Montezuma's Revenge

Is it safe to eat fresh salad, salsa from street vendors? We will be in Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.

We usually eat in established restaurants but we have eaten at stalls along the PV Malecon and in Plaza Principal.

Forgot to add. We don't eat the fresh produce but will drink the Aqua Frescas.

We've never had a problem in Mexico. I've have eaten the lettuce and cabbage on the side of the main and on the main dish.

FYI - In PV and Mazatlan, we like to eat at the mercados where not a lot of cruisers go there to eat.

I live in Cabo part time, I've never been sick. Enjoy.

Is it safe to eat fresh salad, salsa from street vendors? We will be in Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.

I've eaten street food in four continents and have had some fantastic foodie experiences (best Tortas Ahogadas lathered in chilli sauce ever from a street vendor in GDL). Generally though I always try and ensure the vendor has a steady flow of foot traffic and only drink bottled refreshments...

Never a problem! :D

I never eat the lettuce, OR Zanything that is raw and grows on the ground LIKE WATERMELON, CUCUMBER, those types of things . The one time I cheated is when ... Well... Uh.... [emoji50]

Basically, things that are peeled are okay. Veggies that are cooked.

Good to know some people have never gotten sick, but most people I know have gotten it at one time or another during or after going to MEXICO when they weren't careful about what they ate. I would especially caution to stay away from raw tomatoes and fresh salsa [emoji79][emoji33]

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Have not had problems for the most part but i am very careful with what i am eating. But my husband has. He was at the airport in Mexico City and on the way to the hotel attached to the airport was a vendor. He stopped had stuff to eat along with fresh salsa.

Boy did he get sick. He had to go to the doctor when he returned 2 days later since he was not getting better at all.

Now when he is down there he only eats from the hotel restaurant and makes sure everything is cooked. He does not want to go down that road ever again :eek:

Just had my first experience with it in many visits to Mexico. I ate in a very simple restaurant in the Huatulco area. It was off season and I think the food was old. It kind of surprised me as I can't remember being sick in Mexico due to the food in 40+ years of visiting the country. Of course, I went way down market on this experience and I think I'll be more careful in the future.

One can certainly get unlucky in Mexico (or anywhere) and get sick. That being said, we have lived in Puerto Vallarta for the past 10 winters (about 2 months a year) and dined out more then 500 times! And neither DW or me have ever had Montezumas Revenge. In fact, we get sick more when dining out in the USA. That being said, street vendors do have their own risk and its probably wise to look at some web sites and reviews about which street vendors to use. DW's probably with street vendors is that they do not have running water. But I have no problem eating from nearly any vendor in the southside (Old Town) of Puerto Vallarta. One big issue with street vendors is that there is often not a comfy place to enjoy the food...which is why we prefer to use real restaurants/cafes.

Hank

Just curious. Where do you eat in the USA that results in you getting sick so often?

igraf

One can certainly get unlucky in Mexico ..... In fact, we get sick more when dining out in the USA. ...

Hank

Just curious. Where do you eat in the USA that results in you getting sick so often?

 

igraf

According the US Centers for Disease Control, food borne illnesses hit about 48 million Americans every year (1 out of 6 people) and result in far more then 100,000 hospitalizations. In 2006, while we were safely eating out every day in PV. fellow Americans were getting sick (and some dying) due to a serious e-coli outbreak at Taco Bell (never have gotten sick from Tacos in PV). We have had our share of GI issues after dining at various US restaurants....but like most such cases it simply "passes" (pun intended).

So, do folks sometimes get sick by eating in Puerto Vallarta?" Sure. But it has not happened to us, despite eating out (in PV) more then 70 times a year.

Just like anywhere else, one should use some common sense in choosing your eating venue. There are some places (mostly certain street vendors) that we avoid in PV. But it is the same in the USA.

When we first started going to PV (more then a decade ago) we were pretty cautious and would avoid eating uncooked items (such as salads) and would only drink bottled water. We gradually learned that nearly every restaurant (and street carts) use bottled water as their table water (it often comes from large 5 gallon-type jugs), use ice made from purified water, etc. Now, we eat lots of salads and fresh veggies, never hesitate to drink the water (of anything else) and have somehow lived to post on CC :).

Would we eat and drink anything anywhere in Mexico? No way. But we feel safe in PV. On the other hand, I have long had a fear of eating the fresh shucked oysters sold on Los Muertos Beach...although I love oysters, these oysters look darn good, and many of my friends have been eating them for years. Perhaps during this coming season I will finally get the courage to grab a plate of oysters from Johnnie.....as he goes walking by our beach chairs.

Hank

So you haven't really been personally getting sick in USA restaurants on a regular basis....

For the record, my wife and enjoyed a meal in Puerto Vallarta on our last Mexican cruise, and we plan on eating out again next month when we go again. Nevertheless, there are concerns and we will avoid the salsa and ceviche.

igraf

According the US Centers for Disease Control, food borne illnesses hit about 48 million Americans every year (1 out of 6 people) and result in far more then 100,000 hospitalizations. In 2006, while we were safely eating out every day in PV. fellow Americans were getting sick (and some dying) due to a serious e-coli outbreak at Taco Bell (never have gotten sick from Tacos in PV). We have had our share of GI issues after dining at various US restaurants....but like most such cases it simply "passes" (pun intended).

 

So, do folks sometimes get sick by eating in Puerto Vallarta?" Sure. But it has not happened to us, despite eating out (in PV) more then 70 times a year.

Just like anywhere else, one should use some common sense in choosing your eating venue. There are some places (mostly certain street vendors) that we avoid in PV. But it is the same in the USA.

 

When we first started going to PV (more then a decade ago) we were pretty cautious and would avoid eating uncooked items (such as salads) and would only drink bottled water. We gradually learned that nearly every restaurant (and street carts) use bottled water as their table water (it often comes from large 5 gallon-type jugs), use ice made from purified water, etc. Now, we eat lots of salads and fresh veggies, never hesitate to drink the water (of anything else) and have somehow lived to post on CC :).

 

Would we eat and drink anything anywhere in Mexico? No way. But we feel safe in PV. On the other hand, I have long had a fear of eating the fresh shucked oysters sold on Los Muertos Beach...although I love oysters, these oysters look darn good, and many of my friends have been eating them for years. Perhaps during this coming season I will finally get the courage to grab a plate of oysters from Johnnie.....as he goes walking by our beach chairs.

 

Hank

We cruise to Mexico, a lot. We always eat off the ship and have never had a problem.

Back in 1987, we did a land vacation and went to a restaurant up on the hill, I don't remember the name of it and I ate seafood. Oh boy, was I ever sick.

Then, my 4 YO son needed up in the hospital for 3 days with food poisoning when we got home. I was so careful with him, I don't know where he got it.