Food in Costa Rica.

I realized today that I haven't written all that much about my food here. So, while this may seem boring for some (you can skip this blog entry if you'd like) I know that there are some serious food-lovers out there who may be interested to know about the good, the bad, and the down-right UGLY food of Costa Rica. Let's start with the good:


I generally wake up to a delicious cup of coffee and some type of fresh tropical fruit sitting out on the breakfast table for me. They have fruits here that you can't even dream of and boy are they amazing! Costa Rica is also world-known for their coffee and that is just fine by me! They are also big bread lovers and it just so happens that one of my favorite hobbies is eating bread! There is nothing like FRESH warm bread from the bakery to start your day off right!



The bad. Well, not necessarily bad. We'll just say....different. RUNNY eggs for breakfast. Often times it is not only the yoke that is runny. I finally got up the nerve to ask him to fry my egg longer the other morning because I can hardly force down a have-raw fried egg. But that's how they like em! RICE. Honestly, rice should have its very own blog entry. In the past three months I have eaten more rice than the entire country of China. Growing up, my family was never a big rice-eater. I do like rice. It can be tasty. But two HUGE servings of rice (lunch, dinner, and sometimes even breakfast) every day can be a bit tiresome. Well, when in Rome right? Finally, my family loves salad. You're thinking to yourself "well that's great!" right? Not just any salad. Cabbage salad. Not cole slaw. A WHOLE LOT of cabbage, no lettuce at all! Some cilantro, some tomatoes, a couple of slices of cucumber, and some lemon juice. Yup folks...I eat that twice a day. But, it does the colon good!


Moving on to the ugly. I realize I must be careful with this one as there are many of you who may infact like the following items. I would say that, for the most part, it wasn't the flavor of the food that was difficult. Sometimes yes, but mostly, it was the EFFECTS of the food that was ugly. Oh so ugly. Coconut, for example. Coconut is a natural laxative. Believe me, I KNOW. We'll just say that two servings of coconut rice will land you on the inodoro (toilet) for a good 2-3 hours. NOT KIDDING! Potato chips. Hmmm....many times for dinner I have been served Rice, Cabbage Salad, Black Beans, and POTATO CHIPS. Name the protein.....oh wait....that is a plate full of CARBS! Don't forget the ice cream for dessert! (which I do love)


And finally, saving the best (ugliest) for last....we arrive at the chicharon (chee-chaw-ron). What is it exactly?
Pig skin. No, not the yummy little packets of tasty road-trip snack that you can buy at the BP down the road. We are talking home-fried, hair IN TACT, layer of THICK fat and seared skin served over a heaping pile of rice. Chewy doesn't begin to describe it.

The best word of advice I ever received when it comes to unwanted food on the mission field.....Chew, swallow, and smile!
That's all for now folks, hope you enjoyed your tour through a Costa Rican kitchen!