Week 4!

The questions this week did not spur very much conversation because they thought that their answers were correct for all people. My family never goes out to eat and I think that the only time they would eat out is when visiting family in the United States. Their practices contradict their answers that people eat our frequently and that it does not have to be a special occasion. They also think that the presence of  foreign food is positive and that these type of restaurants have been here for over 25 years. 

 This is a photo of the Wendy's in downtown San José. The boards were electronic and changed about every 30 seconds. The menu had food that was similar to the food in the United States but it also included a dish with beans, rice and corn. A major difference in the restaurants were the type of seating that they had. The Wendy's has very nice, well kept booths and the soda had tables with seats (as seen below). Although the soda would not be classified  as "fast food," the seating and way of service suggested a faster eating experience. The Wendy's that we went to seemed to have an atmosphere of encouraging people to stay for longer and enjoy spending time there. They were selling the idea of the restaurant where the soda was just selling food quickly.

Due to my observations of the practices of my family and their perception of what most Costa Ricans say, I have to say that I am a little confused! The difference could involve the generation gap between my family and the public, but I also think that my family is very cautious about what they eat. My parents buy organic fruits and vegetables and we never have sweets, but they know that they are a minority. A major lesson that I learned from my families food practices and the practices of others are that the food people eat represents their values. My parents emphasize family time, home cooked meals and a respect for what they eat and where it comes from. The restaurants are also appealing to different audiences, the Chinese restaurants are designed to attract Costa Ricans by using the same rice and even some of the same dishes. I think that it makes me think of what my family at home values and how many people in the United States never think about what values their food represents. If any country wants to fight obesity, they need to focus on what the food is saying about a person.