Buzz
If you want to indulge in seafood buffets without ending up in the emergency room, pay attention to these points. It's not always the restaurant's fault, sometimes it's about how we eat improperly
I'm a huge seafood enthusiast, so I've tried almost every seafood restaurant or buffet in Hanoi at least once. Consequently, I've learned numerous 'tricks' for enjoying seafood buffets deliciously and healthily.
The other day, I took my little sister to Poseidon's seafood buffet to celebrate her getting into university
The other day, to celebrate my little sister getting into university, I took her to Poseidon's seafood buffet. It seemed like many people (including my sister) still don't quite know the best way to enjoy seafood buffets - eating a lot while avoiding stomach aches, chills, allergies, or food poisoning. So today, I'll share some of my experiences with everyone!
Follow the sequence instead of your preferences
For a buffet feast, you must enjoy it in sequence starting with appetizers (salad, appetizers, sushi, sashimi,...) then move on to Cold food, Hot food, and finally dessert.
Start with appetizers like sushi, sashimi
When we went to Poseidon, my little sibling immediately dashed to the sushi counter, then stubbornly headed straight to the seafood counter to feast and 'battle' there continuously. It made me feel like taking them to a buffet was just a waste of money; I'd rather have taken them directly to a seafood restaurant!
Start with green vegetables before moving on to salads with a sweet and sour taste
As for appetizers, in my experience, it's best to start with a bit of green vegetables to gently stimulate the stomach before indulging in sushi, sashimi, and mixed salads with a sweet and sour flavor to avoid directly irritating the stomach. Soups are also divided into European and Asian styles. European soups tend to be colder because they're usually made with seafood like salmon soup, crab soup,... whereas Asian soups often include chicken soup, mushroom soup,... If you're prone to stomach aches, you should choose Asian-style soups to save your stomach for more seafood without risking spending the night with a stomach ache!
Congee and soups also come in Asian and European varieties
Cold dishes at seafood buffets typically consist of boiled seafood (clams, mussels, snails, ...) served chilled, while Hot dishes include roasted, fried, stewed, stir-fried, rice, soup, noodles, hotpot,... At a seafood buffet, you can roughly understand these as pre-prepared seafood dishes.
Steamed or boiled first, then fried, grilled, roasted
According to the proper sequence, you should eat steamed or boiled seafood first, then move on to grilled, fried, stir-fried, and stewed dishes. Hotpot should definitely be saved for last in the main course, or else you might not have room for anything else.
After that, enjoy stir-fried and stewed dishes before moving on to noodles, rice, and hotpot,...
What should you avoid eating during and after a seafood buffet?
This is something I often see people make the biggest mistake with, whether out of ignorance or simply because of their eating preferences. Regardless, to avoid stomach aches and health issues, it's important to pay attention to these things.
Avoid drinking beer and carbonated drinks during and after consuming seafood as it can increase the risk of developing gout, joint inflammation, stomach aches, indigestion,...
Avoid drinking beer and carbonated drinks
Avoid eating fruits immediately after consuming seafood as it may cause irritation leading to stomach aches, nausea,... Depending on the needs and habits of the guests, the dessert counter at the seafood buffet still offers fruits but it's better to choose desserts like cakes, pastries instead.
Absolutely avoid consuming fruits rich in vitamin C such as kiwi, strawberries, oranges,... after eating seafood as it may cause poisoning due to the interaction between vitamin C and pentavalent arsenic in seafood, which will convert into arsenic trioxide. A high enough level can lead to arsenic poisoning.
Stay away from tea, fruits rich in vitamin C
With these tips, hopefully from now on you can enjoy seafood buffets happily and comfortably without worrying about accidentally poisoning yourself due to improper eating habits. You can also try experiencing it right away with Poseidon - the buffet restaurant chain that I took my little sister to recently, I guarantee you'll have some interesting experiences.
