My Tica family only eats
chocolate for special occasions. Chocolate is a luxury item in my Tica house,
and it is rare to ever eat it. The only time we ate chocolate in my house
during past 5 five weeks was when I brought it over from the United States as a
gift. My mom was beyond excited to receive a few Hershey chocolate bars. I had
no idea that chocolate was seen as such a luxury item. After I gave my mom the
Hershey’s, she split one chocolate bar a night for the next week. Every member of
the family (7 in total) received a small ration of the chocolate. Everyone ate their
piece slowly, savoring the flavor. I was so shocked watch my families reaction,
that I immediately felt guilty of my daily consumption of chocolate at home.
Chocolate has become a standard food group in my American diet, and it was hard
for me to imagine my life without it! Costa Rica is different from the US
because dessert is almost non-existent in Costa Rica. If there is dessert, it
usually consists of fresh fruit. In the United States, my mom is constantly
baking cookies and brownies for dessert. After almost every dinner in America,
I would finish with some sort of sweet treat.
My host family buys a
bulk of their fruits and vegetables from fruterias. My grandmother buys fruit and
bread every morning during her walk because they spoil so quickly. She loves
having fresh fruit in the house and even has a relationship with the local
venders. Sometimes my Tica mom will buy fruit at the supermarket if she is in a
hurry, but prefers local vendors because they are less expensive and fresher.
Photos: The first thing
I noticed about the markets were how many venders there were. I was impressed
to see rows and rows of fruit sellers. Every vender had a specific location and
spot where they sold their products. I was expecting all of the mango sellers
in one row, all of the watermelon sellers in another row etc. This was not the
case though. It had a chaotic layout and banana venders were placed next to
onion venders. Every vendor has probably been selling at the same location for
years. The local customers were aware of the different locations and knew the
locations of the best places to make purchases. The locals never seemed to just
be wandering around, unlike the tourist gringas. The customers and sellers all had
strong relationships, and it was apparent that the market was more of a social
location than just buying produce. The sellers were all proud of their products
and it was fun to watch venders picking “the perfect fruit” for customers. I
really enjoyed the experience and want to return! I tried some fruit for lunch
and I can honestly say it was the freshest fruit I have ever tasted!
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