The term you’re looking for is “cured” or “preserved” or “pickled.”
Why do you have to be convinced? How about the fact that you don’t hear about people dropping like flies from eating ceviche? If you’ve never risked food poisoning, I’m not sure you’ve earned the title of mangetout. 
Welcome to the thread! You might want to check out Post #57.
That study shows that ceviche from street vendors in Guadalajara tends to contain a certain level of salmonells.
First, if Mangetout is eating ceviche, I doubt it’s from a food stall in Guadalajara.
Second, there’s no indication from the digest of that study to what extent, if any, this salmonella actually results in illness. It describes only a potential health risk, not an actual health problem. Presumably, if these street vendors remain in business, that means that people are eating the ceviche. How much food poisoning do people suffer? How many die from it?
Third, as I said before, it pays to risk foodborne illnesses.
Fourth, I’ve had food poisoning three times. Each time from cooked seafood at a reputable restaurant (once at the Ritz Carlton). I’ve learned to avoid eating seafood at any restaurant on a Sunday or Monday, but not to avoid all potential sources of foodborne illness.
If you’re buying from a street vendor, you should either
a) be born and bred in the area so your stomach has a passing acquaintance with and resistance to the germs you’re about to ingest or,
b) buying something that is prepackaged and sealed, like a bag of chips.
Street vendors sit out in the sun all day, without a source of clean running water, handling themselves and food products. Some countries have regulations regarding cleanliness that they enforce, but I don’t think Mexico or Peru are two of them.
While this is probably wise general advice, my favorite thing to do when visiting foreign countries is to eat from the street vendors. Haven’t gotten sick yet (and we’re talking not just first-world nations), but even if I do, I’m not going to deprive myself of the experience.
For me a) is out of the question because London street vendors are less trustworthy than the ones in the third world, and likewise b), since they are also ripoff merchants compared to actual shops.
My rule of thumb is to confine yourself to investigating foodstuffs which can be peeled (i.e. fruits) or which are simmering away and served straight from the pot. Don’t touch any cut fruits or any tepid/cold food which has been prepared.
Sure, if you feel it’s worth it. In my country, most street vendors use river water than other people defecate in to wash their dishes and are notorious for undercooking pork. I don’t eat from most, and I was raised there. *Anticuchos *however (beef heart skewers) are best as street food, and they are cooked slowly at high heats so they are reasonably safe.
It is the same in the Dominican Republic, and AFAIK, it is also the same in the rest of the Spanish Caribbean (the islands). Furthermore, limes (the yellow things) are not common here, we mostly get key limes, and sometimes other types of limes. Bitter oranges are also commonly used for cooking in lieu of vinegar.
Is his name Ordralfabétix, perhaps?
c) buy food that is hot and cooked in front of you. You are very unlikely to get sick off of steaming hot food, assuming you use your head (don’t eat off plates that are dripped wet, stay away from the cart full of flies, etc.) Relevantly, lime juice’s mild antiseptic properties are considered to be one of the reasons why it is often such a feature of street cuisine.
Taking pointless risks is not my style at all. My point in this thread was not about avoiding this foodstuff, it was about careful selection of the ingredients.
Or spend considerable time working/living in the area. Seriously. I think I’m immune to the nasty bugs in the parts of Mexico I frequent these days. A guacamaya from a Leon street vendor? No problem! Ceviche in a crummy-looking palapa in Manzanillo? Absolutely.
The very first day I started living in Mexico for a previous, 1-year assignment, I got ill. Very, very ill. A few times in the following months, I also was ensickened, but to a lesser degree each time. I’m not going to go crazy with obviously disgusting crap, but I figure I’m pretty good to go these days without too much to worry about.
Mexico is a federal republic, so it’s a state-by-state thing. One of my sisters-in-law works for salubridad in the state of Guanajuato, although not as an inspector. Restaurant inspections are performed, and registered “street cart” vendors are inspected, but there are many, many, non-registered ambulatory vendors. Salubridad will respond to them if called by a member of the public.
General street vendor advice: if lots of people go there, and the vendor’s been around for a long time, it’s probably safe to eat the food most of the time.
When i lived in Peru ceviche was always made with limes.
The confusion probably comes from the fact in America they call limes Peruvian lemons.
What you might be missing is some corrianda (cilantro) in the marinade some like chilli in there too but this is optional
buena suerte
Zombie, I see. Too bad I missed the thread title the first time around…really, who expects to see “Peruvian lemon industry propaganda” as a topic of serious discussion? It has a wonderfully Dadaist quality to it.
The confusion between limes /lemons is historical and had serious effects in history. If you have time after cooking, this essayabout the history of scurvy and the discovery of cures for it is long, but rather interesting.
The latin names given above have been changed, but as noted on page 1, people calling green and yellow thingies limes and lemons don’t usually bother with the taxonomic terms anyway. Anybody in your area knows what a lime is, so why do you to clarify it? Only when somebody in a different area needs to know whether this similar-looking fruit is the same or different does it cause problems.