In the few days I have left here in Costa Rica, I have been finalizing my school work, packing and resting. I have a 1,500 word paper that is due two days after I return to the States, and I would rather spend those two days catching up with my son and my friends, than have my school work to complete. Yesterday, I went into San Jose to meet up with my friend Michelle, for a quick lunch. It was nice to be able to spend some time with her before I have to leave. She is in the Hotel and Restaurant Management program here at the University, and is in her Culinary term. She took me to a chineese market to purchase pigs ears for a project that she had to provide food for. I have never tasted, nor have I had the desire to taste pigs ear, but in the spirit of all things culinary, I tried it. I still don't like it, but at least I can say I tried it. It was prepared by boiling it in a seasoned broth until tender, but the texture was rubbery.
This morning Oky and I sat down for breakfast together, and she ended up sharing some of her life history with me. Such a wonderful woman, with such a wonderful life history. Tonight she is cooking us dinner, and then I am off to finalize the packing and get ready to leave. I have had a wonderful time here in Costa Rica, but I am also so excited to return home to the United States tomorrow.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
July 19-21, 2011
This morning started early, as Demian picked me up at 6:30 am. We headed towards Caldora, where we had to top at Marco Julio Tensio's shop for Demian to get an Oyster tank fixed. We will then be taking the tank to Tamarindo Beach, for a new resturant that will be selling Oysters from Product C's Oyster Farm. We were at Marco's place for 2 1/2 hours, not becausee it took that long to fix the oyster tank, but because this is the Costa Rican way. Sit an talk awhile, work awhile, smoke a cigarette for awhile, work awhile. We finally left at 9:30 am for a 4 1/2 hour drive. I really enjoyed talking with Demian about everything from cooking to business to my children to his girlfriend.
Demian had told me since we were going to the beach, we would be staying at a place one step up from a shack. Not a problem, it's the beach right? We pulled into a resort, and Demian drove up to the security building. I asked him where we were, and he said that he had lied to me, that we were actually staying at a friend of his house. There really is no way to say it other than, it was by far the most beautiful place I have ever seen, much less stayed in. I had my own suite, which led out to an infinity pool.
Demian and I sat by the pool to relax for an hour, and then we headed for one of 5 beaches we visited while on our road trip. Costa Rica's beaches vary from beach to beach. Depending on the amount of volcanic ash in the sand, will tell what color the sand is. I saw almost black sand, and I saw almost blonde sand.
Demian had not been to this beach for 10 years, so it was neat to see the excitement and then shock at how much the area around the beach had changed. We stayed at that beach just a few minutes and then we headed to Playa Grande so that Demian could surf. He is really good. I had difficulty keeping track of him out in the water, due to the waves breaking so far away from shore. We stayed at the beach until the sun set, and I was able to photograph the sun setting at different settings. We left the beach and at the truck we both changed into clothes for dinner. It reminded me a lot of my camping days, when we would open the doors and change in between. We went to a local restaurant, on the beach and had a wonderful dinner of whole Pargo, deep fried. A young woman brought a bowl filled with essence of lime, hibiscus flowers and beach almond leaves in ice water, for us to wash our hands in. The lady then dried our hands for us with a towel she had brought along with her to our table. After our dinner, she returned to our table with a small wooden bowl with two minature discs, over which she poured boiling water from a tea pot. They were "magical" towels that once wet, the disks transformed into hand towels.
The next morning we left the Resort at 7 am for Playa Avellanas. The trip to the beach was rather short, but really bumpy. When we arrived at the beach, Demian introduced me to the owner of the beachside restaurant Lola's. We stayed there until 12:00 pm and then headed to Tamarindo Beach, to install the oyster tank that we had brought with us on the trip. When we arrived, Demian introduced me to Candace, the owner of the restaurant. He told me it would take an hour to an hour and a half to get the tank in, and if I wanted to, I could walk around town and explore. It was a neat beach town, but very touristy. Souvenirs everywhere, which I of course had to contribute my part to the local economy in order to bring something back for my family. Before we lefft the beach, Demian said that there was someone that wanted to say hello to me, so we headed over to a parking garage, that led to a high rise. As we got off the elevator, a door at the end of the hall opened, and out walked Norman, one of the owners of Product C. I was able to meet Norman's wife, and his two children, and of course the nanny. We had a wonderful time getting to know each other, and I had the opportunity to share my experience here in Costa Rica. That evening on the way back to the Resort, we stopped at a grocery store to pick up a few things to cook back at the house.
Lest you think that all I did was sit on the beach, play in the water, read my book and eat like a queen, I will tell you that this was also a working trip. Lessons were learned about the Oyster Farm that Product C owns, which provides Oysters to both Product C restaurants, wholesale and retail, and now a new resturant that will be opening soon in Tamarindo Beach; the salt mine that Product C gets all thier salt for both restaurants; and the Fishing Company that Product C gets all of it's fresh caught fish from.
Demian had told me since we were going to the beach, we would be staying at a place one step up from a shack. Not a problem, it's the beach right? We pulled into a resort, and Demian drove up to the security building. I asked him where we were, and he said that he had lied to me, that we were actually staying at a friend of his house. There really is no way to say it other than, it was by far the most beautiful place I have ever seen, much less stayed in. I had my own suite, which led out to an infinity pool.
Demian and I sat by the pool to relax for an hour, and then we headed for one of 5 beaches we visited while on our road trip. Costa Rica's beaches vary from beach to beach. Depending on the amount of volcanic ash in the sand, will tell what color the sand is. I saw almost black sand, and I saw almost blonde sand.
Demian had not been to this beach for 10 years, so it was neat to see the excitement and then shock at how much the area around the beach had changed. We stayed at that beach just a few minutes and then we headed to Playa Grande so that Demian could surf. He is really good. I had difficulty keeping track of him out in the water, due to the waves breaking so far away from shore. We stayed at the beach until the sun set, and I was able to photograph the sun setting at different settings. We left the beach and at the truck we both changed into clothes for dinner. It reminded me a lot of my camping days, when we would open the doors and change in between. We went to a local restaurant, on the beach and had a wonderful dinner of whole Pargo, deep fried. A young woman brought a bowl filled with essence of lime, hibiscus flowers and beach almond leaves in ice water, for us to wash our hands in. The lady then dried our hands for us with a towel she had brought along with her to our table. After our dinner, she returned to our table with a small wooden bowl with two minature discs, over which she poured boiling water from a tea pot. They were "magical" towels that once wet, the disks transformed into hand towels.
The next morning we left the Resort at 7 am for Playa Avellanas. The trip to the beach was rather short, but really bumpy. When we arrived at the beach, Demian introduced me to the owner of the beachside restaurant Lola's. We stayed there until 12:00 pm and then headed to Tamarindo Beach, to install the oyster tank that we had brought with us on the trip. When we arrived, Demian introduced me to Candace, the owner of the restaurant. He told me it would take an hour to an hour and a half to get the tank in, and if I wanted to, I could walk around town and explore. It was a neat beach town, but very touristy. Souvenirs everywhere, which I of course had to contribute my part to the local economy in order to bring something back for my family. Before we lefft the beach, Demian said that there was someone that wanted to say hello to me, so we headed over to a parking garage, that led to a high rise. As we got off the elevator, a door at the end of the hall opened, and out walked Norman, one of the owners of Product C. I was able to meet Norman's wife, and his two children, and of course the nanny. We had a wonderful time getting to know each other, and I had the opportunity to share my experience here in Costa Rica. That evening on the way back to the Resort, we stopped at a grocery store to pick up a few things to cook back at the house.
Lest you think that all I did was sit on the beach, play in the water, read my book and eat like a queen, I will tell you that this was also a working trip. Lessons were learned about the Oyster Farm that Product C owns, which provides Oysters to both Product C restaurants, wholesale and retail, and now a new resturant that will be opening soon in Tamarindo Beach; the salt mine that Product C gets all thier salt for both restaurants; and the Fishing Company that Product C gets all of it's fresh caught fish from.
July 22, 2011
I have not had access to the internet since July 19th, so I will use this time to update those 4 days. Get ready..... it's gonna be a long one.
On July 18th, I was able to go on a Tour of the Sarapiqui River. A tourist van picked me up just down the street from where I am staying. I was told by the driver, who spoke no English, that there would only be one other person going on the tour. After a 20 minute ride, we stopped at a Hotel and picked up two fellas, Ken and Stuart, who were going on the tour as well. Just before getting on the interstate, we picked up another couple, Richard and Natasha. The van ride took almost 2 hours, where we arrived at the boat company for our 1 hour boat ride. While on the river, we saw Howler Monkeys, a Crocodile, a Turtle, two Parots, and a Snake Bird. We arrived at the Private Reserve where we would take a Canopy Tour, and then have a Costa Rican lunch.
The Canopy Tour was not at all what I expected. I was not nervous, and I had a wonderful time. The only draw back is the huge shaky ladders that I had to climb to get to each platform. By the time I would ascend to the top of the ladder, I felt as though my arms would stop working. Guess I need to work on that upper body strength. There were 12 platforms total and it took about an hour for the whole tour. By the end, my stomach was growling, so it was nice to eat lunch. The lunch was roasted beef, pico de gallo, potatoes, black beans and rice and coffee. The bus ride back seemed a little longer, as we were traveling up the mountains, back to San Jose. The van driver was kind enough to drop me off in front of my house.
On July 18th, I was able to go on a Tour of the Sarapiqui River. A tourist van picked me up just down the street from where I am staying. I was told by the driver, who spoke no English, that there would only be one other person going on the tour. After a 20 minute ride, we stopped at a Hotel and picked up two fellas, Ken and Stuart, who were going on the tour as well. Just before getting on the interstate, we picked up another couple, Richard and Natasha. The van ride took almost 2 hours, where we arrived at the boat company for our 1 hour boat ride. While on the river, we saw Howler Monkeys, a Crocodile, a Turtle, two Parots, and a Snake Bird. We arrived at the Private Reserve where we would take a Canopy Tour, and then have a Costa Rican lunch.
The Canopy Tour was not at all what I expected. I was not nervous, and I had a wonderful time. The only draw back is the huge shaky ladders that I had to climb to get to each platform. By the time I would ascend to the top of the ladder, I felt as though my arms would stop working. Guess I need to work on that upper body strength. There were 12 platforms total and it took about an hour for the whole tour. By the end, my stomach was growling, so it was nice to eat lunch. The lunch was roasted beef, pico de gallo, potatoes, black beans and rice and coffee. The bus ride back seemed a little longer, as we were traveling up the mountains, back to San Jose. The van driver was kind enough to drop me off in front of my house.
Monday, July 18, 2011
July 18, 2011
The tour I took today was incredible! I will be uploading photos as soon as possible. Demian called me tonight and told me to pack for three days, and we will be leaving tomorrow morning at 6 am. I will be taking my computer, but I am not sure that I will have internet access, so be patient. I will update and upload photos as soon as I can.
Friday, July 15, 2011
July 15, 2011
This morning started off a little slow. I woke up and turned on the shower, only to notice there was no hot water. Apparently, Oky has some electrical issues, and at times the fuse for the hot water heater kicks off. This has happened several times before, and a cold shower was quite refreshing but for the past couple of days, the temperature has been cooler so I had to wait for 30 minutes for the water to heat up. This threw me late for my one hour walk to work, so I had to call a taxi. It is quite disconserting to me that even though I use the same taxi service, the amount of money I pay for a ride varies from driver to driver. There is a meter in the taxi that starts at 550 colones ($1.50) for the first mile and then it climbs by 10 colones. Depending on the taxi, the advancement of 10 colones might be any where from 5 seconds to 20 seconds, so a ride to work or from work may cost any where from $4.00 to $6.00.
When I arrived at work, I was asked to help the Cold Kitchen get set up for lunch, as there would be a student from the local University helping today in the Hot Kitchen. I made a quadruple batch of Pear Shallot Mignonette. Since shallots are horribly expensive in Costa Rica, the recipe calls for minced red onion instead of shallots. I haven't hand made an emulsion since my first term at school, but it turned out well. The secret to this sauce is a Pear Infused Vinegar. YUM.
As I was starting to make a Miso dressing, the manager, Manuel called a staff meeting. It was so kind of him to acknowledge that I wouldn't understand what was being discussed, but Fernando agreed to interprete for me. Manuel told all of us that Demian has resigned as the General Manager of Product C. Manuel has now been named as the new General Manager. It would appear that this change will free Demian up to do more as an owner.
The student that was supposed to work in the Hot Kitchen didn't show up for work, so I was asked to switch over. It was very busy today for lunch. The special today was Roasted Mini Potatoes with Salmon and Tomato Sauce and Pesto. As I watched these specials going out of the kitchen, I decided that this would be my dinner, however; I switched out the Salmon for Corvina (Sea Bass). What a wonderful, tasty meal.
After arriving home, I went in to my room to change clothes and get cleaned up, and a horrible smell smacked me in the face. I forgot to mention that it has been raining hard, like sheets of rain, all day long, and it appears that there was so much rain today at Oky's house that the sewage tank in the back yard, has backed up. So everything smells like, well..... sewage. Oky gave me two candles to burn in the room and the bathroom, but all I smell is sewage and girly candles. I pray that I am able to sleep with the smell.
When I arrived at work, I was asked to help the Cold Kitchen get set up for lunch, as there would be a student from the local University helping today in the Hot Kitchen. I made a quadruple batch of Pear Shallot Mignonette. Since shallots are horribly expensive in Costa Rica, the recipe calls for minced red onion instead of shallots. I haven't hand made an emulsion since my first term at school, but it turned out well. The secret to this sauce is a Pear Infused Vinegar. YUM.
As I was starting to make a Miso dressing, the manager, Manuel called a staff meeting. It was so kind of him to acknowledge that I wouldn't understand what was being discussed, but Fernando agreed to interprete for me. Manuel told all of us that Demian has resigned as the General Manager of Product C. Manuel has now been named as the new General Manager. It would appear that this change will free Demian up to do more as an owner.
The student that was supposed to work in the Hot Kitchen didn't show up for work, so I was asked to switch over. It was very busy today for lunch. The special today was Roasted Mini Potatoes with Salmon and Tomato Sauce and Pesto. As I watched these specials going out of the kitchen, I decided that this would be my dinner, however; I switched out the Salmon for Corvina (Sea Bass). What a wonderful, tasty meal.
After arriving home, I went in to my room to change clothes and get cleaned up, and a horrible smell smacked me in the face. I forgot to mention that it has been raining hard, like sheets of rain, all day long, and it appears that there was so much rain today at Oky's house that the sewage tank in the back yard, has backed up. So everything smells like, well..... sewage. Oky gave me two candles to burn in the room and the bathroom, but all I smell is sewage and girly candles. I pray that I am able to sleep with the smell.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
July 14, 2011
This morning at work I made a triple batch of Gratin. The entire process, from prep, to filling the gratin containers for storage took 3 hours. Such a tedious recipe, but today we had a Salmon Gratin special, and we sold 11 gratins during lunch. Today we were slammed at lunch, so there was not much time to look over recipes. After work, I came home to get a good night's sleep. Only two more days at work in the restaurant, and then my final week is going to be all about the company and what makes it run.
July 13, 2011
Hot kitchen again, and will be there for the rest of the week. Every morning during prep time, I have been given the opportunity to make a new recipe every day. Today I made a Pineapple, Mango and Tomato chutney. This will serve for the rest of the week, so we are talking a huge batch. I have made careful notes of the recipe, thus making it easy to cut it down to one recipe. Lunch was slow, so it made more time to learn more recipes. After work, I went home to relax. Oky asked me if I wanted to go to her friend's house for dinner. I accepted and we had the most wonderful time. Even though I couldn't understand a thing that was said during the two hours I was there, we had a wonderful dinner and I made sure to smile a lot when the women would look at me. Upon returning home, my Mom called and we were able to talk for a little while, just catching up.
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