Traveling While Introverted

In my mind, good food doesn’t have to be complicated. One of my favorite girl dinner meals (IFYKYK) is a big bowl of boiled potatoes mixed with olive oil, salt, a fresh herb or two, and garlic. Simplicity is the key to making good ingredients shine. At the same time, I grew up in a house where nothing tasted the same twice, ever. My mom baked challahs every Friday night and they always changed a bit in taste and texture from week to week. Admittedly, I cook the same way and am in awe of cooks who are consistent, like my mother-in-law. (Adam had to get used to this and he’s a good sport, though I can tell sometimes he wishes for more consistency especially when something is particularly yummy.)

Initially, I was under the impression that so much of Tico food is a lot of the same ingredients prepared in a slightly different way. For breakfast, black beans and rice are cooked together to make gallo pinto. For lunch, they’re served separately. Or, sometimes, the black beans are turned into a paste which we also ate in Guatemala. I love beans and often crave them, but does it always have to be black beans? Other beans are available at the store. I know because I’ve seen them.

In other words: I’m a little bored because everything seemed the same.

But since we’ve left the Tamarindo area, we’ve had a chance to eat at Tico spots. Not just any sodas (mom and pop open air diners), but the ones frequented by Ticos. At a soda on the way to Santa Cruz, Adam ordered the arroz con mariscos, which is always an excellent choice since the rice is packed with seafood. I ordered the three-meat kebabs. Kebabs! I haven’t seen kebabs on a menu in so long. Everything was so flavorful even without the salsas and dips.

In Guayabal, I ordered the casado, a traditional Costa Rican lunch consisting of rice, beans, a salad, and a meat. This was probably the best one I’ve ordered! I ordered chicken fajitas, and it was served with stewed carrots and pumpkin. Again, so much flavor! Adam ordered the pizza which I grilled him about. Here’s his breakdown for curious folks: the dough was fluffy like a soft French bread; a tangy tomato sauce was mixed with a sweeter tomato sauce making it a very wet pizza; the toppings were very generous (chicken, mushrooms, peppers, and onions); and the cheese was very cheesy. (I was impressed by the cheese pulls.) I thought it was interesting that the cheese is on top kind of like Detroit pizzas. Also, look at the size of this thing! It’s a small! Adam crushed it, of course.

We also finally tried one of the uniquely Costa Rican vegetables I had wanted to try pretty much since we arrived: pejibaye. We purchased some supplies at a fruit and vegetable stand near Guayabal, and I spotted them among the potatoes and pumpkins. I got very excited and asked for half a kilo. I assumed I would have to cook them myself, but the grocer brought me already-cooked pejibaye. These unique fruits must be cooked before eating, otherwise they’ll give you a stomach ache. In the bag, they sort of smelled like stewed tomatoes, but their texture is more like an overcooked, slightly stringy kabocha squash. They were warm and salty and comforting thanks to their starchy texture. We ate a few in the car but saved the rest for later. Most folks eat them with mayonnaise apparently, but I thought they were great as is. For dinner, I added them to a warm carrot salad with mojo dressing. I forgot to take a photo of them, but they’re wonderful. I highly recommend eating some if you can find them!

At the wonderful bar we mentioned in the general post, I ordered patacones, smashed fried plantains served with two types of meat, beans, and a pico de gallo. (Y’all, you can’t escape the beans.) Adam ordered the chicharrones, which was not fried pork skin. Instead, Ticos fry pork belly, usually in annatto, served with fried yuca, a salad, and tortilla chips. Everything was well-seasoned and the yuca was some of the fluffiest I had ever eaten. We went back a second time to the bar and I ordered the olla de carne, a beef soup similar to a Mexican caldo de res. Big hunks of beef on the bone are cooked in a deeply flavorful broth with vegetables like potato, yuca, carrot, sweet potato, chayote, and acorn squash. Our favorite bartender, Joseph, made sure I had lemon and hot sauce to add to the soup to give it that extra brightness. I didn’t know how much I needed this soup until I started eating it. It’ll cure whatever ails you. (I forgot to take a photo of this too.)

Overall, I enjoyed most of the food in Costa Rica, despite the occasional repetitiveness. If you’re planning on visiting, I can’t recommend visiting true Tico towns and grocery shopping at local vegetable and fruit stands.

Our next destination starts in a large metropolitan city, so who knows what culinary adventures await. Stay tuned!

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