Semana Tres

The questions for this week’s blog were interesting. Mainly because I didn’t know exactly what to expect to be eating when I came to Costa Rica. I have been pleasantly surprised to recognize most of the food on my plate at every meal. With that being said, it was interesting to ask my host family what they thought was “weird” of others’ eating practices and foods. While I probably would’ve answered with a host of things that I find weird, they answered simply that they find it weird that other people eat insects. I agree with them there. When I asked about something that is taboo, they said “carne de personas,” meaning no cannibalists in Costa Rica. Good to know.

In the U.S., we definitely have stereotypes of overly skinny and for those overweight. In Costa Rica, I have seen a variety of body types, but not too many extremely skinny or extremely overweight. I was interested to listen to the response of my host parents because on several occasions they have talked about childhood obesity and school lunches as well as making their granddaughters play outside and not letting them just watch T.V. When I asked them about what food says about a person here, they said that there was no problem with very skinny people. I thought that was an interesting way to respond that they don’t have a problem with it, but I guess that is a good way to say that they won’t judge. When I asked about their conceptions of overweight people, they said that overweight people had to be prescribed medicine and that they would recommend eating healthier foods and an active lifestyle to help them be healthier. So basically, they just realize the health concerns that come with being overweight and try to keep an active lifestyle to stay healthy.

The advertisements here are similar to those in the United States. By that I mean that they generally pair an attractive person with the product for sale. There is also a large amount of advertisements for fast food chains such as Taco Bell, Mcdonalds, KFC, Burger King, etc. This is similar to the United States and shows that there will probably be a growing trend of people becoming addicted to the convenience of these foods.

  

The advertisements pictured above feature things that I think represent Costa Rican food and tastes pretty well. The picture on the left shows the sign at the AMPM that offers fast combos that feature typical Costa Rican food or sandwiches. I think this trend in getting food fast is catching on, and with more advertisements will eventually be a huge part of the culture. The picture on the right features a family sitting down to a breakfast of cereal and juice. I think this represents how Costa Ricans value eating as a family, and even though it is just cereal, that it can be a family meal and provide a good morning. It is interesting to look at how similar ads are to the United States, and very similar to see ads that are in English here.