Food in Guatemala - and safety again

Hi guys,

I'm gearing up for my solo trip to latin america - I'm 80% sure it's going to be Guatemala, I'm definitely buying my tickets tomorrow or the next day at the latest so that I can stop driving myself crazy with decisions. Guatemala seems perfect for me; my only final questions now are about the food and a few lingering thoughts about safety.

First the food: the guides I've been reading have been saying that the indigenous food in Guatemala is nothing to write home about, which is a major, major disappointment to me - I really love mexican food, even the americanized stuff we get over here, and was really looking forward to eating good authentic mexican/latin american food during my trip. The other destinations I'm considering are Oaxaca and Guanajuato, both of which are known for their food, which makes it suck even more. Is the food really not that good in Guatemala, outside of the cities like Antigua, which I'm sure has some good places like most big cities? Is there a chance to eat good Mexican food, given Guatemala's proximity to Mexico? It's hard to believe that the Chiapas area of Mexico is so renowned for its food but Guatemala just doesn't have it. What is your opinion of the local food?

Also, what about food markets? Mexico is known for their markets with outstanding fresh fruit, fresh tamales and tacos, etc; how about Guatemala? Do they have food markets like this, and is the fruit from these markets edible for westerners if rinsed in clean water?

And on a totally unrelated note, can anyone estimate how much money I should plan on spending on a mask at Chichi or one of the other local markets?

Finally, regarding safety, which I know you guys hate answering questions about. I realize that the general attitude is that Guatemala outside of GC is pretty safe as long as you don't do anything stupid. However, I keep reading threads with comments like the following: "Sure, Antigua is perfectly safe as long as you don't walk around after dark", or, "Yes, X is fine to hike provided you don't go alone and you hire a guide". These statements seem self-contradictory to me. First, regarding Antigua: one of my favorite things to do when I visit cities here in the US is to walk around the city alone and just take in the sites and sounds of the city. Evening is often one of the best times for this (around 9-10 PM). Is this not a good idea in Antigua? What is "acceptable" and still safe in Antigua? Second, regarding the hiking/outdoorsy stuff: is it a general rule that you shouldn't hike alone, even close to towns and hotels? I prefer to hike alone sometimes - is this a bad idea? As you can tell, I can be a bit of an introvert and I'm not sure that I would enjoy a vacation where I have to make sure that I'm surrounded by people at all times.

Thanks very much for any advice.

Guatemalan food lacks the variety of Mexican. No...you don't want to eat Mexican food in Guat. Way too many Mexican restaurants cook it the way Europeans think Mexican food should taste...in other words...like shit. Fridas is a classic example...so is the place at the end of Santander in Pana. Good news is that so many other kinds of food is available. Now if you are curious about Guat food go to someplace like La Fonda Calle Real. You don't have to know it's Guat....just that it's good. But in Antigua you have everything from Italian..Tra Fratelli to Thai..Cafe Flor. Great bar food in Mono Loco. Pana is basically a street of restaurants. La Chinita's and Guajimbos are two not to be missed. So eating you are ok. Markets..yeh...lots of fresh fruits...peel, wash, rub on the sheets..whatever. Won't kill you. Market stalls for eating.... nothing fancy..certainly nothing like the market near the zocalo in Oaxaca. Better off going to a cheap restaurant. Nothing contradictory in the safety statements. Rule 1..don't do anything stupid. Stupid means if you put yourself in a spot where there is no one but bad guys and can't defend yourself then you have a problem. I walk Antigua at those hours... but...easy enough to stay on streets that have other people. ... and no one has been dumb enough to try and rob me in years. Walking in the country... way back when my instructor made a point of showing how to avoid ambushes. That holds true in the civilian world. Can you be seen without seeng them? Can they see if anyone else is around? Answer yes and you have a spot the bad guys like. Keep that in mind. Most crimes in Guat are sneek thief type. Even the crooks are poor and can't afford decent weapons. Exception are in Mare controlled slums. You go there..dumb. But in most respects it's like Mexico...neither is famous (phony statues in DF not withstanding) for courage. Little suckers will rather run than fight.

I agree with Goodtime Bob, ( he was a great source of information we used for our trip. We are now in San Pedro Sula.) the food is not bad in Guatemala, just different. Less use of Chili and spice.....when you ask for salsa picante, you get a bottle of Chulula! For breakfast, it is beans, torillas, plaintains, eggs and sometimes rice.

In Panajechal we loved Guajimbos. It is just past the school on Santander and is Uruguayan food. Another good place for meat dishes is farther up Santander where the road makes a split...it is right actoss the street from Dina's Chocolate. Great tacos at great prices. For our dining in Pana, we would look for places NOT filled with Anglos. We had breakfast for two with coffee for as low as $20 quetzales!

In Antigua, we also loved La Fonda Calle Real. They have two restaurants across the street from each other and have slightly differant menus. The one without the second story offer food by Region and opens earlier the the two story.....but both are good. La Fonda Calle Real is on the same street as the Arch and right next to the plaza.

For a cheap meal try the Black Cat Hostel in Antigua. They have a good location near the plaza. The rooms are $50 quetzales and include breakfast. Antigua is full of restaurants.......any type of food one wants.

Firefly

I spend a lot of time traveling in both Mexico and Guatemala. I enjoy the food in Guatemala every bit as much as the food in Mexico (I consider tasty morsels of food to be one of life's great pleasures). I find the overall dining experience to be more rewarding in Guatemala than in Mexico (in general more open air patios, lower prices, better climate, more variety). I'd go to Antigua for a couple weeks just for the dinning experience. But if I wanted to eat good Mexican food I'd go to Mexico. I do that, too.

If you want to buy a tourist mask you will have a huge selection in the $5-10 range. For a proper ceremonial mask, something made from good wood, you will need to pay twice that, or more. I suggest you shop at the coop in Antigua for starters, to get an idea of what is available, and at fair prices. Most masks are made in Chichicastenango, but there is great selection in both Antigua and Panajachel. And of course in Guate, too.

Food markets in Guatemala and Mexico are same same but different. Lots of fresh wonderful fruits and vegetables. And dirt cheap.

Antigua is not a big city. More like a small town. About a mile square is all it is.

Best to do your strolling around in the daytime. More to see and do. Lots of places even in Antigua that are not overun with travelers. Guatemala goes to bed pretty early, and gets up with the roosters. You'll get more out of your trip if you'll do like the Romans. Take a chicken bus some morning to a nearby small village and explore to your hearts content. Go on a market day for maximum experience.

Buen viaje!

As to the masks...watch out for original prices in Chichi..super high. I was with someone on a mask buying frenzy. She was getting all sorts of masks...good ones... for 35-50 quetz. On the shuttle back from Chichi. one guy was talking about what he paid...and hoped he hadn't gouged the vendor too much. He paid 120 quetz.

Alright, now I love Guatemala as much as the next Chapin-ophile, but everybody seems to be pussyfooting around this subject, let me be unambiguous: GUATEMALAN FOOD SUCKS. And this is a fairly widely accepted truth (subjective as truth is) that anyone who's lived there or traveled there much knows. Now that said, sure, there's some tasty little treats here and there (and tastier when you're hungry and on the road), but believe me: no one goes to Guatemala for the food. No one.
I too got that shock upon entering Guatemala after having "monged" my way through Mexico, where I absolutely adore the food: I couldn't believe that a country with that proximity to Mexico (hell, and tell me the difference between many indigenous people from the San Cristobal area and just over the border) could have such different food. Well so I'm sorry to be the purveyor of such news, but hell, it's nothing a bottle of hot sauce can't take care of....
However, there is an exception: just as in Honduras, most of the food that people WILL rave about comes from the Garifuna influence: Sopa de caracol, for instance. So my only advice is to check out the seafood restaurants on the north coast.