At least in my tica family, chocolate is only eaten every so often. It may not be a specific holiday, but it remains special because it is not just eaten every day. When talking with my family about how chocolate is commonly used, all of the examples I received were of desserts that were made with chocolate, including cookies, chocolate cake, and chocolate mousse. None of the examples were of eating chocolate alone, just as it is. In the US, I think that chocolate is often a key ingredient in special desserts. However, differing from CR, I feel that we eat chocolate more often, and commonly simply a piece of chocolate itself to satisfy any craving we may have.
Chocolate desserts are so delicious here because they took time to make, just as in the US-the most decadent desserts are the ones that take time and effort to make. However, one thing that really stuck out to me was that despite chocolate having such significance to Costa Rica, the only chocolate chips sold here that I could find were Hershey brand. What is this saying?
My family said that they buy their vegetables from a verdulería, a shop that specializes in veggies. They are located close, and they can go and buy what they need-fresh. Because of this local, fresh option, they don’t buy their produce from the supermarket. We talked about how this is not the case in the US, most people buy their fruits and vegetables at the grocery store because it is easy and convenient, but also because there often isn’t another option. In certain cases, when there is a market that comes once a month or we go pick apples or grow cucumbers in our backyard for example, it is a special treat; it is never the norm. Why is that? We have such a push for buying fresh and local, but at this point I feel it is not always possible to do this in the US, and when the option is available it is always more expensive.
When I went with my family to the verdulería one time, they knew the man who works there by name and they carried on a conversation before they made their purchase. This situation exemplified to me the importance of relationships here. Whether it’s simply out of habit or not, my family always goes to the same verdulería, and they have built a connection with the man. This idea of going to the same place in order to build a relationship and taking time to have a conversation is not commonly found in the US. We want what we want with ease, as quickly as possible.
The Zapote market was an experience. It is more than just about buying the food that you need; it’s an event, and affair. There are countless rows and columns of stands filled with 100s of people. People have carts of some-sort; there are families and couples and teens, and much interaction between vendors and customers. At least from what I have seen in the US, most farmer’s markets are smaller and don’t have as wide a selection, or at least don’t have multiple stands each selling the same product, as I noticed at Zapote. In addition, I noticed a wide selection, from seafood to “all natural medicinal products”, to cheese, to fruits and veggies-some of which I didn’t even recognize as to what they were.
However, despite this difference, the vibe I felt was the same at Zapote as the farmer’s market in my town. I found the interactions to be very verbal or hands-on, the seller shouting out bargains or handing out samples. The people are excited, the food is fresh, and the vendor-customer relationship is important. In my town, the relationship the vendors create with the customer is very important, because we, as customers, keep the market alive. Recently because of the decrease in support and attendance, my farmer’s market has decreased from every weekend to one Sunday a month. It is important that we continue to support buying fresh and local foods because it is healthier, and it supports those of our home towns. Despite differences, I find that these types of farmer’s markets are really experiences that bring communities together.
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