Week 3!

I had a difficult time articulating and explaining the questions to my host parents this week. I believe that it had to do with a difficulty when translating the questions and the fact that I was not 100% comfortable asking the questions. After discussing the questions and reviewing the results, I think that weight is one topic that is uncomfortable for many people to discuss. The food people eat and how it is prepared describes the lifestyle of a person and their health. I believe that this week was more difficult because it the answers were more opinion based and involved evaluating the size of people. 

My parents said that Costa Ricans do not eat dog, snakes, monkeys, insects and other types of reptiles. The second question was more difficult but my parents said that when they see someone eating unhealthy foods they perceive that person to have low self esteem and someone eating healthy foods has high self esteem and respects their body. They stated that an overweight individual does not take care of themselves, has low self esteem and is treated poorly by their peers. An extremely thin person is either sick or does not respect their body because they are not eating enough. 

Something interesting that we discussed was the fact that the fast food lifestyle has changed the diets of people here. They stated that people who are busy and don't want to cook have resorted to buying unhealthy foods and they think that it is a cause of people gaining weight. 

The first image is a bit funny because it is an American (United States) company and it is in spanglish. I believe that the image shows the prevalence of fast food companies in San Jose, but the desire appeal to the Costa Rican audience. The second highlights the two cultures and the influence of American fast food, but traditional dishes. The inexpensive, fast option describes a push for a new market of food. Both billboards illustrate the convenience market and the influence of dishes from outside of the country.

This weeks blog highlighted an uncomfortable topic of weight and the perceptions of others. I learned that each culture has ideas on food, appearance and the acceptability of discussing these things. In general, I would rather not ask but I think it was important to learn the perceptions to be more knowledgable about the food culture in Costa Rica.