An American travel blogger has faced criticism for his attempt to deliberately contract food poisoning by eating street food in Pakistan.
It is common knowledge that adjusting to local food can sometimes lead to stomach issues for international travellers. However, an American man's explicit intent to get food poisoning in Pakistan by consuming street food has not been well-received by internet users.
In a widely circulated Instagram video, the blogger, named Colin, toured the streets of Lahore with a clear mission. "Eating street food until I get food poisoning. Currently, I’m in Lahore, Pakistan, and I’m going to be walking around finding the weirdest things I can possibly find and eating it," he declared at the start.
Throughout the video, Colin sampled various local foods such as halwa, pakoras, and lassi, but failed to experience food poisoning. He concluded the video by acknowledging his lack of success but pledged to continue his efforts.
In the caption of his post, Colin highlighted the hospitality he received from local vendors who refused payment. He also praised Pakistan as one of his favourite places for food. "Definitely one of my favourite days from my trip to Pakistan was exploring the narrow streets in the walled city of Lahore. Didn’t include this in the video but most of the food was actually gifted to me as a gesture of hospitality. Pakistanis are some of the kindest people in the world," he wrote.
Despite his positive remarks about the country and its people, many viewers criticised the video as being "disrespectful" and exploitative. Commenters took particular issue with his quest to find "weird" food, only to consume traditional items like halwa and pakoras.
One Instagram user remarked, "The weirdest thing you can possibly find is on your mirror. Don’t travel to places if you’re going to insult their way of living for internet points."
Another person commented, "Wow, I’m shocked. To tell us into the mic that you’re scared, and think you're going to get poisoned by the food for views but then smile in the faces of locals isn’t wild? It’s inauthentic and exploitative."
A further critic added, "This is so disrespectful to the culture. Halwa and lassi are the tastiest dessert and drink and bro thinks he will get food poisoning just because he hasn’t seen anything like it."
One commenter stated, "Lol 'weird' foods? That's incredibly disrespectful. If you grew up on sandwiches that's fine. Food you haven't been exposed to before isn't 'weird' it is 'new' or 'different'. English is your first language bestie choose better, more respectful words."
