Blog #5

Chocolate is a food I am automatically attracted to. And the first thing I noticed while in Costa Rica was that it wasn't around as much. There is absolutely no chocolate in my Tica home. Then when we started going out to dinners, I had some of the best chocolate desserts I've ever had in my life. As a result, I have this image of chocolate as a delicacy. It is rare but it is in it's absolute best form here. Quality over quantity. The chocolate ice creams are sweeter, the cakes are more rich. But after more investigation this week, I think chocolate is much more similar here than I expected. After talking to my Tica Mom, I found out the reason there's no chocolate or dessert in the house. It's not because it is a Tico custom, it's because it is her personal rule. She doesn't buy it so that she can't eat it. She loves chocolate but, just like me, she doesn't have much self-control and if there were sweets in the house she would just eat them all. As a result, I'm beginning to understand that, just like the US, the uses and availability of chocolate are based upon a person's choices. There is cheap chocolate which is not as nice as expensive chocolate and the more expensive chocolate is, the more of a luxury it is. These customs are very similar to the US, I think my initial reaction was incorrect because my view was simply obstructed by my craving for sweets.

As for fruit, my Tica Mom buys fruits and vegetables from either the supermarket or the farmer's market once a week. There is fruit every morning with breakfast and dinner always includes a type of salad. The vegetables are all very fresh. She plans meals so that she can use the fruits and vegetables when they are at their freshest/ripest. Fruits and vegetables are an obvious part of Tico culture. In the US there are jokes about how little kids refuse to eat their fruits and vegetables but here, all the kids at the school and mis hermanitas absolutely love their fruits (and vegetables). The constant presence of fruits I think replaces some of the cravings for sweet desserts because there is always fresh fruit available. They are also very inexpensive and healthy and organic. When it comes to fruit, there is more availability, more options and more affordable choices in Costa Rica than in the US. In Costa Rica, fruit is apart of the culture whereas in the US it is more of an expensive diet and healthy luxury.

At the farmer's market on Sunday, it was hard not to be in shock. All the fruits and vegetables were so fresh, so brightly colored and very enticing. The vendors were all enthusiastic and ready to sell. The prices were obvious and the foods were selling themselves. It seemed that, although there were stands with the same products, they were spread out to avoid direct competition (reflecting the non-confrontational Tico customs). The atmosphere was overwhelming, exciting and really fascinating. I saw and tasted new produce I had never seen before. Quite often the food itself was HUGE and everything that was being sold was within customer reaching distance. You can smell, taste, touch, see and even hear (the foods being chopped, weighed, prepared) everything. It was hard not to buy 3 weeks worth of produce. There were many people there; it was more of an occasion than a market place. There was music, families, kids, parents, old and young, even pets were present. It was really more of a cultural experience than simply shopping for the week.
The whole atmosphere really reflected Tico lifestyle. It showed the Tico values: how produce is a staple, how polite interactions are expected, how families participate in many activities together. The market is a perfect depiction of the everyday people of Costa Rica: bringing together the farmers and the city people and compromising them in one culture.