Last year, I got sick from eating bad food in Mexico, and it was enough to pretty much scar me for life. I had no appetite. I was on the verge of throwing up — but didn’t — almost constantly for three weeks. And of course I was always in the bathroom. I got so dehydrated I started slurring my words, which scared my mom. And me.
A few friends asked me: “Girl, you look good, have you been working with a trainer?” And I was like, “No, I have a freaking PARASITE in my stomach!” And of course everyone who knew I was sick always asked me what I ate. But trying to figure that out is futile. Everything I ate looked and smelled normal.
Since I moved here, I’ve tried to be extra cautious about what I eat. But I threw caution to the wind in Patzcuaro. Which may explain why, on Sunday and Monday, I got a mild fever. That segued into heavy stomach-rumbling, and finally, last night, the alien bacteria’s grand debut.
Between 11 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. last night, I could barely leave the bathroom. (Thank god we have Wi-Fi in there.) I cried a little bit. I cursed my stupidity in eating anything questionable only a week before my dad’s first visit to Mexico City. I tried not to get sucked into the useless argument of wondering what I ate, but I couldn’t help myself.
This bug may have come from one, if not all three of the following places:
1. The horchata I drank with my street-side carnitas in Quiroga. I think I may have seen a dead fly in the container.
2. The bean taco I ate, prepared by an indigenous lady we met in Santa Fe de la Laguna. Her kitchen had a dirt floor, so I’m assuming it may not have been the cleanliest thing in the world. At the time, I thought: This woman has nothing and she’s offering us food. It’d be rude to say no.
3. The carne apache tostada I ate from a very popular vendor on the square. Carne apache = ground beef that’s basically raw, but “cooked” in lime juice for several hours and refrigerated. It’s a Purepechan delicacy. And a HAVEN FOR SALMONELLA.
Going to the doctor at 11:30, so we’ll see what he says.
It’s weird, because I’ve been dreading this moment since I moved to Mexico. What if I get sick like I did last time? What will I do? And now that it’s here, I’m actually kind of at peace, because there’s absolutely nothing I can do about it. The bacteria’s in control, not me. (This is what she says now, on Day 1 of not being able to eat anything.)
My bet’s with #3. I once ate steak tartare in Paris and the illness that followed was nothing I’d ever experienced before (or since). I hope you feel better soon pobrecita. And from now on, only cooked meats!!
I had salmonella last year…and I am a vegetarian. One thing I was told was that the cutting board is a big culprit since they might cut raw vegies on it after meat. (Ick)
Good luck to you, if it is salmonella. I have my fingers crossed that it isn’t.
Lesley, I feel your pain.
Back when I was younger and reckless in 1980, during our first visit to Mexico, we were driving up the Gulf Coast from a week in Cuetzalán, Puebla. A week of great physical extertion (caving) and little rest.
We stopped for lunch at Tuxpan, Vercruz, where I ate a raw oyster cocktail for lunch, among other things. It was the Restaurante “Selecta”. I will never forget it.
Further along, we stopped for a night in Tampico. We were relieved to find a lovely, modern American style hotel. The night before, we’d slept in our cramped pickup camper, on top of boxes. The ferry across the bay had been closed due to winds.
So when we got into Tampico, I pigged out. We went to a Chinese restauant, where we were served cold rice and odd food. It wasn’t the right time of day to eat there. We were the only customers.
Later, after a welcomed nap in our plushy room, we went out for supper at the Restaurante “Flamingo”. I never will forget it. There I enjoyed, after some forgotten entrada, a Carne a la Tampiqueña, done in style, with all the trimmings.
I was stuffed. But that was to be remedied about midnight. In order to spare your reader’s delicate sensibilities, I won’t describe the scenes. It was ugly and persistent.
Afterwards came two weeks of wretchedness and weakness. It was a souvenir of my careless gourmandizing in Mexico. From that time on, I have never eaten raw oysters in Mexco, very little Sino-Mexican food (an idea whose time may never come), but Carne a la Tampiqueña is still on my approved list.
We hope that you feel better soon. If it persists more than 5 days in all, see a doctor.
Saludos,
Don Cuevas
I missed that you had a appointment with a doctor at 11:30.
One other thing: dehydration. That is very dangerous. So, if you can take liqiuds orally and hold them in, use Pedialyte or Electrolyte regularly.
If the patient cannot hold liquids orally, then the remedy may be an intravenous saline drip along with stomach settling, anti nausea medicines. I believe that Ranitidina (Ranisen™) is one.
Believe me, we have a lot of experience with this problem.
I have never seen carne apache sold streetside under any sort of refrigeration, but I may have missed that. I don’t even want to look at the stuff.
Que te recuperes pronto
Don Cuevas