This is a lunch shack in a little Costa Rican village. They cook over a wood fired stove behind the thatched roof seating area. The village does not have any tourist amenities except for this lunch place. Some wildlife boat tours in the area stop here to give tourists a taste of typical Costa Rican food.Most of the restaurants in Tamarindo feature international cuisine, so this lunch shack offers the contrast of a local food experience. The mainstay of traditional Costa Rican food is called casado. Casado means marriage. It is a rice and beans dish, and its name signifies that rice and beans go together like a husband and wife. Added to the rice and beans can be a variety of other ingredients, such as chicken.
It was at this lunch shack that my wife and I were asked if we wanted to sample iguana as an addition to the rice and beans. As I mentioned in my post last week about an iguana, it tasted like chicken. I will show some additional photos of this lunch experience in the next few days.
And what would the typical meal consist of for the tourist who stopped to test it out?
ReplyDeleteAbe,
ReplyDeleteThe meal for tourists would be rice and beans, and then a variety of other ingredients such as chicken and beef that tourists can add, depending upon their own tastes. They served a variety of choices family style so that we could choose what we would like.
I have eaten at this place twice. It was only the first time that our guide fromt he wildlife trip told us that if we wanted to sample iguana, they would cook some for us. The second time I was there we were not offerred that option.
I will post a photo in a few days of a typical Costa Rican lunch served at a restaurant on one of the tourist excursions.
Isn't there a saying that goes "Everything tastes like chicken"? ;)
ReplyDeleteLove the shack — must be nice and cool under that shade. I've always like traditional grass or palm leaf roofs — so much cooler and refreshing than other materials. They're just so much harder to maintain!
Looks like a lovely place for lunch! Is Costa Rican food similar to Mexican food?
ReplyDeleteThanks for becoming a follower of my blog!
I have had the 'casado' almost everyday (I love beans) but haven't tried iguana. I believe it tastes like chicken, as crocodile also does.
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat little shack. Looks pretty small. It looks like something you would find in a movie set.
ReplyDeletehave to admit, not the first place i would look for a good lunch but the iguana is making it worthwile :)
ReplyDelete