Over the past few months, I have come to really appreciate the simplicity of Costa Rican cuisine. Here, meals typically include very few ingredients and low levels of spice. As mentioned a few times before, beans and rice are commonly used in Costa Rican cooking. Most dishes also include fresh fruits and vegetables and a small portion of meat. All of these factors made the transition to a new diet very painless. The combination of foods is different, but the meals are very easy on the stomach.
It is about 5:00 a.m. on a Friday morning, and my friends and I decide to hop on a bus to the Pacific coast of the country. Our destination for the weekend is Manuel Antonio, which is a very popular tourist spot. After stuffing my luggage in the overhead bin and settling into my comfy seat, I am all ready to hit the road.
After about four hours, the bus pulls into a small station filled with people carrying large suitcases. We have arrived at our destination. My friends and I grab our luggage and shuffle through the sea of people towards a soda on the far side of the station. A soda is a type of lunch counter that typically serves traditional Costa Rican meals. A friendly woman working at this soda sees us approaching and quickly leads us to a place to sit.
