Aero: Meagan Hilsdorf – Costa Rica 2014 – Food and Dining

Aero: Meagan Hilsdorf – Costa Rica 2014 – Food and Dining

Aero: Meagan Hilsdorf – Costa Rica 2014 – Food and Dining

Meagan Hilsdorf

I remember having homemade dinners with my family and going out to eat as a family on special occasions. My family is definitely a “meat and potato” kind of family, with sides of vegetables and often accompanied with milk or soda. Also, my family and I hunt in order to provide our family with meat, as well as help manage wildlife. However, now that I am in college I am crunched for time and often resort to fast or easy made meals. I have found that we eat out more or eat quick meals, with restaurants focusing on getting your food out in a timely manner. I often feel that especially in fast food restaurants, its less about ingredients or freshness more about making more food quickly, which has shown affects our overall health. That is why I rarely go to fast food restaurants and instead go to family owned sit down restaurants where I can enjoy a fresh meal. Furthermore with the food served at college, I have lately found myself savoring home cooked dishes when I come home on weekends.

Costa Rica 2014 Photo Gallery

The first night in Costa Rica I got to experience a true family dinner with my host family. I was invited to dinner and it was a traditional meal with tortilla, beef and salsa with refried beans, and fresh lemonade. Not only was the food delicious, but I was struck with how important meal times were to family life. Additional, my next few days in Costa Rica I noticed that there were many American style fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, ect., as well as local restaurants offering burgers, Italian, Mexican styled food or ice-cream and smoothies. It struck me how many food options that there was just in the city of Alajuala, which was greater than a nearby city at home. It felt like there were so many delicious choices just walking down the streets, so it was important to ask residents where the best places where to eat, especially to get a taste of traditional foods. I was also surprised at how reasonably priced meals were here. Normally I spent around 7 dollars per meal where I would spend at least 15 dollars in the United States. What made it even better was all the deliciously ripe fruit that at most restaurants were offered as smoothies with meals. Tropical or exotic fruits that were expensive at home were perfectly ripe and amazingly inexpensive here. I also took the opportunity to try new foods and fruits, and traditional meals to expand my palate. I also enjoyed the local farmers market and sample fresh produce and fruits, where I was able to buy a “Pipa” or coconut, which was very good. But the best part of the trip by far was the home made dinners with my host mother Guiselle, who was a very good chief and prepared tasty meals. From my dinners with her, as well as other meals with the professors and fellow students, I learned how important meal times are by bringing people together.

At first I was a little nervous about traditional foods and that I might not like them, but I was very surprised at how good the food was. Yes it was different from my traditional “meat and potatoes” meals. But they were still very tasteful and I discovered that I enjoyed rice and beans, and how central part they were to traditional dishes. I was also amazed at how filling and satisfying the dishes were as well. Overall, I valued the opportunity to go outside my comfort zone and try new things and learned that I can like new and different foods, and how food is connected to people’s culture and daily life.

Learn More: Study abroad with Modern Languages @ FLCC: Costa Rica!

– Meagan Hilsdorf

The LEAF Project
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