Pineapple

In comparison to the United States, Costa Ricans eat pineapple in other forms besides raw. My Tica mom told me that she puts pineapple in many drinks/smoothies/pies/desserts/etc. So, like the United States the pineapple is used almost exclusively as a "sweet" food, at least in my house. However, I've never had many pineapple desserts, but my mother explained that it's like the apple in North Carolina - you have large amounts of it for a relatively cheap price, so you bake many pies/cakes/etc. with pineapple in the tropics. At the market, where my family purchases their produce, there are many types of pineapples. Not only are there different shapes and sizes, but also different colors and sugar-to-acid ratios. My mother told me that she prefers the standard golden pineapple because it's so versatile and very sweet. My family has a special connection to pineapple production - my Tico cousin works on a plantation. Therefore, when I asked my mother what it symbolized, she said she always thought of her nephew and how dangerous his work was. She agreed that it was good for the economy, but she knows first-hand at what cost.

Obviously, this is so different than any of my previous notions about the pineapple. At home, in North Carolina, it's only eaten raw and doesn't have the same message or symbolism that it does for my family here. Different messages are being communicated (to use an idea from Mintz and Barthes) to two different cultures. My mother sees Costa Rica's prosperity at the expense of her nephew's safety. I see a delicious tropical fruit. My perspectives have definitely changed since this kitchen-table conversation toady. In the above photos, you can see how the pineapples are displayed in Mas por Menos - very casually, no frills, etc and how my mother cuts and prepares it for me (no special farmer technique used her, Nina). I thought it was interesting that pineapples were presented in their crates, fresh off the truck. In the States, they are usually all standing up-right, all pristine and ready for the taking. Again, I guess it's a regional difference - or Dole's fancy presentation trying to make me subconsciously eat more of the wonderfully displayed fruit?