Guest post submitted by TheCheshireGrinsAnother thing I really like about Mexico is the markets (I'm fascinated by strange things). There's always a whole bunch of new and different things to see. This is another place you can barter as well (yay!). I really liked the market but several members of the family were not so keen on it.
This produce looks so yummy and so pretty. I love how they lay out everything together. In the state of Sinaloa, where Matzalan is located, one of their main crops are tomatoes. The license plates from that state even have tomatoes on them!
Let's put it this way, in Mexico, they use a lot of cuts of meat that we don't use in the US generally. As long as you don't get queasy over these sorts of things, it's pretty interesting to see all the different cuts of meat that there are.
Almost this entire row was filled with all sorts of meat!
Matzalan is located right on the water and is known for it's seafood, especially shrimp. These shrimp are regular sized but our driver showed us absolutely huge shrimp (about the size of a fist).
While in the market, I decided that I wanted to go over to the baked goods stand and get a little something to snack on. I picked up a cookie and the Architect got a roll. The fresh baked stuff is amazing because there are no preservatives in them. My mom couldn't believe that I was going to eat anything in that market and that I would probably get sick from eating the cookies. I think that's a misconception that a lot of non-Mexicans have. Everyone is worried about Monteczuma's Revenge, which is definitely nothing to joke about. However, if you're careful, you'll run little to no risk of getting sick.
- One thing to remember is that most of the Revenge comes from intake of water. The water filtration in the United States is a lot different that filtration in Mexico. Stick to bottled water and make sure if you feel the need to have ice, you get it from a reliable, purified water source.
- Be careful of uncooked veggies and fruit. They could make you sick if they were washed with just the plain old water. Also, in Mexico, the pesticide DDT is still used (but luckily is beginning to be phased out) in Mexico. It's best to peel your own veggies and fruits and wash them well with purified water.
- If you eat things that are cooked properly (look for things that are cooked at a high temperature), you will run little risk of getting sick. Most importantly, you can eat all the cookies you want
What are markets like in your country? What areas do you like to visit when you travel to another country?
True 
Lifetime
Comments (5)
That's so true.
it's nice that you find interest in places that you visit, even if your family isn't too keen on it. =) But wow, they sell so many different types of groceries at the mercado.
I just came from mexico .el mercado is a great place by all means .I usually find tons of great stuff there.I got sick when I went but it was because I ate food from a stand off the road I don't think the food was cooked right .u can never go wrong with Just by eating cookies,candy or anything of that kind & of course stick to bottled water .I usually hang out with the locals & see things through their eyes.being as My parents are mexican.
i love mercados in mexico!
mostly going to one of the smoothie/milkshake shop things.
I love how they have everything ready and cut up for you.
Everyone's prepared.
i used to work at a resort that has an "el mercado" store...far cry from this tho, haha.
but these pictures remind me somewhat of the "wet markets" in singapore, so-called b/c they often hose down the floors to keep things "cleaner"...just add in live animals of all varieties and fragrant odors to your description, and you've got it!
bargaining is a must; if you look foreign or don't but speak the language w/o heavy accent, they automatically up the initial prices...but if you bargain hard, the prices are amazingly better than conventional supermarkets! and you get for it [very] fresh meats, seafood, produce...you name it, they have it.
i remember we could always get the white chicken meat for super cheap, b/c most asians prefer dark meat...score! :P