Week Two

Before talking to my Tica mom about the questions for the week, I reflected on what I have learned through experience so far about meal customs. Every morning, breakfast is fresh fruit along with a “main course” which could be gallo pinto, pancakes, or eggs. Bread, butter and jam are always on the table as well. This large amount of food took some getting used to when I first got here because at home I was used to either eating a bowl of cereal or a quick piece of toast. Big breakfasts were rare, especially on the days I had early classes. I guess you could say it was part of the culture shock. The reflection helped me formulate answers as well as know what to expect when talking to my Tica mom. The first question I asked was what foods are native to Costa Rica? We touched upon this last week when we talked about what foods are eaten on a daily basis. Fruit, beans, potatoes, and rice are all some foods that are native to Costa Rica. These are also foods eaten on a very regular basis, which makes sense. Why eat imported processed food, when you can help your local farmers by eating what is grown here and what is fresh? Something we learned today at the banana plantation was that people really care about helping each other out in the community. For example, the banana and pineapple plantations continue to use manual labor rather than bring technology in because it keeps more people employed. In the U.S. that wouldn’t even be a factor anymore because the American mindset is constantly on efficiency and productivity. An interesting and refreshing difference in my opinion!

                The next question I asked my Tica mom was about the meal time customs in Costa Rica. Do families eat together for every meal? Is lunch bigger than dinner? How is the food served? As for my experiences with my host family, everyone eats breakfast on their own time, depending on what time they need to go to work or be at school. Everyone usually eats between 6:30 and 9 am, but as for who eats together, it depends on our schedules. My mom, however almost always sits with us while we eat, even if she has already eaten. Most of the family eats dinner together, unless someone has a prior commitment or meeting. It is very similar to dinner patterns in the U.S! I almost always eat with my mom, dad, brother and at least one of my sisters. According to my Tica mom, dinner is the “most important” meal of the day here, or the most valued. My mom usually fills the plates for us, whereas at breakfast you usually serve yourself off of a bigger plate. One interesting thing I noticed that is different than at home is that my family likes to watch TV during dinner, in particular a game show called Combate. At home, my family almost always turns the TV off during dinner for conversation, but here my family turns it on.  It could be a cultural difference or just something my family specifically does. When I am home, my family always says a prayer before we eat dinner, therefore growing up I thought that was what every family did. However as I got older I began to realize that it was something not everybody did. I learned that each family has special traditions or customs and it is just the same here in Costa Rica. When I asked my Tica mom about lunch, she told me that many times lunch is very quick and simple. She usually makes herself a quick ham and cheese sandwich or tortilla with cheese. It is small because she doesn’t want to spoil her dinner. She also tends to eat lunch alone because everyone is either at school or work.

                The pictures below are of my breakfast and dinner one day last week. There is ALWAYS rice served, whether it is for breakfast or dinner or sometimes even at both. Breakfast almost always consists of fruit, rice and beans and one other thing that changes from day to day. Dinner consists of rice, meat (usually chicken) and a vegetable of some sort (salad, carrots, beans, etc). All of these foods are native to Costa Rica. Also, as we read in the readings for last week, these foods work together to make an extremely balanced diet. The combination adds all the necessary nutrients, so it is no wonder why they are such a vital part of the Costa Rican diet.  So how do the foods served at different times of the day dictate the structure of the day? Well, dinner is the most important meal and it also takes the most time to prepare, therefore it is good to have it at the end. As my Tica mom shared, lunch is very quick, like a sandwich. This makes sense because it is in the middle of the school or work day so it has to be somewhat brief. Breakfast needs to be something quick to prepare because everyone’s days start at different times. When I sit down in the morning I eat my fruit while my mom heats up the other food. She does the same for my siblings and dad. I think that this structure is very comparable to that in the U.S. Breakfast varies based on the schedules of each person in the family, while dinner is the time when everyone comes together to eat a meal. Lunch is in a way a “free-for-all” because it is in the middle of school and work days. Most people in the U.S. eat a wrap or something fast for lunch just like here in Costa Rica. I really enjoy learning about the different customs regarding food and meals and so far I’ve found some interesting differences as well as a lot of similarities with customs in the United States.

 Breakfast: fruit, gallo pinto, eggs, coffee and fruit juice

 Dinner: rice, tomatoes with salt and pepper, chicken