican,anything that is not burnt to a crisp is not cooked.Dominicans like
to eat meat well done,that's why she told you that it was not cooked in the middle.Medium
well,medium rare means the same thing to her,not cooked.

But I do have a question,as you were eating,did you not notice that the meat was not cooked
medium well?Why did you continue to eat it?
 

CFA123

Silver
May 29, 2004
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trainman,
there are some restaurants in DR where i order carpaccio... there are others where i order medium well.
depends on my perception of the restaurant, cut of meat, and past experiences

and of course, it may not have been your steak. dirty glass, bad water, poorly washed lettuce or other veggie, your toothbrush that you rinsed in tap water... who knows.

feel better soon
 

donP

Newbie
Dec 14, 2008
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Sin gusanos, por favor.

If your wife is Dominican,anything that is not burnt to a crisp is not cooked.Dominicans like
to eat meat well done,that's why she told you that it was not cooked in the middle.Medium
well,medium rare means the same thing to her,not cooked.

It is a precaution and it has become a tradition.
I would not blame them, it is not a matter of taste, but rather keeping the worms away.... :rolleyes:


donP
 

Zulu

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May 27, 2012
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It could be the thought of it got you sick. It's all in your head, get well soon.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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I go with the Yapster.....

Listen to what he says...... it may be hard at times, but......

A source to be reckoned with...
 

donP

Newbie
Dec 14, 2008
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Half Bloody?

3/4 does mean medium well, but shouldn't be raw in the middle

The latter is only 5/8, right? :bored:
It sure means a lot to a Dominican cook.... :tired:


donP

That reminds me of a joke.
A German was ordering a steak in England.
"Please let it be a bloody steak..."
Waiter:
"Very well, and some *phugging potatoes with it, sir?"
 

davetuna

Bronze
Jun 19, 2012
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Cabarete, Dominican Republic
germs dont live in the middle of a steak, they live on the outside, thats why minced beef is normally cooked well done. Its all from the outside.

more than likely the glass or something else but l wouldnt think the steak would do that no.
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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Santiago
I don't know if it was the meat, especially if it was at a good restaurant. I base this on having had rare medium rare steaks and even hamburgers here in the DR. Then again I've been here a while and had the bug a few times in the beginning. I almost died from it too but that was just due to the dammm Imodium AD - never take that crap. Drink gatorade, beer and stay close to the toilet. :)
 

CaptnGlenn

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Mar 29, 2010
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might even have contracted the bug long before that meal... even days before. Many food borne illnesses take a long time to incubate. It might SEEM like your last meal / what you got sick on was the cause... but it might not have been. (The Admiral still can not eat cured jamon or the like, after having been sickened on it, but in fact she got the bug from undercooked chicken 4 or 5 days prior.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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ever rare steak is cooked (or rather SHOULD be cooked) in a way where inside of the meat, despite being red is heated up to the temperature high enough to kill any food born bacteria. my guess is the same as other people - plain, good, old fashioned dirt. dirty glass, plates, cutlery, dirty hands of a person who served you the food.

drink lots of coco water - better than gatorade and other artificial hydrating drinks. eat few bananas to bring potassium up to good level. chicken broth for some strength. do not, i repeat, DO NOT take anything to stop the flow :) (like chip said), it will only make you worse. get yourself tested in the morning for bacteria. i am pretty sure you will be prescribed paramox (common deparasitante).
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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might even have contracted the bug long before that meal... even days before. Many food borne illnesses take a long time to incubate. It might SEEM like your last meal / what you got sick on was the cause... but it might not have been. (The Admiral still can not eat cured jamon or the like, after having been sickened on it, but in fact she got the bug from undercooked chicken 4 or 5 days prior.
True.

It takes a couple of days for food to make you sick unless it was seriously rancid.
 

davetuna

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Jun 19, 2012
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Cabarete, Dominican Republic
ever rare steak is cooked (or rather SHOULD be cooked) in a way where inside of the meat, despite being red is heated up to the temperature high enough to kill any food born bacteria. my guess is the same as other people - plain, good, old fashioned dirt. dirty glass, plates, cutlery, dirty hands of a person who served you the food.

drink lots of coco water - better than gatorade and other artificial hydrating drinks. eat few bananas to bring potassium up to good level. chicken broth for some strength. do not, i repeat, DO NOT take anything to stop the flow :) (like chip said), it will only make you worse. get yourself tested in the morning for bacteria. i am pretty sure you will be prescribed paramox (common deparasitante).

meat needed to be cooked? not really, see my previous post. the germs are on the outside. A blue or rare steak isnt heated inside thats the point of it, lots of blood........

ever heard of steak tartar? raw minced steak.

people nearly always think that the food made them ill., but it could be from any number of places, from not washing your hands after toilet, to shaking other peoples hands, common one is drinking from a bottle of beer. you would know if you have food poisoning, it is agonisingly painful cramps.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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meat needed to be cooked? not really, see my previous post. the germs are on the outside. A blue or rare steak isnt heated inside thats the point of it, lots of blood........

ever heard of steak tartar? raw minced steak.

people nearly always think that the food made them ill., but it could be from any number of places, from not washing your hands after toilet, to shaking other peoples hands, common one is drinking from a bottle of beer. you would know if you have food poisoning, it is agonisingly painful cramps.
You must have restaurant experience. :classic:
 

NV_

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Aug 4, 2003
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In all my steak eating years, I have never heard of anyone getting food poisoning by eating a medium rare steak much less one cooked a dominican 3/4 (ie. a miracle it had any pink on the inside). More than likely, you got screwed by a piece of uncooked veggie (lettuce is BAAAD here... gives me a "food poisoning like" reaction everytime I eat it unless at home and wash myself). A dirty glass or mishandled silverware are much more likely to get you sick.

Beef is just one of those meats that as long as the outside is cooked well, the inside can be almost raw and not cause you problems. Pork on the other hand, is one of those meats that you must be very careful and aware where the meat is coming from. Slightly bad or poorly "kept" pork will get you sicker than a dog after eating a yardfull of grass. Chicken is very safe to eat here as well as long as cooked correctly, duh.

When I first arrived here, it took me a very long time (years) to get my stomach acclimated to Dominican food. Almost 5 years before I could eat dominican restaurant food (much less decent street food) without getting sick everytime. Still very wary of everything I eat since I get a food poisoning like reaction from something different about once every few months. My stomach has always been a pain in my rear though...

Oh I almost forgot, ice...never trust the ice!
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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I prefer to go directly to the "Source" of the contamination!
I always "Eat It Raw"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's more satisfying that way!
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