Food Safety
The lady in tianguis cuts off a chunk of cheese and thrusts it at you impaled on the point of a knife... The vendor wants you to sample a chunk of melon on a plate How long has that jar of mayon...
Forum Discussion
Life in a gringo enclave differs from life in a modern city and life in the rural outback. For instance in Monterrey -downtown- it is illegal to sell uncooked ranch cheese from the back of a pickup truck. Mexican food preparers have nightmares about having their customers get sick -- make no mistake about it.
But when a stranger to the area shows up bearing a tray strapped to his back, beware. This guy can move-on-down-the-line with no repercussions whatsoever.
Brenda chews on me constantly about certain "strange restaurant" dishes. Especially stuff that can be reheated like spaghetti, or chilies rellenos. Any restaurant that serves food that needs extensive preparation in less than 15-minutes is highly suspect. Lobster, and shrimp can be prepared fast -- a stew cannot.
A safe way to go when at a restaurant unknown to you or anyone else, is to choose La Comida del Dia (Food of the day) also called Comida Corriente (current food).
I have a super fondness for tamales. Brenda sneers at anything not of her making. It is hilarious.
"It looks skinny like a snake. Look at the filling! It is almost all masa (dough)" She gives me the evil eye "This is not Baja California! We do not put aceitunas (green olives) in out tamales!"
Any stove dish remaining after 8PM is given to a neighbor for her pigs.
I wired up tattletale thermometers on her (my) large Samsung refrigerator. It shows the current temperature in celsius. But if the temp rises to alarm set and above it follows and tracks the temperature to max then freezes the numbers which can only be erased by pushing a button on the side.
Hoo Boy Jesus wants four for the freezers. At a hundred dollars plus for each lithium battery powered unit, this is going to have to wait. The wireless probe cooking thermometer was another wowee brought down from the states. Talented Mexican cooks are acutely aware of food safety and do not balk at learning.
It was an eye-opener for me to read an article in English written by staff at Johns Hopkins about bread and mold. 99% of the time it has nothing to do with penicillin. And at the sight of the slightest mold the bread should be discarded.
I freeze everything that can withstand it. Frozen bread and butter, and frozen fruit and vegetables will last a long time. This isn't necessary when a Soriana or Commercial Mexicana is a 10-minute drive, but for 3 hour forays it is a real time saver and food safety factor.
The kids have two favorite taco stands. One is open only after sundown in La Mira, the second is a long-hours building in Lazaro where plastic tables and chairs are set out in the street parking zone. And both have that assurance guarantee that the food will be safe and delicious -- they are packed with customers.
Like anything else related to safety I am not obsessed with it. After taking in a bit of reality it becomes second nature -- like not trusting the photons of a red traffic signal to stop a speeding car.
Meanwhile I smile and have a ball down here. Some folks never wish to deviate. They follow a strict gringo trail that is so sad to see. The informed tourist or expat is a joy to talk to. Sadly I am strongly encouraged to stop smiling after passing through US Customs. Smiling people are looked upon with suspicion :)
But when a stranger to the area shows up bearing a tray strapped to his back, beware. This guy can move-on-down-the-line with no repercussions whatsoever.
Brenda chews on me constantly about certain "strange restaurant" dishes. Especially stuff that can be reheated like spaghetti, or chilies rellenos. Any restaurant that serves food that needs extensive preparation in less than 15-minutes is highly suspect. Lobster, and shrimp can be prepared fast -- a stew cannot.
A safe way to go when at a restaurant unknown to you or anyone else, is to choose La Comida del Dia (Food of the day) also called Comida Corriente (current food).
I have a super fondness for tamales. Brenda sneers at anything not of her making. It is hilarious.
"It looks skinny like a snake. Look at the filling! It is almost all masa (dough)" She gives me the evil eye "This is not Baja California! We do not put aceitunas (green olives) in out tamales!"
Any stove dish remaining after 8PM is given to a neighbor for her pigs.
I wired up tattletale thermometers on her (my) large Samsung refrigerator. It shows the current temperature in celsius. But if the temp rises to alarm set and above it follows and tracks the temperature to max then freezes the numbers which can only be erased by pushing a button on the side.
Hoo Boy Jesus wants four for the freezers. At a hundred dollars plus for each lithium battery powered unit, this is going to have to wait. The wireless probe cooking thermometer was another wowee brought down from the states. Talented Mexican cooks are acutely aware of food safety and do not balk at learning.
It was an eye-opener for me to read an article in English written by staff at Johns Hopkins about bread and mold. 99% of the time it has nothing to do with penicillin. And at the sight of the slightest mold the bread should be discarded.
I freeze everything that can withstand it. Frozen bread and butter, and frozen fruit and vegetables will last a long time. This isn't necessary when a Soriana or Commercial Mexicana is a 10-minute drive, but for 3 hour forays it is a real time saver and food safety factor.
The kids have two favorite taco stands. One is open only after sundown in La Mira, the second is a long-hours building in Lazaro where plastic tables and chairs are set out in the street parking zone. And both have that assurance guarantee that the food will be safe and delicious -- they are packed with customers.
Like anything else related to safety I am not obsessed with it. After taking in a bit of reality it becomes second nature -- like not trusting the photons of a red traffic signal to stop a speeding car.
Meanwhile I smile and have a ball down here. Some folks never wish to deviate. They follow a strict gringo trail that is so sad to see. The informed tourist or expat is a joy to talk to. Sadly I am strongly encouraged to stop smiling after passing through US Customs. Smiling people are looked upon with suspicion :)
