Comments on: Tourist Mexico vs Real® Mexico

By: Jenadina

Jenadina — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:02:03 +0000

Ya know, you’d think they’d have traffic cones in TJ…but instead they use concrete barriers and police tape (and/or real live police men). Maybe it’s just too windy here *wonders*

I love reading your blog and comparing your experiences with my own.

By: Michele in Playa

Michele in Playa — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:43:18 +0000

Ooooo, “el grito” in Valladolid. What could be better! I hope you and the kids had a great time. Can’t wait for pictures!

By: Natalie

Natalie — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:25:11 +0000

They ALWAYS yell at me at the deli in Chedraui( The only time and place I have had that wonderful experience)
I guess you have to be there at the right time

By: Billie

Billie — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 02:05:13 +0000

Hi, I hope you can find Chiles en Nogada in Valladolid. We always use to eat at Maria de la Luz. Let me know if the short, gay man still works there in the restaurant.

By: wayne

wayne — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:20:10 +0000

Great post! I agree that we do not really live in RealMexico. Good points. Did you know that if you ask at the deli counter, you can actually eat yourself full on the samples! What a great idea to go to an older city for the grito! Wish I had thought of that. But we get to see our thrice yearly fireworks show tonight! It will be interesting to see how big it is under the new Mayor.

By: Mimi

Mimi — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:11:17 +0000

Test, Jonna said she wrote a very long comment last night. Before I try I’m doing a test

By: Jonna

Jonna — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:16:58 +0000

I love not having the creeps climb on my car and squirt the windshield with dirty water, I also don’t miss the fire eaters. I hate watching them as I’m sure they are going to die a horrid death with their throat eaten away.

I do miss the plethora of things to buy at intersections, it really makes a long light go faster. You HAVE to try some CocoSnap at an intersection in Mérida. It’s pure coco water with a couple pieces of the cobra in the bottle, $10p so not cheap. It’s icy cold and delicious. I was complaining the other day about not finding it in Playa and was told it doesn’t keep more than a day so stores don’t stock it. I also buy my phone cards at intersections, browse the crazy hats and kites and toys… I love that part.

All the rest you mention is true, although I do think that the large cities have more of the cones and mileage signs and such. It’s rare in the smaller cities and poorer states.

Chiles en Nogada – don’t even THINK about the calories! Casa de Frida in centro had good ones, we tried them a few weeks ago. It’s their signature dish. The ones at Vip’s are what made me sick I think.

As for organic food and such in the stores, I think the high end stores all over the Republic have it now. Superama, Mega Commercial, Soriana. You won’t find it at the cheap ones or in the mercado. So, perhaps that is part of the difference. You are in an affluent area here and most of your travels have been in rural and poorer areas with less for sale.

I’m happy with that, I might buy fruit or vegetables at the mercado but I might as well buy them at the abastos as that is where they come from. I LOVE high end grocery stores with clean everything and lots of samples (even tequila) and good cheeses and tons of things to choose from. Guess it’s the gringa in me, I enjoy going to Mega. I hate going to San Francisco or Borrega Aurora and I am not really excited to go to Chedraui although I will do it, the others I won’t set foot in. Part of that is I only have to buy for 2 adults, not a family as you do. I can get the little hunk of good brie and the really nice blue or some asiago… I won’t talk about the Italian flans and profiteroles.

I’ll bet those who live in Querétaro, Morelia, Guadalajara, or México have all the same options. As they do in Mérida with the difference being that less of it is labeled in English and perhaps more in other languages.

Good post.