Aero: Shelby Seeley – Costa Rica 2013 – Food and Dining
Aero: Shelby Seeley – Costa Rica 2013 – Food and Dining
Aero: Shelby Seeley – Costa Rica 2013 – Food and Dining
Food is a large part of our daily lives in the United States and it was at the forefront of my mind going to Costa Rica. I absolutely love food and even told my host mom, Marta, this before I even arrived. I have been lucky enough to be exposed to many different types of food thanks to my mom and other family members. Costa Rica is such a different culture and climate than New York that I knew there were going to be many chances to try new and different foods. I was ready to jump right in and eat when we arrived and I was not disappointed!
Meals at home were different yet similar to the meals I was used to in the U.S. In the mornings Marta would cut up fresh fruits, make scrambled eggs, or even grilled cheese sandwiches. Marco would occasionally make fresh juice out of sweet lemons or papaya. My “brothers” Daniel and Marco Jr. rarely joined us for breakfast because they were on break from school. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we were joined by Marco’s driver and our cleaning lady for breakfast. The orange juice in Costa Rica was delicious and I miss that a great deal! I was often served first and after I had finished breakfast Marta would pick up my plate and take it over to Marco at the sink who would wash the dishes. This was strange for me because I am used to taking care of my own plate and washing it. When I did attempt to do the dishes, Marta would say “stop that you’re on vacation”
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Dinner at home with my family was not always at the same time but that did not matter since the food was delicious! We had an assortment of meals of the course of our visit which kept it interesting. Marta cooked awesome steak and mashed potatoes one night! We even had Chinese once which I thought was funny but at the same time scrumptious. Portion sizes of meals were considerably smaller than the ones in the U.S. and I found this scary at first but then got used to it quickly. We even ordered out for Papa John’s Pizza a couple of times. The weirdest part of the pizza was the fact that it had ham and not pepperoni and the ham was beneath the cheese. Even like that the pizza was a great choice and I had never even had Papa John’s Pizza before.
Cafes and restaurants in Costa Rica were similar yet different than those in the U.S. Some café’s did not even have seating and you ordered and ate at the same counter. Restaurants in Costa Rica are big and small, fast and slow. The first night in Alajuela we passed multiple well known fast food chains which really should not have shocked me but it did. I was more interested in the local cuisine anyway. I was always overwhelmed wherever we went because all of the food sounded so good. I practiced reading the Spanish side of the menu with minimum peaks at the English side. I knew that there would be a great deal of rice and beans at meals and I can honestly say that I never got tired of them! Shocker I know. I am so glad that Professors VanEtten and Kruger made us get a casado the day we went to Zoo Ave. I had a pescado casado and it was by far the best meal I had in Costa Rica! The fish was done perfectly and the fresh lime/orange looking lemon just sent it into outer space. This particular restaurant was just an open air, picnic table place but that made the atmosphere. I must admit I was wary at first since it was an open air eatery, mostly because I thought that a health inspector from the U.S. would not let it pass inspection.
The restaurants in Costa Rica often times include dessert with your meal which is the complete opposite of what it is like in the U.S. The dessert was traditionally rice pudding but each restaurant made it differently. Tipping your waiter was not as important as it is in the U.S. which struck me as odd since some of the restaurants are tiny and may not make so much money. Then there are other restaurants that include the tip in your final bill. A few restaurants deserved an extra tip too because of how quickly our food was delivered. Of course there were those few places that it took forever to get our food but that was not anything new to me. One place we went did not even have a sign advertising that it was a restaurant. The meal I had there was the cheapest I had of the whole trip which was the equivalent of $4! Plus the food was delicious too. One aspect of Costa Rican restaurants that I wish would make its way north is that customers can stay however long they want. There is no rush to get orders, deliver food, and then the check so the next group can be seated.
I highly recommend trying anything and everything that you can when traveling abroad. Sometimes the least advertised places and foods can open up entire new worlds for a person. Do not go for something “American”, get out of your comfort zone and eat!
– Shelby Seeley
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