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Re: food safety?

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Posted by David on April 20, 2000 at 02:36:38:

In Reply to: food safety? posted by laura on April 19, 2000 at 23:28:02:

Use common sense and you should be fine. Don't allow tap water to enter your mouth (don't drink it, don't brush your teeth with it, keep your mouth shut while in the shower). I treat Mexican tapwater like it's plutonium (well, that may be a bit extreme).

As for food, use your eyes and your head. In major tourist areas (like Playa del Carmen) you should have no trouble, unless you venture into rather funky places. When you go in (or before you go in) a restaurant, take a look at the place. If it's filthy, go someplace else. If they seem reasonably careful about cleanliness, don't worry about it. The tourist trade is their lifeblood and they don't want to poison their paying customers any more than you want to spend your vacation in the bathroom.

Personally, I never eat *any* food sold on the streets. That's hard sometimes, but I'm willing to be careful with that to avoid spending my entire vacation in a sitting position if you know what I mean.

Most tourists who get sick on a trip to this part of Mexico get sick because they were up all night slamming tequila. Take it easy on yourself and your body should handle most of what you do to it with little trouble.

As for foods, probably the most risky items are uncooked produce. In mainstream tourist restaurants I don't worry about it and dive in to salads and have had no problems (most wash produce in a solution of treated water and disinfectant...it works). Off the beaten path (places not frequented by tourists) I would be much more careful about produce. For uncooked fruits and veggies outside of a restaurant (i.e. from a grocery store), my motto is "boil it, peel it, or forget it."

Many people get so paranoid about getting sick in Mexico that they try to "premedicate" themselves, and pop everything from Pepto-Bismol to antibiotics every day just to wipe out anything that they MIGHT later ingest. I think this is a serious mistake, though. Any medications you take only weakens your natural defenses against minor bugs, and can actually be the cause of traveller's sickness. Others will have different opinions on this, but I know what works for me.

Good luck and have a great trip.

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: Use common sense and you should be fine. Don't allow tap water to enter your mouth (don't drink it, don't brush your teeth with it, keep your mouth shut while in the shower). I treat Mexican tapwater like it's plutonium (well, that may be a bit extreme). : As for food, use your eyes and your head. In major tourist areas (like Playa del Carmen) you should have no trouble, unless you venture into rather funky places. When you go in (or before you go in) a restaurant, take a look at the place. If it's filthy, go someplace else. If they seem reasonably careful about cleanliness, don't worry about it. The tourist trade is their lifeblood and they don't want to poison their paying customers any more than you want to spend your vacation in the bathroom. : Personally, I never eat *any* food sold on the streets. That's hard sometimes, but I'm willing to be careful with that to avoid spending my entire vacation in a sitting position if you know what I mean. : Most tourists who get sick on a trip to this part of Mexico get sick because they were up all night slamming tequila. Take it easy on yourself and your body should handle most of what you do to it with little trouble. : As for foods, probably the most risky items are uncooked produce. In mainstream tourist restaurants I don't worry about it and dive in to salads and have had no problems (most wash produce in a solution of treated water and disinfectant...it works). Off the beaten path (places not frequented by tourists) I would be much more careful about produce. For uncooked fruits and veggies outside of a restaurant (i.e. from a grocery store), my motto is "boil it, peel it, or forget it." : Many people get so paranoid about getting sick in Mexico that they try to "premedicate" themselves, and pop everything from Pepto-Bismol to antibiotics every day just to wipe out anything that they MIGHT later ingest. I think this is a serious mistake, though. Any medications you take only weakens your natural defenses against minor bugs, and can actually be the cause of traveller's sickness. Others will have different opinions on this, but I know what works for me. : Good luck and have a great trip.

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