One of my most memorable experiences in Mexico City was my street food “safari” with local guide and incredible human being, Rocio Vazquez. Rocio is the founder of the street food tour company, Eat Like A Local. Her company focuses on responsible tourism and community outreach. Rocio works closely with local street food vendors to increase their business while providing her customers a top-notch experience. She is all about the food, the city, the culture, and the connection between people. She advertises her safari’s as the “tour for people who hate tours.” Unlike so many organized tours today, including my tour to Teotihuacan, Eat Like A Local’s guides will never take you to any souvenir shops or try to upsell you on anything.
Why I Chose Eat Like A Local
I discovered Eat Like A Local through an article published by Condé Nast. Other major publications such as The Huffington Post, Fodor’s, and National Geographic have also featured street food tours with Eat Like A Local as one of the top things to do in Mexico City. With such an impressive resume, I was beyond eager to plan my Mexican street food tour with Rocio!
I thought a street food tour would be the perfect way to spend my first full day in Mexico City. It would allow me to familiarize myself with my new surroundings and give me a crash course in what I should eat or avoid in the days to come. So, a few days before my arrival, I booked my street food safari through the Eat Like A Local website.
About The Tour
To kick things off, I met my guide, Rocio, in a small coffee shop in a trendy neighborhood called Condessa. I sipped my cortado as we strolled through the streets of Mexico City. I enjoyed a local chocolate pastry known as a concha for the first course, which paired perfectly with my coffee. We walked and chatted, getting to know each other better along the way. Right away, I found Rocio to be very personable and easy to talk to.
Rocio was greeted like a local celebrity at every stop. Responsible tourism and having a positive impact on the community is something she takes very seriously. One way she gives back is by paying a premium to the food vendors for their tasty bites. So, for example, say a taco stand owner typically charges $1.00 for a single taco; the Eat Like A Local guides will pay them $2.00. A single extra dollar might not sound like much, but I assure you it adds up to make a significant impact over time.
I thought this was a genius strategy on her part. The extra money goes directly to supporting the local community, which is wonderful. And, as a result of constantly being paid above market value, the vendors we visited were unbelievably kind and noticeably grateful to have us stop by.
Everything Is Included
Even with giving a little extra to the vendors we visited, I didn’t need to take my wallet out once during my street food tour. The price covers everything, including food, drinks, subway fare, and gratuities—no hidden fees. However, I did give Rocio a tip after the tour just because I had such an amazing time with her.
Throughout the day, we visited a number of bakeries, street stands, and market stalls. I ate an excessive amount of delectable Mexican fare. Eventually, I had to start eating only half of my portion or skip a stop altogether. There was just too much food! Nevertheless, the tour was fantastic, and everything I ate was amazing!
Eat Like A Local’s Origin Story
My guide, Rocio, had stories and interesting bits of information about every place we went and everyone we met. She did an amazing job of teaching me not only about the food scene in Mexico City, but also how it tied in to the culture and history of this beautiful place. Between learning all about the city, and trading stories as fellow world travelers, we never once found ourselves in a stalled conversation or at a loss for words.
Despite a remarkably impressive list of adventures abroad, I was most impressed by Rocio’s personal journey and the mission behind her company. Rocio was inspired to found Eat Like A Local one night during her travels in Istanbul. Her aim was to give people an authentic experience of her city, without any of the standard tourist trappings. After a while though, that wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her, and the focus of her mission began to shift.
Even with her new street food tour business up and running, not all was well in Rocio’s personal life. Without going into too much detail here, she was in an unsafe domestic relationship, and a lack of financial means made it nearly impossible for her to escape. Through an incredible chance encounter and a great deal of effort, Rocio eventually found herself in a much better situation. With a newfound sense of gratitude, Rocio saw an opportunity to focus her street food tours on positively impacting her community.
Learn more about Rocio’s journey in her own words, here.
A Powerful Mission
The street food safari’s offered by Eat Like A Local most certainly prioritize creating an enjoyable and memorable experience for the customer. They also do an excellent job of providing additional income to local street food vendors, as mentioned earlier. However, the company doesn’t stop there.
Rocio was determined to help empower other women in her community by offering them a path to independence through financial freedom. At Eat Like A Local, Rocio employs an all-female guide staff and has even developed a program to work closely with underprivileged young women in the markets of Mexico City. Rocio and her team help these girls learn to speak English and teach them the skills and knowledge necessary to one day become tour guides themselves. All of this is done in an effort to provide the opportunity for these girls to create a better life for themselves and their families.
Visiting La Merced
I witnessed Rocio’s efforts firsthand when we visited the infamous Merced Market. This market has a reputation for being an extremely dangerous place, however I never once felt nervous or uncomfortable. While I would not recommend any visitor ever go there alone, Rocio assured me that everything would be fine, and I trusted her. Again, her community outreach efforts have earned her a certain status, making safety of no concern.
We visited two of the girls in her program that worked as bartenders in the market. The makeshift bar was under a tailgate-style tent in a crowded market known for its illicit and nefarious dealings. They worked here everyday, and lived in a derelict apartment building just a few yards away. The girl’s were born into this life, just as their parents and grandparents had also spent their entire lives living and working in the market. This was the only world these young girls had ever known. And most likely the only world that would ever know, until Rocio arrived.
Rocio brings some of her guests there to meet the girls and better understand their circumstances. More importantly, it gives the girls the chance to speak with a native English speaker and practice their tour guiding skills. She hopes that by exposing them to what she does for a living, one day she will be able to hire the girls at Eat Like A Local, or set them up to lead their own tours of the city.
The Girls Take Over
The two girls we met were extremely friendly and eager to learn more about me and my home. They even tried to teach me how to make the perfect Michelada. My performance was embarrassing, at best. But, it was a lot of fun and you better believe I drank the whole thing anyway!
Wendy, the younger of the two girls, treated me to her favorite specialty cocktail, a Smurf. As my mouth puckered from the combination of clear liquor and an irrational amount of bright blue sugar, I learned that she was only 14 years old! The other girl, Areli, was already a mother of two at only 20 years old. Her youngest daughter was one of the most adorable and seemingly happiest kids I had ever seen. I engaged and chatted politely over our drinks, but couldn’t help but think about how insanely different our lives were. I let it all sink in as I sipped my electric-blue, sugar-filled Smurf from its clear plastic cup.
When I finished my Smurf, Wendy and Areli took over the street food tour. They showed me around the market and joined me for more food and drinks. Despite their being thousands of people in the massive market, the girls seemed to know every one of them. I could see how excited they were to give a tour an insight into their world. It was one of those experiences that forever leaves its mark.
After The Tour
When the tour concluded, Rocio and I exchanged contact information and parted ways. Before I left Mexico, we would meet up again for dinner and drinks at a popular new wine bar called Hugo. We talked more about our travels, the history and culture of Mexico City, and just life in general. Again and again, the conversation returned to Rocio’s work with the community, especially with the girls from the market.
Visiting the Merced was an experience that forced me to take a step back and appreciate all the things in life I take for granted. An unsubtle reminder of how fortunate I truly am, through no doing of my own. Simply born into privileges and opportunities that countless people in this world can only dream of. I tried to visualize what it would be like if my siblings and I had been born into the same circumstances as Wendy and Areli. What life would be like for my young nieces being raised in a violent, dangerous place instead of a well-protected suburban oasis. The realization that our fates seem to be determined in large part by some indiscriminate cosmic lottery.
I hated to see the grim conditions these girls lived in and would most likely never escape. It saddened me knowing that they had no idea what possibilities lay just outside their tiny little world.
Within that sadness, though, there was hope. I took great comfort knowing that there are people like Rocio out there in this world. People whose joy and passion for life are infectious. People tirelessly trying to have a positive impact on the people who need it most. You could see how excited the girls got when Rocio arrived. And how determined Rocio give them even a glimpse of a better world.
Moments like this are why I travel. What started as a day for overeating and learning my way around a new city ended up being one of the most impactful and inspirational travel experiences I’ve ever had. If you ever find yourself planning a trip to Mexico City, I can’t recommend a street food safari with Eat Like A Local more!
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