What surprised me most was that raw onions are the first things to turn toxic, but only after they've been peeled, cut up and left exposed to heat and humidity.

Which is why folks need to be extra careful with the salsas. Always ask for fresh. The salsas combined with large amounts of alcohol are the usual culprits that cause stomach problems. Maybe up north you can guzzle a 6-pack or a pitcher of beer and a few shooters at a sitting with no effects, but in the tropics with the heat and humidity there is a higher price your body has to pay.

PS I eat mayo at the BEGINNING of my trip.

One Man's Wonder

I know, I know...I should take my own advice.

Make passes at other people's spouses (but only @ Senior Frog's and only if they're dancing on the table opposite to you), challenge a gold neck-chain-wearing Narcotraficante to a duel at high noon outside the Commercial, Water ski behind the para-sailing boat, complain loudly that "NOBODY HERE SPEAKS ENGLISH" or guzzle too much cheap tequila and be carried home by your friends....BUT DON'T EAT ANYTHING WITH MAYONNAISE!

It all started innocently enough. Ilana & I had a final nice dinner at one of our most memorable restos on our last night in here in Z.

For this once I'm not going to say where for fear of repercussion, because I don't want their biz to suffer over this review.

I had the tuna salad appetizer and the breaded squid. Ilana had another dish. She only had a couple of forkfuls of the tuna, but it was very very tasty, with chopped tomatoes and parsley, and I ate it all down to the piece of lettuce it came on.

She suffered no ill effects at all. I had a few hours of real discomfort about 2 hours after we ate, that began strangely enough with an almost unexplainable dizziness, then the unmistakable stomach queasiness gave it all away. That's when the dam burst and you know how the rest goes.

But it was just a small touch, and my body purged itself rather well and I'm feeling back to my old self today, whatever that is.

Very funny thing about mayo in this climate is that it really only takes minutes away from refrigeration for the bacteria to grow like crazy. They grow unevenly too, starting with the surface of the substance. So in the same dish, one part could be infested, and another not. Impossible to tell without a microscope and someone who knows how to use it.

I suppose one can do "Safe Mayo" by unsealing the jar oneself and then using it immediately... As in within minutes. The place we ate at actually left a small open jar as a condiment if I'd wished for more. May as well have put a loaded 9mm on the table for our convenience...

Perhaps the locals aren't as affected by this as my Gringofied tummy was.

Either way it's a lesson that I hope you learn from even if I didn't....

Hasta la proxima,

H.