--When and how is chocolate eaten in Costa Rica? Is it
only for special occasions or in desserts?
In Costa Rica, I am unsure of whether or not chocolate is eaten for special occasions, desserts, or every day...my tica family eats chocolate in treats all the time, like chocolate-covered guayaba bites. But I can imagine that chocolate is only consumed in mass quantities during special occasions, because when I celebrated my birthday in Costa Rica was the last time I had a large helping of chocolate. I found that aspect to be quite strange, since in the US we have chocolate every day for any occasion; I believe this ties into the fact that most N. Americans have the mentality of "I want it, I need it, I'm going to have it." Plus, in the US most people who have that mentality also find a way of getting what they want; which is another reason why we have such debt, we buy everything we want, even if we can't afford it.
In Costa Rica, I am unsure of whether or not chocolate is eaten for special occasions, desserts, or every day...my tica family eats chocolate in treats all the time, like chocolate-covered guayaba bites. But I can imagine that chocolate is only consumed in mass quantities during special occasions, because when I celebrated my birthday in Costa Rica was the last time I had a large helping of chocolate. I found that aspect to be quite strange, since in the US we have chocolate every day for any occasion; I believe this ties into the fact that most N. Americans have the mentality of "I want it, I need it, I'm going to have it." Plus, in the US most people who have that mentality also find a way of getting what they want; which is another reason why we have such debt, we buy everything we want, even if we can't afford it.
--Where does your family get the bulk of their fruits and vegetables?
Do they buy them in the supermarket, from street vendors selling produce from
the back of their trucks or from small, specialized shops
(fruterias)? Why do they buy the fruits and vegetables from there?
Also, how often to they buy fresh produce?
My family here in Costa Rica buys their fruits and vegetables from Mas x Menos, the local store. They buy there because of the convenience, they do not mind the prices because they can buy what they need, when they need it; they do not wait until a specific day to buy goods at a market that may be cheaper. Mostly because my family buys food every day, they buy it when they need it. My tica family buys their fruits and vegetables fresh from the store a couple hours before they eat it; I believe this is not just convenience, but it is also about saving money because you only buy what you need, instead of buying too much and letting it go to waste. This mindset is very practical, but in the US we have the ability to buy a lot at once because of the amount of preservatives in our food and because we have the ability to freeze more food as well. This is a very odd concept for my tica family to grasp because they do not understand why anyone would want to eat previously frozen food, why wouldn't you just want to eat fresh food that was locally grown? I think that this mentality is a great one to have, it fuels local economies and works towards being healthier because of less preservatives and more organic/natural foods.
My family here in Costa Rica buys their fruits and vegetables from Mas x Menos, the local store. They buy there because of the convenience, they do not mind the prices because they can buy what they need, when they need it; they do not wait until a specific day to buy goods at a market that may be cheaper. Mostly because my family buys food every day, they buy it when they need it. My tica family buys their fruits and vegetables fresh from the store a couple hours before they eat it; I believe this is not just convenience, but it is also about saving money because you only buy what you need, instead of buying too much and letting it go to waste. This mindset is very practical, but in the US we have the ability to buy a lot at once because of the amount of preservatives in our food and because we have the ability to freeze more food as well. This is a very odd concept for my tica family to grasp because they do not understand why anyone would want to eat previously frozen food, why wouldn't you just want to eat fresh food that was locally grown? I think that this mentality is a great one to have, it fuels local economies and works towards being healthier because of less preservatives and more organic/natural foods.
PHOTO: Take some photos of the
farmer's market in Zapote (Sun am excursion). What do you notice about
presentation or layout of the market? Who is shopping at the
market? What is being sold there? What are interactions between
sellers and customers like? How does this market compare with farmer's
markets in the U.S.?
These markets are very interesting, they are much bigger than those I have attended in North Carolina, although the lay out is very similar (rows); but this is not surprising due to the amount of local farmers in Costa Rica that need to sell their produce. I find it very comforting that the people of Costa Rica do buy locally at these markets of their "neighbors" and I wish that there were most markets like this in North Carolina. Most of the sellers and customers act as though they are neighbors, aside from the sellers interactions with us (in which they knew we were foreigners "with money"). But most of the interactions were just like making a civil transaction with a friend. In North Carolina, there is no ability to buy such variety of fruits at a farmers market, because 1) there are not that many local venders in NC and 2) NC does not have the ability to grow such fruits; but in NC we have a great variety of vegetables at our farmers markets. This is because of NCs geographical location and because of that, and industry, we have a lack of farm-land available for cultivation currently.
These markets are very interesting, they are much bigger than those I have attended in North Carolina, although the lay out is very similar (rows); but this is not surprising due to the amount of local farmers in Costa Rica that need to sell their produce. I find it very comforting that the people of Costa Rica do buy locally at these markets of their "neighbors" and I wish that there were most markets like this in North Carolina. Most of the sellers and customers act as though they are neighbors, aside from the sellers interactions with us (in which they knew we were foreigners "with money"). But most of the interactions were just like making a civil transaction with a friend. In North Carolina, there is no ability to buy such variety of fruits at a farmers market, because 1) there are not that many local venders in NC and 2) NC does not have the ability to grow such fruits; but in NC we have a great variety of vegetables at our farmers markets. This is because of NCs geographical location and because of that, and industry, we have a lack of farm-land available for cultivation currently.
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| Carrots, peppers, chives, radishes, and lettuce. |
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| Caimieto: Looks like a large plum but tastes almost like a fig. |
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| Coconuts! |
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