Two very different trip reports

[Lambada]

Both from UK newspapers: the first some nice writing
A taste of the tropical: The Dominican Republic revealed - Americas, Travel - The Independent

The second a horror story:
Holidaymaker who went blind after biting into black worm in dinner wins £240,000 payout | Mail Online

[mountainannie]

Originally Posted by Lambada

Both from UK newspapers: the first some nice writing
A taste of the tropical: The Dominican Republic revealed - Americas, Travel - The Independent

The second a horror story:
Holidaymaker who went blind after biting into black worm in dinner wins £240,000 payout | Mail Online

i guess the jury or whomever... and who was that? --- decided that the kitchen could have known that there was a worm inside the fish.but HOW?

I once got very very sick from a Caribbean lobster... but it looked and tasted fine. And is there not this thing called cingatura or something that is inside tropical fish in the summer? how are we to know?

[jrhartley]

what was this worm- and why did she not see it when she cut a piece off the fish, or did she just bite the whole fish in half

[catcherintherye]

It must be the worm that fell out of my bottle of mescal.

I've been looking everywhere.

[AlterEgo]

Assuming this was a whole fish, how could ANYONE blame a tour operator or hotel restaurant for a worm inside it??? Even if the kitchen was filthy/unsanitary, that would have no bearing on a worm that a fish swallowed, would it?? I feel terrible for the woman, but to me it sounds like it was no one's fault.

Not to mention the damage it has done to the hotel [which I've never heard of, but I know nothing about Puerta Plata] and tour operator, and DR tourism in general. There are people out there who will swear they'll never go there because of that article.

[Admiral]

Originally Posted by mountainannie

i
I once got very very sick from a Caribbean lobster... but it looked and tasted fine. And is there not this thing called cingatura or something that is inside tropical fish in the summer? how are we to know?

Its Ciguatera usually gotten from eating fish living around reef. The only times I've heard of some one getting it was from eating "junk" fish like barracuda that cruise reefs for prey. I know people living in the Carib. that will not eat fish out because they dont trust what kind of fish is really being served, but I've been traveling in Carib. for many years eaten alot of fish both out and home cooked and never got sick.

Was on St. Thomas back some years ago when a freighter called in a rescue because the entire crew had eaten some fish they caught and were extremely sick from Ciguatera, only a lowly mate still vertical, they helicoptered a captain on board. Met a guy that had Ciguatera and he said it was extremely nasty and lasted a long time. Not sure if you could have gotten that from eating lobster but I guess possible if it ate some mollusk that filtered the toxin that causes it. But its not your garden variety food poisoning that's for sure.

[bienamor]

It accumulates up the food chain, thats why you don't eat the higher level predators, like barracuda. The old saying was you don't eat fish in the months without an R, as the toxin was more prevalent in the warmer waters.

[London_Calling]

"Both from UK newspapers: the first some nice writing" - I would disagree - more like the usual rubbish you get in the Daily Mail or Daily Express - I would expected a bit better from the Independent.

[Lambada]

Originally Posted by London_Calling

"Both from UK newspapers: the first some nice writing" - I would disagree - more like the usual rubbish you get in the Daily Mail or Daily Express - I would expected a bit better from the Independent.

Interesting - I was impressed by the tongue in cheek picking up of the use of 'my friend' & the writer's ability to get the feel of things like that in only a 2 week stay and on his admission, knowing little beforehand, the economy of language and the ability to layer what he wrote. So I went & looked him up and he's actually a novellist and Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at Bristol University. We obviously see it differently, London Calling, but I would put him a cut above the Daily Mail or Express.