Tag Archives: drink

12 Health Tips for Mexico Travel: What NOT to Eat and Drink

  1. Only drink purified bottled water OR ask for un vaso de agua de garafon — a glass of water from the big blue purified water bottle
  2. Only brush your teeth with purified bottled water.
  3. Do not use tap water for drinking. Hand washing with soap is okay.
  4. Keep your mouth shut when taking a shower!
  5. Never believe it if an establishment says the water is filtered.
  6. Never eat anything “on the street” or in market stalls if it is raw. (I rarely eat anything in markets, either, unless it is well cooked.)
  7. Don’t order a lettuce, fruit or raw vegetable salad unless it is in an upscale tourist restaurant and you know they disinfect the food.
  8. Avoid sushi-style fish. Order fish medium or well done and meat cooked to at least medium. Medium-rare will work in upscale restaurants but it will likely arrive more on the raw side.
  9. Use hand-sanitizer liberally.
  10. Look for restaurants that are crowded. That means the food turns quickly and is fresh.
  11. Carry an Rx of Ciprofloxacin with you. Yes, it’s a powerful antibiotic but it works to kill any bacteria in your system.
  12. Find a pulque bar that serves aguamiel. It is a natural digestive that can ease intestinal problems.

If you get sick, it can take 24-52 hours for the infection to pass through your system (it is a strain of food poisoning like ecoli infection). Stay hydrated with a Gatorade-type drink. Your symptoms will be vomiting and diahhrea and fever, Anything longer and you should seek medical advice. Most hotels will have a doctor who will make a call for a reasonable fee.

If you can get to an Ahorra Farmacia there will often be a doctor in an adjacent office who can examine you, diagnose and then prescribe. You can fill the Rx while you wait.

 

Agua Fresca de Sandia Thirst Quencher on a Hot, Hot Day: That’s Watermelon Juice, Folks

Yesterday it was 93 degrees and about 80 percent humidity in North Carolina. Today and for the rest of the week, the temperature will climb toward 97 degrees.  Staying hydrated is really important.  I am calling up the Oaxaca gods of food and drink.  They know what to offer when the heat becomes unbearable: Agua Fresca de Sandia or Watermelon Juice Drink.

Here is the recipe:

  • Equipment:  a blender!
  • 4 cups cubed watermelon flesh
  • 1/4 cup organic Turbinado raw cane sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • juice of two limes
  • ice cubes

Dissolve the sugar in the water.  You can do this by heating the water in a measuring cup in the microwave until warm, then add the sugar and stir.  Add ice cubes (6-8) until the water chills.

Put the watermelon cubes into the blender.  Add the sugar-water and lime juice.  Add ice cubes and blend.  The more ice cubes you add the more you will create a “frozen” drink like a slushy.  Taste.  If you want a stronger watermelon flavor, add more.  And, if you want a Watermelon Margarita, just add tequila!

This drink, with or without the liquor, is a great thirst quencher and very easy.

I’m sorry I don’t have photos.  I drank it all before I thought of writing this post 🙂