All about Sustainable Restaurants You Need To Know
What can I do to ensure that sustainable restaurants near Mexico are providing a good service and a good value for money? In order to help my decision-making process, I decided to do some research into the subject. First I looked at what I needed to do as a customer to be able to ‘get my money’s worth’ from a local business. This involved thinking about things such as the quality of the food, the cleanliness and hygiene measures taken, and whether the business had taken any action to promote sustainable tourism.
It was obvious from the information I got that sustainable restaurants near me were those which had received certification from an environmental or charity organization. This made sense, as it showed that the owners were passionate about both reducing their carbon footprint and improving the local area in which they operated. Another important thing I looked for was how the restaurants themselves ran their business. The best businesses take great pride in how they treat their customers, both in the restaurants themselves and in their support of local charities. I found that many of the best restaurants near Mexico also ran programmes supporting different local causes.
Choosing a good sit down, family-run restaurant was obviously going to be challenging, so I set out to find a place which was reasonably priced and where the food was well presented. After a little research, it became clear to me that I should target places where members of my family regularly visited — places with regular tourists. That way, I knew that I could always expect the dishes I ate to be of a consistently high quality. I also looked for organic dishes, preferably sourced locally. After all, the whole point of visiting a sustainable restaurant is to eat sustainable food prepared by people who don’t have to use pesticides or chemicals.
Once I had chosen a few suitable Mexican restaurants, I began to search for Mexican food, which was as sustainable as possible. The internet and local book stores were useful sources for choosing local ingredients, such as tomatoes, onions, chorizo and other vegetables, as well as specialist ingredients such as flax seed oil, organic olive oil and local fish. I particularly wanted to buy organic products because this kind of food is generally more expensive, but it makes a huge difference to the taste and nutrition.
Most restaurants are only committed to using local produce if it is available to them at a reasonable price. However, some will use meat, eggs and fish from sustainable local producers if these are available. By choosing a “sustainable” restaurant brand, I was able to look up all the organic farm sources I needed to ensure I was buying the real thing. I also checked the ingredients section on the website, just to make sure I was buying the sustainable alternatives.
As I mentioned earlier, I wanted to sample all the different types of sustainable food I found. The result was a really great assortment of local produce and I have continued to purchase the range in my own kitchen. The only problem was that, by the time I had completed my search, I was literally loaded down with choice! I discovered the delicious flavors of local Spanish salsa, pinto beans and a delicious black bean preparation. I experimented with rice, seafood, lamb and beef dishes. I found the amazing taste of Japanese sushi, as well as wonderful nuggets of fresh Mexican tortilla.
I was delighted when I found a set of organic produce and fruit choices from my search! I used my new find of choice to create a range of healthy snacks for my lunch and dinner meals. I was delighted when I discovered that sustainable restaurants in Mexico often provided a good variety of foods in their restaurants. I was even able to buy some organic eggs, and there were some lovely bottles of wine, chocolates and desserts.
I now feel more confident about going out to eat and using the sustainable restaurants near me that I had initially visited when I made the initial discovery. I am aware that I may not necessarily appeal to every vegan there is. But I am certain that I will continue to make use of the local sustainable restaurants near me as a means of enjoying great food. And I know that I have also created a number of friends and acquaintances that have also dabbled in sustainable menus.
