Do You Eat The Salsa?

[HammerNoMore]

Perhaps you can, but I don't. It's an easy precaution, at least where I stay, since there is always a jug of purified water in the bathroom.

Hmm, not when I was there, the jug was in the hall outside the rooms...

 

[Christi]

I agree that it's still a good precaution to brush your teeth with purified water as a tourist, because it is true as OE2X said...you may have a gringo stomach When I first moved here I didn't brush my teeth with it...but as time went on, I did and those who live here do.

As far as ice in drinks and all that jazz, you will be perfectly fine. It's ALL purified.

 

[Cozoholic]

I agree that it's still a good precaution to brush your teeth with purified water as a tourist, because it is true as OE2X said...you may have a gringo stomach When I first moved here I didn't brush my teeth with it...but as time went on, I did and those who live here do.

QUOTE]

I was getting all excited It was very nice to be home & be able to brush your teeth..Take it for granted...

BTW- Christi, YGM...If you didnt get it, we'll send it again.

 

[sharky60]

While searching on how to avoid the tourist trots, I read that one of the most common causes of getting sick in MX is eatting the salsa. Say it isn't so!! Last time I was in MX (Puerto Vallarta) I was very careful with the food and water, but ate every scoop of salsa I could find - and I got sick on the last day. Could it have been the salsa??
Truthfully, I don't know it I can do it - not eat the salsa. Come ON, this is Mexico!
Before I start to cry at the thought of going on the salsa wagon, tell me you eat all the salsa you want in Cozumel and you don't get sick

Funny salsa story, first of all, I was born in the north so I'm not making fun of Yankees...much.

We were at Coconuts a couple of years ago and the table next to us had a group of people from Michigan. The waiter puts chips and a bowl of "salsa" in front of them. Actually in Cozumel you get Pico de Guillo, but let's not get technical here.

Anyway the table of Michiganers are looking at the pico and after much deep discussion call the waiter over and point to it and ask "what's this stuff for?"... WHAT'S THIS STUFF FOR??!! Ok, you are given tortilla chips and a bowl of "stuff" at the same time...do the math.

Being from Texas, we about fell out of our chairs! My wife says " it's custom to pass it over the the table next to you"

Yes, eat the "salsa", I don't have the strongest stomach in the world and if anyone is going to catch something is would be me. I have always eaten it from my first trip forward and never had any trouble. I don't now if any bacteria could live in that hobenero juice anyway. I might think twice about eating it over on the Yucatan, but on Coz I've never gotten sick.

 

[Christi]

I agree that it's still a good precaution to brush your teeth with purified water as a tourist, because it is true as OE2X said...you may have a gringo stomach When I first moved here I didn't brush my teeth with it...but as time went on, I did and those who live here do.

QUOTE]

I was getting all excited It was very nice to be home & be able to brush your teeth..Take it for granted...

BTW- Christi, YGM...If you didnt get it, we'll send it again.

Got it...but I was diving all weekend with students...AND...I don't answer e-mails on Sunday's anymore I need a day off

Will be answering everything today.

 

[ggunn]

Hmm, not when I was there, the jug was in the hall outside the rooms...

I put it there myself. I didn't mean one of those big ones; the bathrooms there (Caribe Blu) are far too small for that. I have a tabletop sized jug that I fill up every night before I bed down and put on the counter in the bathroom.

In my mind, I'm there already...

 

[michaelp68]

My wife and I ate lots of salsa, loved it and did not get sick. Some of it was amazingly delicious and now I'm starving just thinking about it.

Michael

 

[Rick Inman]

This is SOOO ancient and this topic always strikes a nerve with me, because it's so far from the truth.

No matter what restaurant you go to touristy or local dive, you will NOT get served TAP water. The locals don't even drink the tap water. ALL ice on the island is made from purified water. The water trucks (5 or 6 companies) drive arouns all day every day delivering 5 gallon jugs of purified water to homes, restaurants, hotels, and businesses. THAT is the water that is served to everyone.

Furthermore, many restaurants and hotels now have water purification systems, AND I hear that our water is now being treated, but still not 100% potable, and still not served in restaurants. Restaurants also use an anti-bacterial solution in the water to soak and clean veggies if not being cooked.

You are just as likely to get food poisoning in the US as you are here, and that is the truth.

In fact, I got a SERIOUS case of sominella in the states several years ago, from a very well known and respected restaurant, to the point I was hospitalizedfor 2 days.

I have been here 4 years now. I brush my teeth with the water everyday, I wash my veggies in the tap water with the drops, I drink water in the restaurants, and those who know me, know what a fanatic I am about having a cup/glass of ice with my diet coke, gatorade or whatever I am drinking, I eat at nice restaurants, dives, and street vendors, etc. and I have never had food poisoning here.

Tourism is the economic base here...hotels and restaurants take all necessary precautions to make sure they don't "kill" the tourists. I'm not saying it can't happen here, of course it can...but it's just as likely to hit you in the US or any other country for that matter than here. Give the island and it's people a little more credit, please.

Thank you, Christi! Since I know I can eat the Salsa now, I guess I won't have to cancel my trip!

Trust me this guy has a gringo stomach.

I'll have you know that I was raised on homemade L.A. Mexican salsa. When I was a kid in the 1960's and 70's, my dad worked at a shop in L.A., CA. where all the yard workers were Mexican. He'd bring home gallons of the stuff made by his Mexican friends. We're talking real fire-alarm hot, here. When I was five years old, I could tell you if there was too much cilantro or not.
However, you have a point. Living here in Washington may have softened me up a bit.

>>> Well... now that we have established that it is safe to eat the salsa (at least I have), where in Coz do you get the best salsa??

 

[HammerNoMore]

>>> Well... now that we have established that it is safe to eat the salsa (at least I have), where in Coz do you get the best salsa??

Everywhere. Seriously. Like Chirsti said, it's all about fresh ingredients and a simple recipe and, while there may be some execptions the salsa is wonderfull pretty much anywhere you go.

 

[TCDiver1]

Everywhere. Seriously. Like Chirsti said, it's all about fresh ingredients and a simple recipe and, while there may be some execptions the salsa is wonderfull pretty much anywhere you go.

Not eating the fresh salsa is never an option for me in Coz. Its kinda like the diving .... as in one of the main reasons to go to Coz. The stuff is like mana from heaven IMO.

The water situation "purification" has gotten mucho better over the years. Its one thing you can thank the boats for. Wouldn't have happened in our lifetime if the boat people never came. The power of numbers.