What are we doing in Costa Rica? » Gastronomy

Ice Cream, Not Bag of Waters

elizabeth — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:01:44 +0000

I saw this ice cream treat in the grocery store freezer and thought it said Amnio. “I have to get it!” I thought. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it actually says Mmmio. I bought it anyway.

True Confessions

elizabeth — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:12:00 +0000

I have not really improved my Spanish skills while we’re here. I have, however, gotten very good at combining my random Spanish vocabulary words with expressive and inventive sign language. So I’m making myself understood — and making a fool of myself, I’m sure. Oh, and I’m ok with numbers now.
We’ve been eating way too much junk food. We can’t stop sampling all the brands of Costa Rican cookies. Oh, and visiting the ice cream stand. Mmmm.
I think I’m going to cry when we get back home and I see our ugly, barren yard. But then I’ll step inside and see our cozy home and feel all better.
Right now I’m blogging when I should be doing study questions for my midwifery school module. Oh for shame!

A Few Photos & Updates

elizabeth — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:58:02 +0000

Some photos from the past couple of weeks, as well as a few notes on jungle living that have been rattling around in my brain. I’ve been way too lazy about uploads! You can view more photos here.

Horses wander freely about the town.

Dogs do too!

Our closest beach, Playa Negra, in the late afternoon. The black sand is super fine and gets into everything.

Graham is very dramatic in his refusal to love the beach.

Big, crazy spider in our sink one morning. It hopped at me when I tried to scoop in into a glass. YIKES!

Zach preparing one of the fish he caught. Such a provider!

Finally got close enough to one of the dart frogs to take its picture.

Dean bringing me flowers.

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Both boys are expanding their vocabularies in Costa Rica. Dean is saying dog, cat, thank you, bye, mama, and dada. He also pants like a dog whenever he sees any four-legged creature, and he has started waving. Graham has started saying “chillax.” That’s chill + relax for all you oldsters . As in, “Daddy, it’s time to go to bed and chillax!”

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How humid is it here? Dishes don’t dry in the draining rack. Some of our clothes are mildewing. Books and paper are just slightly damp at all times. Our bathroom is like a swamp.

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The big, exciting news this week is that we are making friends! Graham had his first play date yesterday with an awesome little boy and it was a big success. His parents own the coffee shop in town — could there be a better family to befriend?! They played with rocks and cars, chased each other around the shop, and got ice cream cones. We have some more potential friend irons in the fire as well.

Tofu

elizabeth — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:44:36 +0000

One of the things that is fascinating and different about life in Puerto Viejo is how easy it is to cut out the middle man from many transactions. Want fruit? There are several stands in town — or maybe you just want to go out into your front yard. Interested in fish? Go hang out on the beach at the right time and you’ll have your choice of fishmongers coming in with their fresh catch. You can even have them deliver to your home on a regular basis. (We have yet to set this up, but we are definitely interested!) We attended the farmer’s market last weekend, and we met the local tofu supplier; yesterday was our first delivery.

A kilo is the minimum amount required for home delivery, so we went for it. It’s harder to get ethical meat here, so we would, ideally, like to be eating more fish and tofu anyway. The tofu dude is a character. He seems like he might be perpetually… shall we say, in an altered state of consciousness? And yet, he has a thriving soy enterprise, complete with business card! (The card, btw, has been adapted. Apparently he used to be a musician, but his credentials have been Sharpied out and replaced with the word “TOFU.”)

Anyhoo, we got our delivery yesterday and tonight Zach cooked some up in a delicious thai green curry. It was awesome! I really love how fresh so much our produce has been here, and now that we’re getting these homemade tofu deliveries I think we’re set! Oh, and did I mention that the lecheria, where we get the homemade ice cream, also sells organic dairy products like milk and butter? That place is quickly becoming our home away from home.