Every time I travel, I am always mesmerized by the central markets. They are filled with fresh, colorful produce, butchers, fish vendors, small family-owned eateries, and tons of locals. A market like that is the heart of a city. During our day trip, we visited two markets: Mercado Corona and Mercado San Juan de Dios.
At Mercado Corona, we explored the rows of herbs and natural remedies. They had something for every ailment. I'm a big believer in natural and home remedies for common, everyday illnesses. It may just be a placebo effect, but if it works it works. As a physician, it's even more important to know about these alternative treatments because most patients are using them and I'll need to know if they interfere with their Western medical treatment. For example, St. John's wort can interfere with many different prescription drugs, including oral contraceptives. Not a good idea.
I hate that we don't have central markets back at home. Our food would be tastier and healthier. More importantly, people would be healthier. There is an overabundance of research detailing the benefits of farmer's markets for hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and hyperlipidemia (aka hyperdiabesidemia). And, how much fun would it be to shop in a place like this every day?
Finally, after hours of taking pictures, wandering the streets of Guadalajara, and exploring the markets, we wandered to the second floor of Mercado San Juan de Dios. The goal was to find the cleanest and busiest eatery in order to prevent any unwanted intestinal colonization of parasites or bacteria. After scoping out all the little eateries, we settled on Tortas Mario. As usual, we each ordered the same delicious meal. This time it was tortas ahogadas, one of Guadalajara's specialties. It's a meat filled sandwich soaked/drowned in a spicy vinegary broth. As Claire said, it's the Mexican version of a French dip. Topped with onions and a sprinkle of lime, it was g-o-o-d. Mission accomplished.
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