Restaurants Week 4!

This week the theme of our blog was restaurants. I was particularly interested in this week’s themes and talking to my host family about restaurants because I was very curious as to when they go and what types of restaurants they go to.  After being in Costa Rica for almost a month and visiting different restaurants, I have noticed some things that are very similar and some things that are so different from restaurants in the United States.  Even restaurants that are technically “the same” as the U.S. (such as McDonalds) are different. One thing I noticed soon after coming here was that the service in restaurants is much slower.  The waiter/waitress does not come to check on you very often, if at all.  This seemed strange to those of us at the time, but then we realized that at many restaurants, the tip is included.  When I reflect on why waiters/waitresses come to check on us so often in the U.S. it is most likely because they want a good tip, however here, they don’t need to worry about it as much. Another difference was that here, you always have to ask in order to get the check, whereas in many restaurants at home, you are given the check automatically. We had a conversation about this in our Spanish class earlier today and our teacher was shocked when we told her that the check was given to us without us asking.  She told us that if that was done here, it would come off as extremely rude and pushy.  It’s interesting because something like getting the check automatically seems so normal to me, but to others it can mean something totally different (like being rude, for example).  Just another cultural difference I suppose!

                The first question I asked my mom involved when people ate at restaurants. The answers were similar to what I think would be answers from American families as well. My mom at first said that it depends on what kind of restaurant you are talking about. Fast food restaurants are gone to at random, when someone needs a quick meal for example. However the nicer restaurants are most commonly eaten at on holidays, like Mothers Day. Many families also go out for birthdays.  When I think about my family and when we eat out, it’s very similar to what my mom said.  Holidays are very common times to go out, but other than that it is usually random. Fast food is eaten when our schedules clash because of work/sports, but other than that, one night we might just all decide to eat out as a treat.  As for popular food types, besides typical Costa Rican cuisine, my mom said that Italian, Mexican, Argentinean, and Columbian restaurants are very popular, especially in the San Jose area.  Argentinean and Columbian cuisine is very similar to that of Costa Rica. My mom said that there are a fair amount of Chinese restaurants but people don’t like it as much. There was a lot of laughing when I brought up the idea of Chinese cuisine. I didn’t quite understand all that she was saying, but from what other people in our group have said, our Tica parents have an interesting perception and opinion of Chinese culture and people.  Reflecting on these answers, I was thinking about our readings and how they related to why these types of food are popular here.  Most of Central America was colonized by European countries, which is why it makes sense that they have influence on the cuisine. The Chinese and Japanese didn’t, therefore, why would their food be popular?  Also, Mexico, Argentina and Columbia are all in fairly close proximity to Costa Rica, so it makes sense that their cuisine would be represented.

                Our picture assignment was to visit three different kinds of restaurants; a typical Costa Rican restaurant, a family restaurant of any kind of cuisine, and a fast food restaurant.  A typical Costa Rican restaurant, or better known as soda, featured foods native and popular in Costa Rica. Many sodas are set up in a kind of buffet line where you tell the person what to put on the plate. Their most distinguishing feature in my opinion is that they feature a casado which is a typical Costa Rican plate, usually consisting of rice, beans, meat, plantains, etc. I think in the United States, that would best relate to the idea of a hamburger and fries (which unfortunately often makes us think of fast food).  But that got me thinking about what would be an American casado? My Tica mom asked me what I consider typical American food. The first things that come to mind would be hamburgers, and mac and cheese (separate dishes), but in general our food really is a mixture of foods from other cultures. It isn’t like here, where every day we have some form of rice and beans, whether it is at breakfast, lunch or dinner. For the family restaurant, we stumbled upon a restaurant in Puerto Viejo that has been classified in the top 5 of all the restaurants in Costa Rica.  It was labeled as “World Cuisine,” and was absolutely delicious.  The menu offered many options involving curry, tacos, and fish dishes.  It featured live music, and probably the biggest difference from restaurants in the U.S. was that it was open. It wasn’t enclosed.  Now, this could also be because of the location and weather.  In New England, a restaurant like this wouldn’t make it unless it was only open in the summer, simply because the weather is too cold.  Lastly, for fast food, I went to the McDonalds, located right off the rotunda near Mesoamerica.  It was an interesting experience.  The food was much more expensive and as you can see from the photo of the menu, there are a lot fewer options.  There also was no dollar menu, which is something McDonalds prides itself on back home.  My first thought after getting my food was why people would come here if it is so expensive and so unhealthy. The motivation for going at home is usually because it is fast and cheap. But here, it is a luxury.  Looking around, people were dressed in stylish clothes.  The people who eat at McDonalds are a lot different here than the ones at home.  For Costa Ricans, it’s about that “American experience.”  The food is definitely different.  Even my Tica mom agrees.  She says that she likes Wendy’s in the U.S. but not here in Costa Rica.  Even though they are the “same” they are different.

Week 4!

After talking to my tico brother and dad about restaurants, it appeared to me that going out to a restaurant was made into more of an event. Whether the family wanted something different to eat or they were celebrating something, going out to a restaurant for a meal in my tica family is an event that isn’t supposed to take less time than a normal meal. My family might go downtown to a “spoon” or go to eat somewhere that has food different from what is at home. Without a car and with many different schedules, my tica family normally goes out to eat for lunch because its safer and some family members are less tired. My brother told me that he and his friends go our to eat as a change in routine, which made me believe there was a generational difference. My tico dad didn’t seem as interested in eating restaurants as my brother. It seems that the younger generation is more interested in going out to eat than the older. I think this is somewhat similar to the States. College students are always looking for something cheap to eat and fast food always does the trick. While some families do eat out, it seems more cost efficient to eat at home.

            My tico brother was actually the one who brought up the conversation about the foreign restaurants and fast food restaurants in Costa Rica. He mentioned that Hooter’s was becoming a popular restaurant for families to eat at, which is the total opposite of the Hooter’s in the United States. My tico dad and brother said that there has been a major increase in foreign restaurants, specifically fast food restaurants, in and around Sabanilla. Taco Bell and Applebee’s are two that were just recently added. They noted that these fast food restaurants were more popular than typical sodas or spoons because there are so many of them. Typical sodas are less popular since they are local and there is probably only one of them, not multiple branches of the same restaurant, like McDonald’s. My tico dad said that McDonald’s has been here for over thirty years and he has seen the growth and increase in other foreign restaurants. My tico brother came to the conclusion that even though these places provide jobs and that people gain a living working there, these restaurants are bad for your health. He believes that how they affect the health of the people is the most important thing to look at. He admitted that he goes probably once a week to a fast food restaurant but that was mostly because he forgot his lunch at home. “It might save your day, but in a healthy way it sucks,” Jose said about fast food.

            This was all so interesting to me, because both my brother and my dad assumed that when I said foreign restaurants they instantly began talking about all of the American fast food restaurants. While there are Chinese and Italian restaurants all over, fast food seems to have made a bigger impact. How my family views fast food seemed to vary and I think that could be the same for other tica families. They think that while fast food might be a nice change in routine and nice to go to as a family, they are bad for your health and are negatively affecting Costa Rica at times. The United States has a similar view but emphasizes the word “fast.” Its so easy to pick up fast food, eat it on the go, or take your children there to play, but these restaurants are still not always good for your health. I think this is an interesting balance that the United States is having to find and I think this will become a problem in Costa Rica soon. Is the price you pay for fast, great-tasting food worth the negative affects on your health?

 These photos were taken at the school of law soda at the University of Costa Rica. It was set up cafeteria style, where you would grab a tray and go through the line, paying at the end of the line before you sat down to eat. They had menu, but it looked like while we were there almost everyone got the basic plate or the special plate, which they had the items included written on a piece of paper close to the trays. I thought this was a fairly similar set up to a college dining hall at larger state college rather than one like Elon’s dining halls. The basic and special plate that they offered definitely seemed like the way to go, because it not only included a main dish and a couple of sides, but also a piece of fruit and a glass of juice. This could be similar to a combo in the States but with less structure. The restaurant had many options for the two plates, allowing you to choose your sides and what type of meat you wanted. In the States different types of meat often cost different prices and the drinks vary more.

 In downtown San Jose, we went to a Chinese restaurant, but when we actually first walked in we weren’t sure if it was Chinese because the menu looked nothing like Chinese food. They had the menu on the wall, but we sat down and they gave us menus. Many of the combos that they offered included fries and fruit juice to drink which are definitely not Chinese. This was so interesting because this restaurant showed a combination of foods of the three different countries in almost each combo. Fries from the US, the main dish from China (or maybe the US too), and Juice from Costa Rica. As in the United States, combos were given and pictures were shown of what the meal would look like. I didn’t realize that showing the pictures of what you were getting was so common in many restaurants in the States, and here in Costa Rica I have only really seen it at fast food restaurants and a few sodas. Oftentimes, the pictures are what help the customers decide what they are getting. At the Chinese restaurant I was trying to decide between two combos and their pictures were the deciding factors of my decision to go with the meal that appeared to have less food from the picture. I think this can be an example of just how well visual advertising can work.

Restaurants

When do people eat at restaurants? Is it only for special occasions or do people eat out at restaurants often? Is there a generational difference (older people prefer to eat at home while young people eat out more, etc.)?
What type of restaurants are popular in Costa Rica, or at least in the city? When did foreign restaurants become more common in CR? Are all the foreign restaurants positive or negative for CR?


Restaurants in Costa Rica seem to be very generational.  My tica family has not gone out to eat since we got here and my tica parents say that they usually don't.  My tica mom said that going out to a restaurant would only really happen for a special occasion.  She also mentioned that young people who are dating tend to go out to restaurants and then told me about dates she and her husband went on.  She says that it is becoming more popular for young people to eat away from the home especially for lunch.  Since people are usually away from the home for lunch already, young people have started going out to eat instead of bringing a lunch from the home. I also noticed this myself when we visited a McDonald's; there were lots of young people in their school uniforms having come straight from school. 
Another difference I noticed was that a lot more people go to restaurants, especially fast food, for just dessert.  In the States we almost always go for a full meal at fast food restaurants.  Here, I have noticed and heard people talk about going to McDonald's just for ice cream.  This seems to emphasize it's status as a "special event" type trip.  This definitely contrasts with the United States-ian use of fast food restaurants.  In my family back home, we often go to restaurants as a family for a family dinner.  Here, family dinners happen in the home pretty much exclusively.  
Many restaurants that come from the United States are very popular here.  They start out with a bit of fame just because they come from the US and are automatically considered cool.  This elevated consideration of US culture over their own is not really new for me, but it is definitely disconcerting. Having experienced so many cultures myself, I love learning about and experiencing the differences between cultures.  I would not, however, consider any one culture better than another as some cultures seem to do with anything from the US.  
As we discussed in class, foreign concepts like fast food restaurants may have to be adapted slightly to fit a different culture.  I saw that in the McDonald's menu because it offered corn as a side option and fried chicken as a main course.  These foods are not generally offered in the US at a McDonald's.  Because of the culture, McDonald's has to adapt to fit the need in this market.  
My family was pretty torn about whether foreign restaurants were good for Costa Rica or not. They said that the economy was helped by the restaurants and that people got jobs they otherwise wouldn't have, but that the foreign value system inherent in restaurants like McDonald's might outweigh the potential benefits. 

The meals at McD's were pretty much the same.  

The same message of "happiness" (Lleno de felicidad) as in the States. 

Semana Cuatro! :D

             This week I talked to Tamara (my ten-year-old tico sister) and Tomás (my 15 year-old tico brother) about when it is typical for Costa Ricans to eat out in restaurants and the foreign influence. It is most typical for families to eat out at a restaurant for holidays and special occasions. Some of these include a graduation, anniversary, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day. Even though some families have created new traditions by going out to eat, it is still most popular to eat at home. It is generally the older generations that are against going out to eat. It is more popular and commonly desired among the younger generations to go out to eat. This is true in my family; Tomás’ favorite food is chop suey, which is from a take out Chinese restaurant, not made at home. Overall though, the favorite foreign restaurants are McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and Applebee’s. According to Tomás, these have been around for almost thirty years and have only grown in popularity. It’s a complicated type of popularity though because eating fast food comes with a stigma of unhealthiness. Tamara said that even though McDonalds is bad for your body because there is so much fat, it tastes wonderful and you really enjoy it. My tico mom agreed with a hint of the guilty pleasure we use so much in the United States. It’s also interesting that these foreign restaurants cost significantly more than in the United States, and most people cannot afford these prices. Yet, the demand continues and people continue paying. 

            The pictures I have are from various restaurants in Son José. One is from McDonalds. It was very similar in the colors, advertizing techniques, and even the equivalent of the “Ronald McDonald House” for supporting children with cancer. Some of the differences were the constant cleaning of the floors, bathrooms, and trashcans. There was also corn and French fries as a side option, orange juice or soda, and more flavors in the “apple” pies such as pineapple. The next picture is a typical tican plate from a local restaurant. This contains gallo pinto, tortilla and cheese, chicken, plantains, and a salad. There was also the non-pictured experience with Chinese food, chop suey, which was absolutely delicious.  

McDonald's Menu

Anthony and Wesley enjoying McDonalds, YUM!!!
Note, the portion sizes are almost exactly the same...

Typical plate in Costa Rica from a local restaraunt

            Although there were a lot of similarities in the McDonalds here and in the US, I was impressed with the cleaner standards, smaller portion sizes of McFlurries, and a slight glimpse of healthier options with corn and orange juice instead of soda and fries. Though, there were similarities in the same spongy equivalent of chicken nuggets and grease on the fries and burgers. I feel guilty for being a part of the culture that brought McDonalds to Costa Rica. It seems so against their culture and it just doesn’t fit here, as much as they try. I enjoy homemade tican foods, though I could see how once other options are introduced, it’s hard to eat gallo pinto every meal every day. It makes sense that only on special occasions, it is common to go out to eat. I’m really starting to process how often I eat out at Elon and in high school. It was a social time after swim practice, meets, and banquets. It was a time to meet up with people and share lives, that’s usually what I do at Elon. It’s a cultural excuse for social time, but we’ve moved outside of the house. It’s really interesting to me that Tomás’ favorite food is chop suey. Especially for all of the times that the family makes jokes about “los chinos,” it seems to be a negative connotation. My tico mom’s ringtone had an oriental sound and they all teased her for it, I smiled along, but it’s definitely more commonly accepted here.

            In class we have talked about the foreign influence on food trade and the globalization and interconnectedness of the world. This can be seen in the foreign restaurants and changing traditions and perceptions about eating outside of the house. Although it’s not culturally accepted yet, there are definitely some signs that it is moving in that direction. We have also discussed Costa Rica’s unique role in globalization and that it’s taken longer than other Latin American countries to be affected be external forces. When a country flourishes, it can invest in a new desired market of goods that may or may not actually be necessary for survival. The effects of having more popularity and investment in foreign restaurants are deepening Costa Rica’s international involvement.

            In both the United States and Costa Rica, there is a mixed perception of fast food. In the United States, currently, there is a “healthy food” movement. This has encouraged McDonalds to incorporate grilled chicken and salads into their menus. Regardless, people still choose the unhealthy foods. Costa Rica is now moving outside of the fresh, balanced, home-cooked meals and moving towards a more United States-ian society dependent on fast food with rising obesity rates, eating disorders, and a massive market for dieting. This makes me question a lot of my encouraged eating habits growing up and the responsibility that I have to know what I am putting in my body. I feel uncomfortable with this responsibility because of that “guilty pleasure” concept that food is associated with so often in the US. I feel guilty when I eat unhealthy food, but it’s also a pleasurable experience. I also tend to fall into the category of people who blindly eat things that I enjoy without considering the consequences. This happens more in restaurants because you don’t see where the food comes from, it’s all prepared for you. This is a tension that is occurring with the newer movement of popularity of fast food chains and restaurants in general in Costa Rica.

            It is really interesting to begin to find the routine of eating a mixture of native foods to Costa Rica, and imported favorites commonly eaten in the US. With the balance of what I grew up with and what I am growing accustomed to, I continuing the process of appreciating the food that I eat and the value of knowing where it comes from. Although I have been to WalMart and Más Por Menos a few times, I am trying to support the AM/PM and more localized economies in Costa Rica. It’s been really neat (and delicious) going to Cosechas, a smoothie place, and the bakery, which specializes in Cinnamon Rolls. The fresh, direct investment into the local economies makes me really want to support only local markets. WalMart (which owns Mas Por Menos) and the bigger companies are still supporting people in Costa Rica, but there’s something special about small local businesses. I admire the lack of pure greed and monetary driven “success” in Costa Rica. The community and common value of the majority seems to be a genuine priority, even how overweight people are perceived. The blame is given to fast foods, not an individual’s genetics and habits.

            I have enjoyed continuing to learn about lots of Costa Rican food and how to support local economies. I subconsciously reach for the processed, mystery foods of the US that I am accustomed to over the natural fruits sometimes. It is great to know that since health is really valued, it’s not impossible to make unhealthy choices here! I am striving to re-learn the value of food and hopefully incorporate this appreciation into my everyday life. Having restaurants available as well as a home cooked meal twice a day is an interesting phenomenon and truly holding my accountable to being aware of what I’m eating. I am planning on changing my habits and cravings of eating unhealthy processed foods, one decision at a time.

Dinner and a Movie? Okay, Just Dinner. I know a Place or Two...

This week was an interesting one in terms of things learned because for three days I got to walk around San Jose, San Pedro, a little bit of Guadalupe andSabinilla so I feel like I know this place fairly well. I know there is much to learn, but I have seen so much this past weekend. This coupled with the searching through the area surrounding the UCR, I have seen a few restaurants around the way. The first stop was a typical soda, the one under the law building that Stephanie and Linda had talked about. It was good and it had a fairly good value. This is a picture of the menu.

Nothing particularly special, and since the quality is pretty awful, you can’t even really read it very well, if at all, but it was quick, but clearly “homemade” if you will. There were also many options that I saw available to chose between for each different plate.

The next place I went to, much to many people on this trips chagrin, was Taco Bell. It was actually quite good and similar to the Taco Bells in the United States. It felt nicer, and the menu was actually a TV monitor that had a few moving graphics. Here is a picture of the menu.

The food was good, the service was quick and it is the only place that I have found so far in Costa Rica that will actually give a refill! This I found interesting for a few reasons. First, I feel like refills are an essential part of a meal. This however is probably my ethnocentrism acting up and saying more is better and not understanding why Costa Rica doesn’t have them. Is it the expense or is it a long understood cultural difference that I cannot even begin to postulate a reason of origin. While I don’t know this answer, I know that Taco Bell did me a solid and let me get a second glass of Pepsi. It was funny, in the United States we pretend Taco Bell is a Mexican food place (few actually buy it, but the perception persists), but here, the store is strictly a Gringo locale.

The next restaurant that I visited was a Chinese one in the center of San Jose. What struck me was that while there were differences, there were also some strict similarities between the Costa Rican foods and the Chinese food offered at this particular restaurant. For example, in almost every dish, rice is the primary food, I realize that in many Chinese restaurants this is the case, however, it should be pointed out that there was rice literally everywhere and less of an emphasis on the other foods like shrimp or chicken. In nearly (not all), every dish there were the food that tied the others together, usually housing the alternate food. What I mean is that when you got chicken, it was in rice. When you got shrimp, it was in rice. There were some other weird things, such as the fact that you could buy whole fried chickens that were in fact just sitting out for all to see and to purchase. This is the menu.

There were many options of combinations, and you were to turn around (assuming you were looking where the camera was), you would find a large list of food options for a more individual sale.

Changing pace to my conversation with my family…

I asked the first question and immediately found my self in the middle of a social class discussion. According to my Tico mom, there are three main classes, each of which can be represented by the amount that they eat out. The first is called “clase baja,” (assuming I can spell correctly anyway). This class is the lowest and doesn’t eat out much at all, and when they do it is only for special occasions and even then it is only to a place like McDonalds or something like that. For the next class, “clase media,” the middle class, eating at places like McDonalds is not uncommon, however neither is it something that is done often. They will eat out at a “nice restaurant” once or twice a year. “Clase Alto,” or the upper class, eating out is common, no matter where or how expensive. I think this relation makes perfect sense, but makes me wonder if the distinctions are much more distinct here than in the United States. Immediately my Tico mom went to a social class difference, not to what her and her friends do. In the United States even the middle class eats out at nice(ish) restaurants, even if it is a bit expensive. This train of thought makes me wonder what the fiscal nature of Ticans’s is compared to the United States is. Are they tight pocketed or do they spend more or the same?

Popular restaurants in Costa Rica are all of the chain restaurants from the United States. My Tico mom and dad answered this question and it took no time. No Costa Rican restaurant is really as popular, and the ones that are cost more than most can afford. These are La Casa Dona Lela, La Fiesta de Maiz, and La Casona del Cerdo. What I found truly fascinating from this answer is that the quick and easy food from these places is that they are just that: quick and easy, as well as being very American (United Statesian if you will). We as gringo’s get the rap for being rushed and not being based off of a family nucleus, but is that so true still? Many families don’t eat together here. Many people don’t live with their parents. Many people are not close with their siblings. Many people like to eat at theses supposed American restaurants. So my question, which is more rhetorical in nature, is that is this seeming disconnect from what is supposed to be, family based, slow, loving, and culturally anchored society and what I have seen implying a shift in the Costa Rican way of life? I find it similar to the stereotype/nostalgic/somewhat existent understanding that Southern Culture means taking meals with your family and going to church every Sunday. Food for thought ;).

Restaurants and More!

This week I noticed a considerable difference in the conversation between my mom and I--we actually had a pretty fluid conversation about restaurants and culture in Costa Rica and we both understood each other; hopefully this means that my Spanish is turning the corner! Anyways, I gathered from our conversation that Ticans go out to eat at restaurants for a lot of the same reasons that United Statesians do. For special occasions, weekends, and even just going out to lunch every once in a while. As far as a generation difference, my mom mentioned that younger kids go out to eat more often. This is because some schools give their students free lunch periods when they are free to get lunch off-campus. I have heard that this is also an occurrence in some parts of the US, but it was not the case for my high school.

My mom told me that her favorite place to go out to eat is called La Princesa Marina. That restaurant serves a lot of seafood. She also said that other popular places for Ticans to go are McDonalds, KFC, and Burger King. This was interesting to me because all three of those restaurants are "fast food" American chains. That fact makes me almost uncomfortable, however I have rationalized that maybe my mom mentioned those particular restaurants because she knew that I would know what they were...fingers crossed. I think that my uneasiness comes from what we have learned about the conquistadors. The idea of taking a piece of our culture and slamming it right on top of what already existed here is horrifying and sad. Although on the flip side of that coin, maybe Ticans should have a right to eat a big mac every once in a while? I'm not sure.

I asked my mom how long some of these foreign restaurants have been here and she told me that they've been here for many many years. She guessed that most of them came in the 70's or 80's. She mentioned that this was not exclusive to just American chains. Ticans have Mexican, Argentinian, Chinese (we know how we feel about the Chinos), French, Italian, and many other types of restaurants. My mom thinks that having all of these different countries represented in Costa Rica is a good thing because different people like different types of food. As far as the economy goes, she did not seem to feel too threatened by the companies from other countries present in Costa Rica. She rationalized this by saying that the economy trends based on what people want. If they want it, they buy it and the economy moves with the people. I thought this was a very logical point.

For the photos for this week, I went to several restaurants including a soda by UCR, a soda in Puerto Viejo, a Thai Fusion restaurant in Puerto Viejo, and a McDonalds in San Jose. Below are pictures of the McDonald's menu and arroz con pollo from the soda in Puerto Viejo.

The Thai Fusion restaurant in Puerto Viejo was set-up like any upscale place in the United States; however, one major difference that I found was that the owner was serving us our food and helping out the waitstaff. That was one really cool thing. It was evident that serving his customers was a very personal job for the owner and it made us feel really special as well! As for the sodas....I really wish we had sodas in the US. They are so cheap, you get so much good quality food, and it's a quick easy stop. I have also found that sodas are a good place to meet Tican students, especially in the ones near UCR. Sodas are set-up more cafeteria style where you go through the line to pick your food and pay and then take your food to a table to eat. They could be considered a type of Tican fast food, although I am pretty sure that eating at a soda is more healthy than eating at McDonalds or Taco Bell. This probably says something about the differences in societies between Costa Rica and the US. Our poorest populations are subject to eating a lot of cheap fast food. While some of the poorer populations in Costa Rica, could eat at a soda for much cheaper and get a well-balanced meal.

When we went to McDonalds, I was expecting a relatively cheap meal...not the case. I paid 4 mil for a quarter pounder with cheese, a drink and fries--sigh. I also noticed that the people who were eating at the McDonalds were wearing hip clothes. It was almost as if McDonalds was the cool place to eat. Inside, it was very clean and was actually very pretty architecturally (it was the one cerca de la rotunda de la bandera). The menu at McDonalds was very similar to one that I would see at home. There were combos and kids meals, ice cream, salads, etc. One thing that I definitely missed on the menu was the Dollar Menu. It wasn't there. This supports my idea that eating at McDonalds could possibly  be some sort of luxury here in Costa Rica and therefore, there are not cheap parts of the menu. This is much different from the picture that Americans have of McDonalds as a cheap, unhealthy place filled with obesity and screaming children--again with the food and communication thing!