That's My Story

PASS THE GREY POUPON!

Originally published the week of May 8, 2007 in Western Outdoor New Baja Column

A number of seasons ago, I got an e-mail from a prospective fisherman who asked me if they had “caffeine free diet Coke.” According to him, “my wife won’t go if they they don’t have her favorite beverage.”

For some of you reading this, your initial reaction might be one of amusement as in, “We’ll shucks, honey, if you REALLY can’t make it, then I guess I’ll have to ask my buddy Bill to come instead. That’s a shame that backward country has no caffeine-free Diet Coke. I’ll REALLY miss you!”

That was quite a few seasons ago. I’m not sure how I responded back then to the e-mail, but back then, I really had no idea if such a specialty item was carried on market shelves.

But fast forward to 2007.

If you really want to know what’s up in Baja, don’t look at the houses or cars in the neighborhood. Check out the local market. That’s the true bellweather of Baja.

Years ago, you’d have gotten a puzzled look asking for Diet Coke, or any other “diet” beverage. There was Coke and there was Pepsi and some stores carried a whopping 2 six packs and that was it! Maybe a whole case if you were lucky.

The largest stores had your bare essentials and you were happy to have them. Meat, some fruits, maybe 2 types of bread, tortillas, salsas, canned goods (SPAM and Campbells Soup), and, if they had refrigeration, dairy products like some cubes of butter and local cheese. Milk was condensed or came in waxed boxes. Toilet paper, soap and cleaning detergents rounded it out. Oh…and beer. Either the Pacifico line or the Tecate line. Some Corona too. Maybe.

The face of “modern Baja” is now the mall and the mega grocery store!

Not only will you find all the diet drinks, but count on unheard of things like rootbeer; bottled ice tea; the latest fad energy drinks; beers from Germany and Japan; even fresh fruit “juice bars” where you can get fresh-squeezed juices or “designer” juice bars in the store that will squeeze it, mix it, fortify it and make smoothies just like in the states.

You’ll also find (of course) pseudo Starbuck-style coffee bars so you won’t have to do without your triple expresso late’ mocha grande; delicatessens with steaming Mexican dishes; roasted chickens; fully stocked bakeries turning out breads and pastries; and foreign food section that sells things such as wasabe and nori to make sushi as well as goose-liver pate, hearts-of-palm, olive oils and Belgian chocolate!

One of the mega stores in La Paz even has…get this…a “cheese tasting bar” stocked with everything from local cheese to gruyere, provolone, romano and French blue cheese among others. There’s an “olive tasting bar”; and a “whole foods bar” with granola, oats; bran; dried fruit and nuts sold by the kilo.

The shelves have everything from your kid’s favorite breakfast cereal to fifty kinds of potato chips and luncheon meat including Virginia ham and Canadian bacon.

After checkout the kid who does the bagging will gladly walk you and your groceries out to the car. A “parking” attendant helps you pull your car out’ve the parking space and on your way.

That little “backward” country has both feet in the new century. Bienvenidos a la frontera! (Welcome to the frontier!)

I guess your wife is coming along after all!

That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.