El Graduado
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The problem in Cozumel is not availability. There are plenty of grocery items, both exotic and mundane, that are available in Cozumel., although not necessarily on a daily or monthly basis.
The problem is food handling.
The reason you sometimes find mold in sealed, yoghurt containers that are well within their expiration dates is that the product was stored somewhere along the supply line in hot, unrefrigerated warehouses for a substantial amount of time. Same problem with "cold meats." The warehouse workers don't always keep these items in cold storage, since they assume that because they are in sealed plastic, they are going to keep from spoiling, as if by magic. Ever open the ice cream? It is almost always melted to a liquid and then refrozen. The question is: for how long was it thawed out? Look at the "frozen" fish, turkey, chicken, etc. Ever notice how it is frozen all out of shape and blood has run into odd parts of the package and refrozen? Again, the question is: How long was it thawed out before it was refrozen? You can buy frozen Cod fillets in sealed packages, thaw them out in the fridge, only to find out they are putrid.
In the US and Canada, the grocery stores often take their soon-to-be-out-of-date poultry and fish and then marinate it, or cook it for their deli. In Cozumel, they wrap it in plastic so you can't smell it.
The problem is food handling.
The reason you sometimes find mold in sealed, yoghurt containers that are well within their expiration dates is that the product was stored somewhere along the supply line in hot, unrefrigerated warehouses for a substantial amount of time. Same problem with "cold meats." The warehouse workers don't always keep these items in cold storage, since they assume that because they are in sealed plastic, they are going to keep from spoiling, as if by magic. Ever open the ice cream? It is almost always melted to a liquid and then refrozen. The question is: for how long was it thawed out? Look at the "frozen" fish, turkey, chicken, etc. Ever notice how it is frozen all out of shape and blood has run into odd parts of the package and refrozen? Again, the question is: How long was it thawed out before it was refrozen? You can buy frozen Cod fillets in sealed packages, thaw them out in the fridge, only to find out they are putrid.
In the US and Canada, the grocery stores often take their soon-to-be-out-of-date poultry and fish and then marinate it, or cook it for their deli. In Cozumel, they wrap it in plastic so you can't smell it.
Ummm - ok Mr. grocery manager - obviously he took Merchandising, Inventory Control and basic Economics 101
