Stacey Tokunaga – How to Enjoy the Best Street Food in Mexico City
Mexico City is famed for having some of the best street food in all the Americas, and Mexico City is the place to get your hands on the very best that the nation has to offer. My girlfriend Stacey Tokunaga came to visit me last year and I prepared a little guide for her ahead of her trip. Stacey had mentioned the street food to me on a number of occasions and so I thought it best to give some advice on how to avoid getting sick. The problem is that food hygiene isn’t at the top of the priority list for so many street vendors, and the illness they call Moctezuma’s revenge is one, which affects many foreigners. This shouldn’t put you off, however, and here is how to stay safe.
Go With the Queues
Mexicans don’t quite get as sick as tourists do but they can tell you very quickly whether or not a place should be avoided. For this reason, the best thing that you can do is to only go to those street vendors which have big queues of people outside them. Mexicans here in the city eat street food every day, from businessmen to teachers, school kids to public workers, and they know where to go for the best options. Follow the crowd and you’ll be just fine.
Check Out the Set-Up
You can easily tell in most cases whether or not a place has any hygiene standards, so the first thing that you should check is how they are set up. Is the place clean? Do they store meat in a chiller? Are they using equipment like gloves, aprons, and something to cover their hair? IF you don’t see this then it is best to avoid the place, especially if they don’t appear to be chilling their meat. The meat is, of course, the number 1 reason why many get sick, so this is where you really have to focus.
Do Your Research
There is a huge amount of articles online which fellow tourists have written about where to find the best street food in the city, and doing a bit of research before you get here will certainly help you out. Find the street food vendors which sell the food that you want to, and make sure that it has the stamp of approval from fellow travelers before you eat there.
Safety Foods
There are some go-to foods which are unlikely to get you sick when eating on the street, and some that you should absolutely avoid. For example, it is a smart idea to avoid poultry and pork from the vendors if you are not sure, as these need to be stored in such as a way to avoid people getting sick, which they don’t always follow. You could also look to try some of the amazing vegan street food options which they have here, that will massively lower your risk of getting sick.
Pick well and you are going to love the Mexican street food.
Boris Dzhingarov graduated UNWE with a major in marketing. He is the founder of ESBO ltd a brand mentioning company. He is also passionate about meditation and healthy living. You can find articles on such topics at his spiritual blog Dzhingarov.com.