
"Only ate at 5-star hotels, still got 4 types of Salmonella": American influencer explains why he fell sick in India, internet reacts
Tyler Oliveira
, a 25-year-old
travel content creator
, says his experience highlights a broader issue that many are quick to ignore: India's ongoing battle with sanitation and public health.
But not everyone's convinced. And the internet is on fire.
Explore courses from Top Institutes in
Please select course:
Select a Course Category
Leadership
Data Analytics
Finance
Healthcare
healthcare
Product Management
others
Project Management
Design Thinking
Artificial Intelligence
PGDM
Digital Marketing
Operations Management
Others
Technology
Management
Data Science
Degree
Data Science
MCA
CXO
Cybersecurity
Public Policy
MBA
Skills you'll gain:
Critical Thinking & Decision-Making Skills
Power of Emerging Technologies
Innovation and Drive Organizational Change
Fostering a Culture of Innovation
Duration:
9 Months
MIT xPRO
MIT Technology Leadership and Innovation
Starts on
May 14, 2024
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Opportunities & Outlining Plans to use AI & ML
Applying Data-Driven Business Innovation Best Practices
Changing Culture to Integrate AI-Enabled Technologies
Ethics, Privacy and Regulations in AI & ML
Duration:
20 Weeks
Indian School of Business
ISB Leadership in AI
Starts on
May 14, 2024
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
11 Months
IIM Lucknow
CERT-IIML SLP India
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
12 Weeks
IIM Kozhikode
CERT-IIMK EPIS Async India
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
10 Months
IIM Kozhikode
CERT-IIMK-Women Leadership Programme INDIA
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Strategic Thinking & Planning
Competitive Advantage & Market Positioning
Strategic Leadership & Decision-Making
Change Management & Organizational Transformation
Duration:
1 Year
IIM Kozhikode
IIMK Advanced Strategic Management Programme
Starts on
Mar 30, 2024
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
18 Weeks
109820388
Strategic Marketing for Leaders: Leveraging AI for Growth
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
12 Months
IIM Kozhikode
Senior Management Programme
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Financial Accounting & Analysis
Financial Instruments & Markets
Corporate Finance & Valuation
Investment Management & Banking
Duration:
12 Months
IIM Kozhikode
IIMK Professional Certificate in Financial Analysis and Financial Management
Starts on
Mar 30, 2024
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
10 Months
IIM Indore
Executive Programme in Business Management
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
12 Months
IIM Kozhikode
SEPO - IIMK CEO Programme India
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
12 Months
IIM Kozhikode
Advanced Strategic Management Programme
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
22 Weeks
Indian School of Business
SEPO - ISB Venture Capital & Private Equity India
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
'White Tourists Come Here to Slum It', An Indian Woman's Video Started It All
It all began when an Indian woman posted a now-viral video slamming white travellers for 'romanticising poverty' in India. She accused them of living in worse conditions than the country's poor, just to go back and call India 'pathetic.'
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Sleep Apnea Ruined My Life – Then I Found This Simple Trick
Health Insight
Undo
The YouTuber fired back with a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying he wasn't 'slumming it.' He was staying in 5-star hotels and still ended up catching four strains of Salmonella. 'Only ate in 5-star hotels and still contracted 4 types of Salmonella,' he wrote. The reason? According to him, the hotel likely sourced eggs from a chicken farm next to a literal mountain of trash.
'Not Racist to Talk About Hygiene'
Tyler insisted that criticising India's sanitation issues isn't racism, it's reality. 'There are serious hygiene issues that must be addressed in India. It is NOT racist to address the poor quality of life most Indians are subjected to while the upper caste insulates themselves from reality,' he posted.
Live Events
To back up his claims, he even attached medical reports proving his illness. But that didn't stop the flood of angry comments calling him out for 'defaming India.'
The $100-a-Night Argument
When people accused him of travelling on a budget, Tyler clarified: 'The 5-star hotels were about $100 a night. It was budget travel relative to American standards.' He even took a dig at India's wealth gap: 'Ambani has a billion-dollar tower overlooking the slums. Your anger is misplaced,' he said.
The internet remains divided. Some Indians echoed his concerns, saying it's time India stops being defensive and starts fixing real problems. Others slammed him for reducing an entire country to a bad stomach bug.
Inputs from agencies
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
28 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
‘India set to become…': PM Modi after Trump's ‘dead economy' remark
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday indirectly responded to former US President Donald Trump's recent remarks labelling India's economy as 'dead,' asserting that India is poised to become the world's third-largest economy and must remain vigilant in protecting its interests amid global instability. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting, in Varanasi.(PMO) Addressing a rally in Varanasi, PM Modi stressed the importance of economic self-reliance and reiterated his government's commitment to farmers, small industries, and youth employment. His remarks came just days after Trump announced a 25% tariff on Indian imports and warned of further economic penalties over India's continued trade with Russia. 'There is an atmosphere of global instability. All countries are focusing on their individual interests. India is set to become the third biggest economy in the world, and that is why India will have to stay alert as far as its economic interests are concerned,' the Prime Minister said. While Modi did not mention Trump by name, his comments were seen as a veiled retort to the US President's assertion that India's economy had "tanked" and that it relies heavily on American markets. Underscoring India's economic resilience, Modi called on citizens and the business community to support indigenous production through a renewed commitment to the 'vocal for local' movement. 'We will buy only those things that are made by Indians. We need to become vocal for local,' he urged the crowd, calling for a nationwide resolve to buy and promote 'swadeshi' products. 'Those who want the best for the country and want to see India as the third biggest economy in the world, be it any political party, should leave their differences aside and instil a resolution for 'swadeshi' products,' he added. The Prime Minister further said that the government's highest priority remains ensuring the welfare of farmers, small-scale industries, and employment generation. 'Our farmers, our small-scale industries, the employment for youth — their interest is our top priority. The government is doing everything it can in the best interest of the country. However, there are some responsibilities we have as citizens,' he said. PM Modi also made a direct appeal to India's business community, urging them to prioritize domestic products, especially in light of global disruptions. 'I also want to say to my brothers and sisters in the business community — the world is going through instability, and we should commit to selling only swadeshi goods,' he said. Earlier in the day, Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for infrastructure projects worth ₹2,200 crore in Varanasi. These included the widening and strengthening of key roads, construction of railway overbridges, and improvements to both rural and urban transportation corridors — part of ongoing efforts to modernize the constituency he has represented since 2014.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
India hardens stance in US trade talks; refuses tariff cuts on farm, dairy, GM foods as Trump escalates tariff war
India has hardened its stance on tariff concessions for US agricultural products, dairy, and GM foods in their bilateral trade agreement. This comes as President Trump announced a 25% import duty on Indian goods starting August 7. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What is the India-US bilateral trade agreement (BTA)? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What is the aim of the BTA? What are the major demands of the two countries from each other in the BTA? How much tariff is imposed by the US on Indian goods at present? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads From when the 25 per cent duty will come into force? Why India is not ready to provide duty concessions on dairy, agri and GM foods? India has toughened its stance on extending duty concessions on agri products, dairy and GM foods in the proposed bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with the the US not able to finalise a deal with India so far, US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced imposition of an additional 25 per cent import duty on Indian goods entering American markets from August this duty was to be imposed from August 1. The President has also not specified the penalty which he has announced on India for buying crude oil and military equipment from is a list of Q&A (questions and answers) to explain reasons behind India's stand and impact of US tariffs on labour-intensive sectors:India and the US entered into negotiations for a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial BTA in March 2025 with a target to complete the first tranche/phase of the pact by fall (October-November) of far, five rounds of talks have been completed. For the next round, the US team, headed by Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, is visiting India from August in a trade agreement, two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. Besides, they ease norms to promote trade in services and increase two-way India-US BTA is aimed at more than doubling the bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030 from the present USD 191 US wants duty concessions on certain industrial goods, automobiles, especially electric vehicles, wines, petrochemical products, agri goods, dairy items, apples, tree nuts, and genetically-modified is seeking the removal of this additional tariff (25 per cent now) and cut in tariffs on steel and aluminium (50 per cent), auto sector (25 per cent), labour-intensive sectors, such as textiles, gems and jewellery, leather goods, garments, plastics, chemicals, shrimp, oil seeds, grapes, and average import duty is about 17 per cent, while the US' is 3.3 per cent. On April 2, the US announced to impose 26 per cent duty (16 per cent reciprocal tariff and 10 per cent baseline tariff). At present, only the baseline tariff is in force. It is over and above the existing import duty on Indian example, before April 2, the Indian textiles were attracting a 6-9 per cent tariff in America. With the baseline tariff, it rose to 16-19 per cent. But from August 7, the sector will attract a 31-34 per cent duty. The baseline tariff will be replaced by 25 per cent duty notified on July 31 by the White certain products are exempted from these tariffs such as pharmaceutical, electronics and energy duty, announced this week, will come into force from August 7 (9.30 am IST). The executive order has also clarified that goods in transit until October 5, 12:01 am eastern daylight time (EDT), or 09:30 am IST, will be subject to a 10 per cent tariff, provided that such goods have entered into transit before August 7 12:01 am Farm livelihoods are at stake. This is a politically and economically sensitive area as over 700 million people in India's rural economy are dependent on the sector. If India removes tariffs, cheap, subsidised US grains could flood Indian markets during global price the US, where agriculture is corporatised, Indian farming is a livelihood issue. Tariffs are essential to protect small farmers, manage price volatility, and ensure food India wants to safeguard its small farmers. GTRI stated that the US argues that India's GM-free feed certification and facility registration protocols effectively bar American dairy imports."Indian rules prohibit imports from animals fed with animal-derived feed' for example, butter from a cow fed meat' due to religious sensitivities. India considers this policy non-negotiable," GTRI has Food: These are created by inserting specific genes, often from bacteria, viruses, other plants, or occasionally animals, into a plant's DNA to introduce new traits, such as pest resistance or herbicide the import of GM products such as soybean meal and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) for animal feed would affect India's agricultural exports to the EU, a key destination for Indian exporters.


Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Abracadabra: The Victoria and Albert museum has opened its vaults
It's a bit like a department store, except it is about the size of 30 basketball courts. The V&A East Storehouse is spread across three floors. (Photo by Hufton + Crow) And instead of groceries, there are slices of history on the shelves: a 16th-century Japanese suit of armour; 600-year-old ceramics; wedding dresses from the 1930s. This is the newly opened V&A East Storehouse. In an effort more than 10 years in the making, an old warehouse has been redesigned by the renowned American studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro. The Storehouse is now an array of vast, airy galleries, spread across three storeys, each level arranged around a striking 20-metre-high central atrium. All the 250,000-plus artefacts stored here are visible to visitors, placed either within transparent wrapping or behind thin glass, often in partially dismantled crates, all lined up on long metal shelves. The V&A wanted to reimagine what a museum could be, and give viewers a 'backstage pass' to what really goes on inside one, Tim Reeve, deputy director and chief operating officer at the Victoria and Albert Museum, has said. Many of the artefacts are so massive, they haven't been exhibited in decades. These include: An exquisite 15th-century carved and gilded wooden ceiling from the now-lost Torrijos Palace near Toledo in Spain. A 1930s all-wood Kaufmann Office, designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright for Edgar J Kaufmann, a Pittsburgh-based department-store owner. A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Austrian architect Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century. The 15th-century carved and gilded wooden ceiling from the lost Torrijos Palace in Spain. (Photo by David Parry / PA Media) Curated mini-exhibits sprinkled across the space, meanwhile, currently include swatches of fabric from across Africa, sculptural shoes by Zaha Hadid, a Piaggio scooter customised by Daniel Libeskind, and Jain sculptures in sandstone. These exhibits will change from time to time. There's more. As part of V&A's Order an Object initiative, visitors can go online to pick from a list of artefacts, book a (free) appointment, and then turn up at the appointed time to have the object/s unpacked so they can look at them, touch them (in many cases), and learn more about them from museum staff. Even without such an appointment, the space offers plenty of inside access. In one of the galleries, for instance, visitors can watch the regular goings-on of such a repository, as technicians pack away newly acquired works, conservators unbox items to check on them and others work to restore artefacts. Shelf life What does it do to the artefact-viewer relationship, when an institution reinvents itself in this manner? Museums are working to cater to new generations that have instant, digital access to diverse information, says Anupam Sah, director of the Anupam Heritage Lab and former head of art conservation, research and training at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj museum (CSMVS). An Order an Object appointment underway at V&A East Storehouse. (Photo by Bet Bettencourt) The result has been a host of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) experiments; 3D reconstructions; interfaces inspired by videogames; even exhibits on youth icons such as Taylor Swift (the V&A and Museum of Arts and Design in New York have each had one). The Storehouse is a particularly interesting approach because it meets the need for a dramatically new interface while staying true to the primary functions of a museum — the collection and care of artefacts, and outreach and education, Sah says. It serves the purpose of generating curiosity and a sense of a niche experience, because these are objects that have rarely been displayed. The space is made less intimidating by its casual, Ikea-like design. And the idea that one can book an appointment and have someone unbox and explain an artefact places the visitor at par with a researcher, connoisseur or patron, completely reinventing this relationship. To meet these goals so seamlessly, using only existing holdings, is quite a feat, Sah says. A view of conservators at work at V&A East Storehouse. (Photo by David Parry / PA Media) Revised roadMAP The idea of visible storage can be traced, incidentally, to the Canadian anthropologist Audrey Hawthorn and his work at the Museum of Anthropology at University of British Columbia, in the 1970s. Back then, the aim was to democratise access to national treasures. Now, it is to draw the public in and highlight the continued relevance of the museum as an institution. Along these lines, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington and Louvre-Lens in Lens, France, have all opened up parts of their storage to the public. A similar effort is unfolding in India, at the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru. Two of its storage floors are open to visitors. One houses more than 340 objects ranging from textiles and horse jewellery to cigarette cards, while the other has more than 250 metal sculptures. The periodic exhibitions held at the museum innovate with an eye on high levels of engagement too, says Arnika Ahldag, director of curation and exhibition at MAP. An ongoing exhibition on the Modernist Ram Kumar, for instance, includes the simple addition of a wooden desk. Here, visitors can flip through books about the artist, place handwritten letters by him on a lightbox in order to view them more clearly, and even write a letter to themselves or leave one behind for the next visitor. 'We always try to locate an immediate point of resonance with the visitor, so that the works feel accessible without compromising their complexity,' says Ahldag. The beauty of this is that, once you move away from the idea of objects in a glass case, the room for innovation is immense. 'And that's a good thing,' Ahldag adds. 'We need different kinds of museums for different kinds of audiences.' (Entry to both V&A East Storehouse and the MAP museum is free)