11 Reasons Why Mexico City Markets Are a Waste of Time

3. Enjoying a freshly squeezed juice or smoothie while you walk and shop at the market store is not your style.

4. Going around stall by stall and tasting everything the sellers offer you is a slow and annoying process. You want to leave immediately after you buy your stuff without taking any samples of fruits, cheese or stews.

5. Why you should buy traditional bundles of herbs when you can get jars of the same pulverized product at a much higher price?

6. Supporting the household economy of thousands of Mexican families is a waste of time. It’s better to fill the pockets of the billionaire owners of the supermarket chains.

7. Who wants to get strange scratching devices, wooden foot massagers, unctions and creams made from bee venom and other unique handcrafts? Those kind of trinkets are not worthy of your attention.

8. Can you imagine yourself eating local products free of additives and packages? Eating non-packaged fruits and vegetables must be a horrible experience. Apples don’t have the stickers of a farm from Washington or California, they’re from Chihuahua! Squashes come from Xochimilco, tomatoes from Cuajimalpa and the Nopals from Milpa Alta. You’re supporting local economy, not the international macroeconomic trade. That’s so irresponsible!

9. Religious festivities, birthdays, anniversaries… in local markets they celebrate everything… You can’t stand it! You can only tolerate the music of a juice or dairy brand promoting their products while their mascots dance frantically.

10. You can’t stand employees constantly bothering you with personal questions like “How’s your kid? I still remember when you came with him a he was still a baby.” Shopping should be a cold and solitary experience. You go to buy, not to make friends. Cut the chit chat!

11. Besides, you don’t understand why employees want to give you advices and recipes for cooking your meal. No one should interfere with your cooking. In the supermarket, no one gives advice on how to dress your salad or select your meat cuts. These “marchantes” are so disrespectful, they keep treating you almost like family when you don’t even know them!