Chocolate and Fruit!

I was somewhat surprised by how similar the use of chocolate is between Costa Rica and the US. My tica mom told me that chocolate is used here mostly in desserts--cookies, cakes, candbars, etc.--and in drinks--hot chocolate, chocolate frio, mocha, etc.. I was half expecting to be made aware of all of the secret uses of chocolate that we ignorant United Statesians have no clue about; however, this was not the case. With that said, my mom seemed to imply that chocolate was very common, however we do not eat dessert at my house. Ever. This leads me to speculate a few things: maybe my mom perceives chocolate to be more common in Costa Rica than it actually is, or maybe it is just her personal rule or healthy philosophy not to eat dessert. Regardless, I will say that I do miss the occaisional trip to the Colonades dessert bar...

As for fruits and vegetables, my mom buys them at Mas X Menos or at the market on Sundays. She buys them at the market because they are very fresh and cheap and the same goes for Max X Menos, however she says they are a little more expensive there compared to the market. She buys fruit and vegetables every day, depending on the different kinds that she or our family want. She made it clear to me that different fruits and vegetables stay ripe for different periods of time, and that determines how often she goes to buy them. 

Below is a picture of a watermelon stand in the farmer's market from Sunday.

The layout of the market at Zapote was almost like city blocks. Everything was in rows and columns and there wasn't a particular order to where each type of fruits and vegetables were. Some stands specialized in one kind of fruit--for example strawberries--while others had many many different types. Also there was one row that featured fresh meat that was seperate from the fruits and vegetables. I noticed that some of the stands had flowers too. Stefani explained that some are for tea--like chamomille--while others are for eating. There was also cheese, roasted vegetables, and fresh honey. Stefani said that the honey was pure and didn't have any added sugars or chemicals--very tempting!

There were many people shopping at the market. Some families, some older people, and some women of all ages. It seemed, especially with the families, that going to the market was a weekly routine--must be nice! When I was purchasing fruit, the vendors picked the fruit for me. When I asked Stefani if this was common, she told me that it was, but some experienced women know exactly what they are looking for and will pick their own fruit. The vendors were also eager to let me try different fruits, and it was really neat to be able to interact with them.

I have never been to a farmer's market in the US, but I could imagine that they are somewhat similar. For areas that have farmer's markets regularly, I'm sure there is a similar sense of a weekly routine. I really wish that there was more opportunities in the US to go to farmer's markets. It was a really cool experience, and everything looked so good to eat. It really encouraged me to eat healthily this week--not because I should, but because everything just looked so delicious!