Sunday, September 2, 2007

The Central American Trifecta

We haven’t even been in Costa Rica for a week and we’ve already experienced the Central American Trifecta. What is that you ask? In the last week our power went out, our Internet went out, and our water went out. Why? Who knows. Welcome to Central America.

The good news is that all of our services have come back on. But, we never know for how long. In America we would have never settled for such shabby service. In Costa Rica it is a way of life…get over it.

When you come to Costa Rica you have to learn to eat like a Tico (Costa Rican). Don’t get me wrong. We can find almost any food here we want…it just costs an arm and a leg. A box of Lucky Charms is $6, a block of Velveeta cheese is $10, and a bottle of Mrs. Buttersworth syrup is $8. On the other hand – if we eat local beans, rice and tortillas we can all three eat dinner for about 35 cents…total…and get stuffed. So, I have been trying to learn to cook local. This evening I researched, purchased and cooked our first fried plantains. Oh man they were good! This evening I am going to take my first crack at cooking empanadas…think Hot Pockets, but, with a Costa Rican twist.

No comments: