Week 2

--What foods are "native" to Costa Rica?
Many foods native to Costa Rica are composites of many different foods, like fish, fruit (papyas, bananas, coconuts, melon, watermelon, strawberries, apples, etc.), chicken, rice, some things consist of coco, potatoe, etc. But the native cuisine that is more than a plate of rice, beans, some type of meat, and salad would also be: empanadas, ceviche, gallo pinto, horchata, masamorra, platanos, tamales, and tortillas; all of which contain different foods that were easily found and refined in Costa Rica. It is amazing how such foods were found and I find that I most likely would not have been curious enough to try to experiment with such foods. It is interesting to think about what it means to be considered "native" because with that you think of tradition and culture. After thinking about these things I talked with my tica sister about what would be considered traditional "American" cuisine, and we found out that there isn't currently anything we can trace back to being developed in North America and staying traditional to North America-- except pot roast. But this is probably because many people in N. America do not have time to stick to much tradition with our fast-paced lives and our country is made-up of people from many different countries and with them, they bring their traditional foods, which N. America just adapts and envelops.

--What are some customs related to food in Costa Rica?
Within my household, my tica mom cooks dinner throughout the day and lets it stew in the late afernoon while she runs errands. I found this to be strange because is very different from my house in the US. Since my tica mom does not work and many mornings are taken up by readying the children or cleaning the house, during the lunch hours of the day is when she starts preparing dinner. The afernoons are used for her errands because this is when she would most likely run into her friends who are on their lunch breaks and walking around town. When everyone gets home from their daily lives, we do eat dinner together, however, I found it odd that my tica mom does not sit down and eat dinner with us. I was told this is because she eats the left-overs once every one else is full, and that is culurally excepted because in the past it has been the way of ensuring the youth of society eats and grows, to sustain the culture. But in the US we are so busy that individuals prepare and eat to sustain themselves, we also don't have time to sit down and eat together. I have not been home during lunch to find out whether or not that meal is larger, but from what I have noticed on weekend trips, lunch is usually the same size as dinner. Mostly because meal here are all very large and must include all of the necessary elements of a diet. Here, my tica mom makes my plate and brings it to me in the dining area, but I do not believe this is customary because my tica sisters make their own plates and they make my tica dad and my tica brothers plates as well. I believe that this plays into the old stereotypes of the women taking care of the home and the meals, etc. The tico way of life feeds into very old-fashioned stereotypes of how a home should function and that the mothers take care of their children, and that daughters learn to do so by helping out. It should also be noted that Costa Rica values their own, local produce a lot; whether it be because transportation of their products is difficult or that they plainly like to use local product for flavor, but they are very proud to stay local and fuel their own economy, and of course, earning their money for work they conducted.

PHOTO:  

How does the food and the customs related to it dictate the structure of the day, both within the family and at work/school?  Is the same true for the U.S.?

Food is very important to the people of Costa Rica, I feel like it use to be this important in the US, but that we have moved to the point where we do not value it as much. We value food as a way to bond with people (at coffee shops or a dinner date), but we do not use food to fuel family relationships. At school/work we use lunch to bond with people and to discuss necessary topics, but at the home we don't anymore; it shows how we have moved on to caring more about ourselves and our need to rush. People in the US only seem to revert back to family values and food when it is a holiday or a special occasion, which is reassuring, because at least we still do that. 

Dinner tonight was Spagetti, muy similar a spaghetti en Cadolina de Northe.

Tica siblings eat with me for dinner and the females make their own plates.

Tica mom and grandma! Evening coffee!

My pictures are of my family at dinner and the table I awaken to every morning for breakfast. My tica siblings always eat dinner with me and we talk about our days, but breakfast is much different and reminds me of the US (in regards to social structure). Every morning my tica siblings have already eaten breakfast and gone to school by the time I wake up; the table is already set and my plate of fruit is sitting, waiting for me. My tica mom will bring me my coffee and my toast or pancakes when she is finished making them (because she cooks in batches). And this is not to say that I wake up late, but my siblings leave for school around 6 AM and I usually do not leave for class until 8 AM. But at least my tica mom does eat breakfast with me, because I believe it is always necessary to eat with someone (which is great).