A Refreshing Development
 Claudia Alarcón - Austin Chronicle
| | Thank you, Mexico, for family-run fruterías and juguerías. |
Long before the juice and smoothie revolution took hold of the health-conscious collective mind of America, Mexicans had been enjoying fresh-fruit juices, smoothies, aguas frescas, and fruit cups from street carts and mom-and-pop neighborhood establishments for generations.
In Mexico, produce is relatively cheap, so a big glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice for about $1 from just outside the subway station has been an affordable alternative to breakfast for years.
For me, nothing invigorates the body and soul better than a Vampiro, a mixture of fresh pressed carrot, celery, and beet juice with a big squeeze of lime. Ahhhhh.
A stand I usually visit in Mexico City sells "medicinal" blends, such as pineapple, guava, parsley, and lime to boost your vitamin C intake, or alfalfa, cucumber, and pineapple as a diuretic.
Mexicans have been adding spirulina (consumed since Aztec times), aloe vera, and bee pollen to their smoothies way before GMC or Whole Foods were household names. Just ask the folks at Mr. Natural.
On weekends, Mexican families in parks all over the country can snack on cups full of fresh cantaloupe, pineapple, cucumber, jícama, papaya, and watermelon spears, as well as mangos on a stick, expertly sliced to resemble huge bright yellow flowers.
These treats, with a proper dose of fresh-squeezed lime and a dash of crushed dried chile, are usually sold by entrepreneurs pushing little wooden carts.
While some of these treats are now consumed with extreme care due to the lack of adequately clean water to wash the produce, they are nevertheless popular, affordable, and healthy, especially if purchased from a reputable vendor. |
Vallarta Weddings
Entertainment | Restaurants & Dining | July 2006 
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