On my first night in Costa Rica, instead of having some home cooked meal, my host family took me to a soda that had Mexican food.  This was definitely a surprise, and unusual compared to most of the other families that had huge meals cooked. Since I have been here, my parents have taken me out to eat other times as well. I also know that they eat lunch out with friends on various occasions. So, it was very interesting that when I asked about who eats at restaurants and they responded with young people. They said that young people prefer fast food because they like the convenience of fast food. They followed by saying that older people prefer eating at home because it is more economical.  It seems for them they like going to get different food, such as Mexican or seafood, and they seem to do it when it is convenient as well. For instance, if they have had people over all day, when the people leave, we just go out to eat. This is kind of similar to my home in the U. S. We eat out more, but when we do, it is because we are in a hurry or want something that isn’t easy to make. When I asked what restaurants were popular in Costa Rica, they answered with the chains McDonalds, Taco Bell, KFC, Burger King, and Pizza Hut. They said that foreign restaurants were a new trend and that they viewed them as a negative because fast food is not healthy. Personally, I am glad that they enjoy going out to eat. It has been nice getting to try a variety of restaurants here. It seems like eating in restaurants and getting fast food is definitely a growing trend in Costa Rica.

I visited a Taco Bell for lunch last week, and was surprised to see while the menu was similar, that there were definitely a lot fewer options than in the U. S. The Taco Bell itself was much cleaner and nicer than any I’d ever been in before. It was very crowded, with mostly a younger population. I liked that they had a similar discount menu to Taco Bells in the U.S. 

The following is a picture of a hamburger place near my house that I ate at once with my Tico dad. This was just a small, family-owned soda, with the menu up behind the counter. Everyone that was eating there, was taking their time and lingered after eating to talk. The menu was similar to that of a small hamburger place in the United States, except for a few options such as tortilla chips and tacos. The prices were definitely cheaper than what you would've gotten the food for in the U. S.

The following picture is a plate from one of the sodas with typical Costa Rican food that we ate at towards the beginning of the trip. This place had a deal where you could get a large plate with a meat and a few vegetables for cheap. It kind of reminded me of a cafeteria setup, with less options, and it was definitely inexpensive to eat there, especially considering the amount of food.