There are so many myths about eating and drinking in Mexico, and 90% of them are false and the other 10% is subjective.
Things to Know
If your stomach is not used to spicy foods, large amounts of fresh fruit, shrimp every day, or other rich or irritating foods, not to mention larger amounts of alcohol, your stomach will do funny things. There is a big difference between stomach upset and actual illness. Also remember, dehydration will make you ill, so drink plenty of water, and no, beer does not count!
There is also something known as traveler’s diarrhea. This occurs whenever you ingest new bacteria. It can happen if you simply travel from New York to California. Do not blame Mexico for something that naturally happens. There is a big difference between traveler’s diarrhea and an actual case of food poisoning, parasite or stomach infection.
Some people find taking Acidophilus supplements a few days before traveling and during the vacation helps when introducing new, naturally occurring bacteria as well as ingesting foods not normally in their diet. As well, Pepto Bismal tablets, and yogurt with natural bacteria can also help. If you are concerned, you may want to speak with a doctor for advice before traveling.
And the best piece of advice: Wash your hands! Wash them often; and wash them before putting anything into your mouth.
Below are some common myths, rumors and bad advice, often times found on the internet.
"Do not eat at taco stands or from the vendors!"
Tips: Ok, this may be true in a very small sense, but to help clarify let me give you some taco stand and street/beach food tips.
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A Mexican will get just as sick as a tourist if they eat “bad” food. Salmonella doesn’t care about Nationality.
•Look for stands that are clean, the person making the food is not taking the money, and if they do touch money, they first place a bag over their hand or a Latex glove before accepting the money and giving change.
•Look for stands that have locals eating at them. Word of mouth spreads fast, so if the stand is known for getting people sick, people simply do not eat there.
•If you are eating tacos al pastor, make sure the pork is well done.
•If you are eating shrimp or fish from the beach, go directly to where they are cooking it and order it off the grill, not from someone walking around selling it.
•Stay away from the oysters being sold on the beach by the people carrying them around on plastic plates; you just do not know how fresh they are.
•Once again, this is typically finger food, so eat with CLEAN HANDS!
•Best to look for places that serve on disposable plates or use a plastic bag over each plate as a protector.
I eat at taco stands and from “moving food vendors” all the time. I have lived to tell, and these are some of the best eats in Vallarta for a few pesos.
"If you cannot peel it, do not eat it!"
Tips: For the most part, the fruits and vegetable you eat at home come from Mexico and other countries. Here in Vallarta, many of our fruits and vegetables are imported as well. Apples from Fiji, Chili and Washington. Grapes from Chili. Strawberries from California. Celery from the United States, and so on.
So in essence, our fruits and vegetables are probably the same ones you put on your table.
Of course, it is always wise to properly wash all fruits and vegetables. Lettuce should be soaked with Microdyn or other purifier by the directions on the package. But, you can eat fruits and vegetables without peeling them or going crazy scrubbing them to a pulpy mess.
Restaurants go to great lengths on cleaning their fruits and vegetables, as they do not want their patrons sick nor do they want bad word of mouth. Make your mother happy and eat your vegetables while you are on vacation.
"You should only eat at Americanized restaurants!"
Tip: They get their food items from the same places all other restaurants do. “Americanized” does not mean “Sanitized”.
"Do not drink the water! Avoid ice!"
Tips: Unless you want to waste your 40 pounds of allotted suitcase space to bringing down bottles of water, you are going to have to drink something from Mexico.
I also want to mention, beer, soda, juice and all other beverages contain water and most likely water from Mexico. So if you are not afraid to drink the beer, you should not be afraid to drink the bottled water. If you do not drink the bottled water, you will be sicker than if you did not. Your body needs at least 64 ounces of pure water a day, more so in a tropical climate. Basically: Drink water! Your body will thank you and so will your head the next day as drinking alcohol dehydrates you.
"It is only safe to eat at your hotel!"
Tips: Do you really think “your hotel” is the only place that has “safe food”? If this was true, you would never get any food as everyone else would be eating there!
Actually, you should be careful of your hotel food especially if it is buffet only. Buffets are like giant Petri dishes. It is hard to keep hot food hot and cold food cold in a buffet line. Also, you see old pans dumped into new pans, people sneezing on the food, dirty hands touching the food, little kids grabbing a slice of melon then putting it back and flies buzzing around. Sounds appetizing, huh?
I am not saying dining at the hotel is bad, but most hotels charge higher prices for food than a normal restaurant, and buffet food is typically sub-par compared to ordering from a menu.
A Few More Tips
Whenever and wherever you are dining out, the better restaurants tend to have patrons. I usually will not dine at a restaurant if there are few customers unless I am sure it is good.
Most restaurants in Vallarta have a menu outside for you to peruse. If you do not see anything you like, or it doesn’t fit your budget, feel free to move on to one that suits your fancy.
Most restaurants show prices in pesos. It is best to pay in pesos, as you will get a better exchange. Some restaurants go 10 to one on the peso, where you may be getting 11 or more on your exchange at the bank, ATM machine or casa de cambio. (See money)
It is customary to tip the serving staff at all restaurants. If you are staying ALL INCLUSIVE, your tips are usually included, but you may want to consider giving an extra tip if you received excellent service. (See tipping for more info)
If you are planning on dining during high season at a popular restaurant, or one that offers a sunset view, you should make reservations in advance to assure a good table.
Also, if you are celebrating an event, such as a birthday, you should alert them to the event when making your reservations. If you wish to have me make reservations for you, pleaseemail me all your details, such as restaurant, date, time, number of people, event and name, and I will take care of it for you and reconfirm with you.
As they say here in Vallarta, Buen provecho! (Bon appetite!)
