Week 4

My Tica mom and I were talking at breakfast and this topic casually came out.  It was very interesting to hear her talk about it without my having to ask questions.  She spoke to about restaurants mostly in terms of fast food and sodas.  She said that she never eats fast food because of all the chemicals and grease that they put into the foods.  My mom seems to be very health conscious so most of her reasoning stems from the fact that she finds it much healthier to make food herself.  I also think that her generation is used to cooking meals and they have somewhat remained in a slower paced society than the younger generations.  My mom agreed with me that the reason fast food restaurants and sodas are becoming increasingly popular is because the society is starting to move at a more rapid pace than ever before. Just like in the United States, people want to be able to eat on the run and get everything done in a hurry so they need a quick fix.  For my Tica mom, however, she doesn’t mind cooking all afternoon because she knows the ingredients in her food and knows all the nutritional properties and portions. 

From observation and from speaking with my Tica family, it seems that fast food restaurants and sodas are the craze right now.  Many people are eating at these places because they are cheap and easy.  It seems that these options are fairly, specifically foreign restaurants, aren’t too old because they are most popular among the younger generations whereas the older generations are still accustomed to cooking in the kitchen.  My Tica mom believes that these restaurants are causing a lot of health issues, specifically obesity and stomach problems.  She said that people eat them because of their ease without any knowledge of the food properties.  However, I’m sure if I talked to someone much younger I would get a different answer. For instance, my Tica sister once said that fast food restaurants are attractive to young kids who aren’t old enough to get into bars so they go to McDonald’s or a food court in the mall, full of fast food options, to hang out.

In McDonalds, it seemed that most of the foods were similar to the United States’ menu.  I’m not at all knowledgeable about fast food though, so I’m not a good judge for this question.  It seemed, however, that most things were the same except that fast food restaurants put a small spin on the items to meet Costa Rican culture.  This was interesting because I found the same thing to be true when I visited Hong Kong.  A lot of chain restaurants were similar, but there was a little twist in order to make it more relatable to the specific culture.  It seems here, and in other places I have traveled to, that the fast food restaurants are much nicer than they are in the United States.  There is much more seating here, which makes the environment more inviting.  I think this again points to the fact that they need to integrate the culture into the business in order for it to be successful. 

As for the typical Costa Rican restaurant, it seems that most places have staple dishes, which include rice and beans.  Usually these places are very cheap and serve a large plate of rice, beans, plantains, veggies and a salad.  I think that sodas are good option for Costa Ricans who want to eat their food, not fast food, but need something on the go.