Aero: Brianna Jackson – Costa Rica 2016 – Food and Dining
Creative Commons Image via The LEAF Project
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The food and dining in Costa Rica was one of the best aspects of the cultural experience. Breakfast and dinner was usually shared with my fellow classmates at our host family home, and unfortunately, our host family members never ate with us, instead making sure that we were all settled and had enough to eat. The types a food that we were given at our host family varied. We would have beans and rice for breakfast, a variety of fruit smoothies, and cheese. There were also various types of meat, yucca, and so forth. We were served a typical breakfast food called gallo pinto, which included the rice and beans I mentioned earlier, as well as eggs, beef, fried plantains, and tortillas. Our host mother made all of our meals, and while we didn’t eat with them, I gather that they are breakfast early in the morning before the rest of us were awake, and had most of their other meals while we were away and before we returned from the day’s activities.
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Brianna Jackson
Dining outside of the house was a stressful event for myself at times. It was hard to order food when our waiter or waitress didn’t understand what I was saying, and so there was a lot of pointing and gesturing. I was also worried about ordering something that I wouldn’t like, but I tried new foods while I was there, and while there were some I didn’t like, most of them were delicious. My favorite two favorite meals that I experienced was the Casado, which is a common dish in Costa Rica, and Ceviche, another common dish. The Casado consists of beans, rice, fried plantains, and a small salad, with your choice of meat. I ate it on more than one occasion, and tried it with grilled chicken, fish, and pork on each separate occasion. Another reason that I liked this particular dish is because “casado” means “married” in English, and in Costa Rica they say that this dish is so big that it can only be finished by a married couple. I can attest to that as it proved to be too much for myself to finish. The other favorite dish of mince, the Ceviche, is made up of fresh raw fish that is marinated in citrus juices like lime, with diced herbs and vegetables. The first time I tried it we were in Nicaragua right by the ocean, and mine was a mix of shrimp, lobster, and other species of fish that I can’t remember. Least to say it was delicious, and I’m glad I got the opportunity to try it.
Something that was pointed out to us by the professors, and something that I noticed whenever we went out to eat was the fact that the restaurants and cafes were always open. There weren’t enclosed spaces like you would see in America. There were large open patios and virtually no windows. In one case, we went to a nice restaurant while in Nicaragua where the center of the room had an open roof and a garden and fountain in the middle. These types of eating establishments were amazing, and I believe they would fair very well in America. Dining in an open place was relaxing, and really added to the ambiance of the restaurants themselves.
Another observation about the food of Costa Rica and Nicaragua is that the food always tasted fresh, and even the foods you would find in America tasted different there. For example, the second day my fellow classmates and I had fried chicken, yet it tasted nothing like the fired chicken I was used to at home. Even the cheese there was great! Going to a farm in Costa Rica was very educational, simply because I learned that agriculture is an important aspect of the country, and how the food, mainly cheese, is prepared. Food and dining in another country is something to remember that’s for sure.
Brianna Jackson
LEAF Contributor
ML@FLCC: Costa Rica 2016
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