Aero: Alyssa Davis – Costa Rica 2013 – Food and Dining
Aero: Alyssa Davis – Costa Rica 2013 – Food and Dining
Aero: Alyssa Davis – Costa Rica 2013 – Food and Dining
As a lover of all things edible, I’ve found that it is absolutely necessary to test the fortitude of your taste buds directly through consumption as often as possible. It is important, especially when travelling abroad, to eat like the locals do. While I was in Costa Rica I absolutely refused to eat anything that could be ordered at a restaurant in my home town. In fact, the first dining experience I had in Costa Rica was one of apprehensive curiosity and pleasant surprise. As we were walking down the sidewalk looking for a place to feast, our professor stopped abruptly and ushered us into a small restaurant that had no signs, no door, and no name. The front of the business was completely open to the outside environment, and the only hint that it was an eatery was the glorious odor wafting from the kitchen in the back. There were booths on both walls and in the middle of the space were tables for four where we promptly sat and introduced ourselves to the home style cooking of Costa Rica. In this particular establishment there were only a few things on the menu, Casados being the main plate of interest.
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Casados are the typical Costa Rican dish, complete with rice, beans, a small salad, some fried platanos, and your choice of meat. ‘Bebidas Frescas,’ which literally means ‘fresh drinks,’ are also very common and are basically fresh fruit smoothies in either milk or water. However, for my first meal, it was another drink that caught my eye. I asked the waitress if she could explain to me what the drink, Chan, consisted of and all she could say was that it was a type of seed in water. She wasn’t able to clarify which type of seed, but I took my chances anyway. Luckily for me it was sweet, refreshing, and neither undesirable nor poisonous!
Not every establishment is as mysterious as my first encounter. We dined at many restaurants during our trip and many of them would have been indistinguishable from any American restaurant, save the difference in language and abundance of fresh fruit. Unsurprisingly, McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, and even Denny’s were not an uncommon sight. I even got to eat chicken wings and ceviche (a chicken or fish dish in lemon juice) at a bar that was ridiculously satisfactory. In fact, as a sort of testament to the delectable food that is native to Costa Rica, “rico,” the most commonly used adjective to describe good food, means “rich.”
– Alyssa Davis
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