On a recent trip to Mexico City, I became aware that second to food allergies is the fact that drinking water can be as dangerous.
When you arrive in Mexico city the contrast to the US is remarkable. For example, on a Saturday afternoon during the taxi ride to our hotel, there were people doing acrobatics for tips at stop lights in the middle of big highway intersections. And I mean dangerous stunts with adults and children balancing 3 on each others shoulders on concrete – and jumping up and down. Really crazy to see.
But soon after arriving at the hotel a real hurdle because clear. What to drink. While a sip of water will probably not send you to the hospital like a serious food allergy would, it will certainly derail any fun you expected to have for a week. You can’t drink water. You can’t have ice in any drinks. You shouldn’t brush your teeth with faucet water. If you take a shower in the morning, keep your mouth closed. In a lot of ways, avoiding water in so many forms is a lot like having food allergies. There is the direct exposure to the allergen (water), then there are multiple cross contamination risks of touching water that come with food allergies as well. Maybe we should develop a card like our food allergy cards that address water in Mexico.