It all started in the pursuit of peanut butter. While I’ve occasionally figured out how to smuggle my own peanut butter into Mexico, there comes a time when I need a replenishment. Though it’s not widely available, you can find peanut butter in some of the bigger supermarkets, but it almost always contains excessive amounts of sugar. A friend of mine in Mexico offered to drive me to one of their specialty grocery stores, but I had no idea how nice it would actually be! That was my first experience in a Fresko.
It turns out Mexico has a collection of high end markets. Listed in descending order of quality, they are: City Market, Fresko, and La Comer. I’d seen one before, in Puerto Vallarta, but someone told me it was just the same food at a higher price. After visiting my first Fresko, I confirmed it was indeed a higher price but not at all the same food.
The most impressive part of these markets is presentation. Food is presented in a way that jewelry is presented at Tiffanys. There are long class containers that allow you to get a clear view of the collection within. I’ve seen display cases for cheese, desserts, meat, and fish.
Most recently, Joan and I visited a supermarket, and after surveying the place with our mouths wide open, we decided to make a video to convey the experience. These high end markets are, at the very least, on par with the finest markets in America, and in many cases better. Some have sushi bars or wine tasting counters. Others have restaurants and gelato counters. I have never been so excited to go grocery shopping, and I spend the week looking forward to our outing.
We recently walked through the food section of El Palacio De Hierro, in Mexico City. Joan compared it to Harrod’s food hall in London. While it is more of a food hall within a luxury mall, it seems worth mentioning as they stock specialty items only available in large cities.
Every week, we make a list of the rare cheeses or meats we want to buy for the upcoming week. We know that we are going to have access to the greatest variety of wines and alcohol and at prices that are sometimes better than the US.
It is nice to know that the finest of foods, both domestic and international are available in Mexico. While I once thought that the only way to get certain foods, was to bring them with me from the U.S., I’m now realizing they are all available in Mexico’s fine food grocery stores.