My husband, daughter and I are traveling to Mexico for the first time, planning a somewhat upscale trip. However, we're terrified by the warnings about food. No salad??? Don't eat the salsa??? No ice in margaritas??? Is this true of the Fodor recommended restaurants in Mexico City and Cancun? How do you determine if a restaurant's ice/salsa/lettuce is safe?

The travel clinic here insists that you can't make lettuce 'safe'. Because it grows so close to the ground, it gets contaminated and can't be cleaned without boiling, which certainly isn't an option.

The nicer places in the touristy areas use purifed water for ice, I wouldn't worry about it.

That said, I've had wonderful salads all over the Yucatan and have eaten 'free' salsa at every little bar/restaurant that brought me some when I ordered a drink.

I've never gotten sick. Not saying I never will, but hasn't happened. I only drink bottled water, brush my teeth with bottled water. And bring along antibiotics, just in case.

I suppose it depends on where you are going. We have been to the Yucatan beaches twice, and have never had any problems. We eat the salads, salsa, iced drinks, and even raw fish. Just about every place we've eaten has a posting on thier menu that the food has been rinsed in a sterilizing solution. I wouldn't drink the tap water - however many places supply a jug of bottled water in your room.

I think the truth is somewhere inbetween what you've been told, and what you will find. I also think it depends on where you go and what kind of place you stay.

That said, I do have one friend who will not go to Mexico because he's gotten sick each time he did and chooses to go to Hawaii instead.

In many years of travel to Mexico we have rarely had anyone in our family get sick. On the other hand I have taken groups of kids there and, even though we eat the same things, some just seem to have a disposition to get sick. For most folks, avoiding the water and some common snese will be all that's needed. My wife and I did some traveling last summer to Toluca and surroundings which aren't particularily touristed. The way we picked places to eat was simply looking for the ones that were well patronized. Neither of us had any problem- most likely neither will you.

Mostly nonsense as I live here full time.
Don't eat street food.
Drink bottled water unless and until you know the lodging/restaurant sources are purified and filtered.
Veggies, fruits and salad stuff are soaked in an iodine solution (we use Microdyne, but there are others).
Ice in "gringo" restaurants is safe.
Use common sense, lol.
M (SMdA, Gto.)

Bring Lomotil, just in case. But if you're truly "terrified", you're probably not up to traveling out of the country anyway.

Exactly acctg. One of the reasons I go to Playa Del Carmen is for the food. There is such great variety between the traditional MX food, the authentic Italian and a host of others you have a hard time picking. I'm looking forward to it in tminus 19 days!

I can speak to the ice, because that's an easy one. Most everywhere has ice delivered just like they do purified water, the ice cubes have a funny shape you will recognize. Especially in "upscale" places I can't imagine anyone's making ice cubes in their own freezer using tap water. Rest assured on that one.

Even the block ice is almost always from purified water. Much of the "Revenge" is brought on by over indulging in spicy, unusual food, a bit too much tequila or it's equivalent & the sun. In 21 years a travel to Mexico I have never been sick. I do drink bottled water, I do eat off the Taco carts & eat salad. I do not eat shell fish as Red Tide does exist.

Don't worry.

Ditto previous advice on the water and ice. And great advice about brushing teeth with bottled water.

I can only add that I take it easy on the salads, sun, and alcohol for the first couple of days, until I feel like my system has acclimated. But other people dive right in and are just fine.