Monday, February 28, 2011

Chayote: The all-purpose MesoAmerican treat

Chayote are peeled easily and the large seed inside comes out easily.

A.M. Costa Rica file photo

Chayote: The all-purpose
MesoAmerican treat

By Saray Ramírez Vindas
From the A.M. Costa Rica archives

The chayote looks like a big, wrinkled green or white pear. But it really is a gourd and a type of squash.

You can eat it creamed, buttered, fried, stuffed, baked, frittered, boiled, mashed and pickled, food experts note. And in Costa Rica it is the all-purpose veggie.

The chayote (Sechium edule) has a long history associated with the pre-Columbian peoples of Central America, and you can’t be here for long without finding one on your plate.

The vegetable can weight up to a pound, and there is a big seed inside that is not eaten. Once the skin and seed are removed, the white flesh remains and is the part that is eaten. The vegetable is so much a part of Costa Rica that to visit or live here without trying it is like never trying gallo pinto or Cerveza Imperial.

Perhaps the best way to eat chayote is chopped up in a mixture of other foods, a picadillo with sausage, chicken, carrots, corn, potatoes, onions and other MesoAmerican staples.

The final dish, eaten with small tortillas, not only is tasty but also colorful. Plus the dish always is a success because proportions of various ingredients are highly variable. Use what you have!

The recipe for picadillos is not exact. Mostly anything goes.

You need:

5-6 chayotes
2-3 carrots
1 full sausage
two ears corn kernels (or small can)
2-3 medium potatoes
2 heads of garlic
5-6 sprigs of basil

Chop up in small pieces the chorizo or sausage and brown in a fry pan along with chopped garlic.

Peel and cut up chayote, carrots and potatoes into small pieces and boil until tender. Drain and set aside.

Do the same with corn: Boil the kernels gently.

Chop up basil, too, and add to the nearly browned sausage.

Put all ingredients into one big pot, put on heat and stir.

Arrange attractively with garnishes of carrots or other handy vegetables. Don’t forget the basil.

Serve with warmed small tortillas or rice a su gusto.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Slide Show

El Castillo, Costa Rica Slideshow: Gringo’s trip from San Jose, Province of San Jose, Costa Rica to El Castillo was created by TripAdvisor. See another El Castillo slideshow. Create your own stunning free slideshow from your travel photos.

Driving Costa Rica the HAZARDS

Video of the Real Driving Conditions in Costa Rica.

Quadruple Backflip off 235ft cliff

Arenal Volcano Zip Line, Costa Rica - Half MileZip Line

Sweet puzzle for botanists


familar flower

Others can Snicker, but some will want to guess the name of this flower.

It grows on a tree. It is a Central American native and one of the first domesticated tree crops.

Scientists have just  sequenced its genome. The tree is vital for Kisses. But liquor is quicker.




By the Pennsylvania State University news staff
The production of high quality chocolate, and the farmers who grow it, will benefit from the recent sequencing and assembly of the chocolate tree genome, according to an international team from 20 institutions.

The team sequenced the DNA of a variety of Theobroma cacao considered to produce the world's finest chocolate. The Maya domesticated this variety of Theobroma cacao, criollo, about 3,000 years ago in Central America, and it is one of the oldest domesticated tree crops. Today, many growers prefer to grow hybrid cacao trees that produce chocolate of lower quality but are more resistant to disease.

"Fine cocoa production is estimated to be less than 5 percent of the world cocoa production because of low productivity and disease susceptibility," said Mark Guiltinan, professor of plant molecular biology at Pennsylvania State University.

The researchers report in the current issue of Nature Genetics "consumers have shown an increased interest for high-quality chocolate made with cocoa of good quality and for dark chocolate, containing a higher percentage of cocoa, while also taking into account environmental and ethical criteria for cocoa production."

Currently, most cacao farmers earn about $2 per day, but producers of fine cacao earn more. Increasing the productivity and ease of growing cacao can help to develop a sustainable cacao economy. The trees are now also seen as an environmentally beneficial crop because they grow best under forest shade, allowing for land rehabilitation and enriched biodiversity.

The team's work identified a variety of gene families that may have future impact on improving cacao trees and fruit either by enhancing their attributes or providing protection from fungal diseases and insects that affect cacao trees.

"Our analysis of the criollo genome has uncovered the genetic basis of pathways leading to the most important quality traits of chocolate — oil, flavonoid and terpene biosynthesis," said Siela Maximova, associate professor of horticulture, Penn State, and a member of the research team. "It has also led to the discovery of hundreds of genes potentially involved in pathogen resistance, all of which can be used to accelerate the development of elite varieties of cacao in the future."

Because the criollo trees are self-pollinating, they possess two identical forms of each gene, making this particular variety a good choice for accurate genome assembly.

The researchers assembled 84 percent of the genome identifying 28,798 genes that code for proteins. They assigned 88 percent or 23,529 of these protein-coding genes to one of the 10 chromosomes in the criollo cacao tree.

"Interestingly, only 20 percent of the genome was made up of transposable elements, one of the natural pathways through which genetic sequences change," said Guiltinan "They do this by moving around the chromosomes, changing the order of the genetic material. Smaller amounts of transposons than found in other plant species
cocoa pods on trees
Pennsylvania State University/Mark Guiltinan
Maturing cocoa pods on a tree
could lead to slower evolution of the chocolate plant, which was shown to have a relatively simple evolutionary history in terms of genome structure."

Guiltinan and his colleagues are interested in specific gene families that could link to specific cocoa qualities or disease resistance. They said they hope that mapping these gene families will lead to a source of genes directly involved in variations in the plant that are useful for acceleration of plant breeding programs.

The researchers identified two types of disease resistance genes in the criollo genome. They compared these to previously identified regions on the chromosomes that correlate with disease resistance. The team suggests that a functional genomics approach, one that looks at what the genes do, is needed to confirm potential disease resistant genes in the criollo genome.

Hidden in the genome the researchers also found genes that code for the production of cocoa butter, a substance highly prized in chocolate making, confectionary, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Most cocoa beans are already about 50 percent fat, but these 84 genes control not only the amounts but also quality of the cocoa butter.

Other genes were found that influence the production of flavonoids, natural antioxidants and terpenoids, hormones, pigments and aromas. Altering the genes for these chemicals might produce chocolate with better flavors, aromas and even healthier chocolate.

Costa Rica And Brazil Sign Tourism Co-operation Agreement

Costa Rican and Brazil have signed an agreement to boost tourism. The agreement allows Brazilian and Costa Rican airlines* to fly to and from Costa Rica, including making stops in other countries to pick and drop off tourists.

According to Costa Rica's Tourism minister, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, this is a big boost to Costa Rica's tourism industry, Brazil being one of the markets with growth even during the global economic crisis.

The initiative is called "cielos abiertos" (open skies). And although aviation and immigration laws in each country stand as is, flying to and from Costa Rica and Brazil is being made easier by the agreement.

Also, Brazil is host to the 2014 Olympic games and this could be a boost to Costa Rica's tourism industry.

The Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT) - Costa Rica's tourism board - said that though the agreement must be ratified by the congresses of both countries the benefits of the pact will apply immediately.


*Though many believe TACA is a Costa Rican airline, it is not.  TACA is El Salvador's flag carrier.

TACA is the trade name "brand" comprising a group of five independently IATA - coded and - owned Central American airlines, whose operations are combined to function as one and a number of other independently owned and IATA-coded regional airlines which code-share and feed the TACA brand system.

TACA, originally an acronym of Transportes Aéreos Centroamericanos (Central American Air Transport), now stands forTransportes Aéreos del Continente Americano (Air Transport of the American Continent), reflecting its expansion to North, Central, South America and the Caribbean.

It flies to 44 destinations in 22 different countries. In 2009 TACA received three Skytrax World Airline Awards crowning the airline as "Best Airline in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean", "Best Crew in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean", "Best Regional Airline in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean".

The five airlines are:

- TACA International (TA) (El Salvador)

- Aviateca (GU) (Guatemala)
   - Regional (GU) - Formerly Inter, it operates under Aviateca's code.

- LACSA (LR) (Costa Rica)  Lacsa is the only airline of the group that still operates international flights with its own flight numbers. Its hub is at Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José, Costa Rica.
   -  Regional (RZ) SANSA

- Islena Airlines (WC) (Honduras)

- Nicaragüense de Aviación (6Y) (Nicaragua)
   - Regional - La Costeña

- TACA Perú (T0) (Peru) is now an important part of Grupo TACA.



http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

NYC museum is giving antiquities to Costa Rica

NEW YORK – The Brooklyn Museum is preparing to give about 5,000 pre-Columbian artifacts in its collection to Costa Rica as part of a housekeeping move to trim its vast holdings.
The museum will initially give the National Museum of Costa Rica 983 ceramic vessels and figurines that were legally acquired by American railroad magnate and banana exporter Minor C. Keith in the late 1800s. It eventually will transfer the other 4,000 objects from the Keith collection, curator Nancy Rosoff said Thursday.
The New York museum will retain about 10 percent of the collection, including some of the more valuable objects, such as gold and jade figurines and pendants, Rosoff said.
The Central American nation has never claimed ownership to the works.
Costa Rica's Culture Minister, Manuel Obregon, said that its state regulatory agency, the National Insurance Institute, will pay for the packing and transportation costs of the first shipment, estimated at $59,000. Rosoff said that shipment may go out as early as next month.
"They will not initially exhibit them," Rosoff said of the Costa Rican museum. "They will go into storage so they can determine what they want to do with the collection."
The Brooklyn Museum had approached the Costa Rican museum about the collection several years ago, but did not get a response, possibly because "they may have had other financial considerations," said Rosoff. It then queried several American museums, none of which expressed interest. Last year, the museum again reached out to the National Museum of Costa Rica, and this time the offer was accepted.
Keith was a native of Brooklyn who traveled to Costa Rica in 1871 to help build a railroad from Costa Rica's capital of San Jose to the Atlantic coast. While there, he became a big grower and exporter of bananas, establishing the United Fruit Company.
The Brooklyn Museum has never exhibited the Keith works, which Rosoff said are more appropriate for a museum that focuses on archaeology and anthropology.
The museum, one of the largest art institutions in the country, is in the process of surveying its entire collection of some 1 million objects spanning from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary art. Many go back to its founding in 1897 when it acquired a huge inventory of material that may no longer fit its mission as an art museum, said Rosoff.
In 2009, it transferred more than 23,000 of its late 19th to mid-20th century costumes to the Costume Institute of Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Costa Rica Has Become Unaffordable For Many Expats


By John R. Holtz

Again the dollar has hit sub-bottom measured against a very limited global currency, the Costa Rica colon, resulting in business losses, government losses and excessive costs of living on all but the basics.

An interesting comparison in perspective is Guatemala which similar to Costa Rica, very much depends on a dual currency system between the Quetzal and USD.

Contrary to Costa Rica, Guatemalan economic headlines call for the critical need to readjust the exchange rate since the Quetzal appreciated 2.1% against the USD resulting in a slowdown in exports and increased inflation.

Those are two things that the government is not willing to tolerate.

Meanwhile, here in paradise, with the same scenario and with a far more extensive depreciation of the USD causing far greater economic harm, we seem to drift along on the high seas without a defined direction and daily become less and less competitive while more and more expensive.

The ARESEP, the official Costa Rican price fixer, has approved the second raise of the year in gas prices because oil is touching on us$87 a barrel (not colones per barrel) and the dollar, the only accepted currency to OPEC, has been devalued here resulting in a need to increase wholesale and pump prices. What we have is a two headed snake.

In turn, this inflates transport prices which obviously impact the costs of goods and services in Costa Rica, right down to you and me.

Imagine; even while having this amazing windfall profit of an artificially strong national currency, importers are claiming the need to raise prices because of increased costs of transportation.

Why is inflation in Costa Rica within limits and a reported a mere 5.8% in 2010?

Because the government counts what it wants to count and almost never considers water, electricity, imported finished foodstuff, gasoline, prescription drugs, etc.

The Central Bank model is designed to support the forecast and does not quite reflect reality. In truth, during the last four months our Consumer Price Index (CPI), when annualized, comes to about 7.65% inflation and growing towards a 2011 finality of 8% to 10% if change is not imminent.

We all know the downside but the real question is what can we do about it?

Certainly the foremost and definitive option is move out and take your money with you. All of it! Don’t leave a dime behind.

Then there is stay, but stash your money outside CR, especially when people are talking taxes which I see coming in one form or another.

Of course, another good option to consider is to downsize and spend less!

But then again, most expats came here to downsize and spend less but are having to spend more to live comfortably.

Also there is the possibility to start some sort of non-profit organization that hosts tours to Panama in order to purchase medicines, household goods, even food products at 40% to 70% cheaper prices than Costa Rica.

And why not? I like that option!

“Yeah”, it is haul to Panama, but I have found from people I know that it seems worth the trip. Maybe we can get surrogate “buyers” on our behalf and cheat the cheaters?

Or, for some, heading south of the boarder it is a one way trip.

Panama is not all that crime free as most expect. It is a corrupt country but it has its values as well.

What Panama is not is the woeful never ending bureaucracy that Costa Rica fosters. That does not make it bureaucracy free, just less woeful.

Fixed income people on USDs are saying, over and over again, that Panama is a better deal all around.

Costa Rica has become unaffordable to the average expatriate.

People, including many Costa Ricans, moving from here to Panama are doing so mainly for two reasons.

First, after adding up the tab, the cost of living in Panama is considerably less expensive than Costa Rica, especially if their senior discounts are factored in, which CR also has, but not nearly to the same extent.

Duty free import of cars every two years, furniture/appliances also come in duty free, and a 20 year exemption on real estate taxeseach contribute to a significant economic difference. This is how Costa Rica was, but is not today. Then we got rich and dumped the welcome mat.

Secondly, and perhaps even more important, expatriates indicate that they feel more “welcomed” in Panama where in Costa Rica they feel only tolerated as well as alienated from the government.

There is nothing worse than the feeling of alienation!

But do not jump from country “A” to country “B” based on Internet info! Costa Rica still has a lot to offer. While I do not agree that we are “the happiest country” on earth, somehow, when it is the bleakest of times, Costa Rica becomes one of the luckiest countries on the planet.

We have certainly a robust technology sector, excellent theatre, lots of well paying jobs, a solid cultural community, excellenteducation and scientific research that is first world. All of this has a social value worth paying for.

But then again, how much is it worth?


*John Holtz can be reached at jrh@modernmanagement.org

4th Annual Costa Rica Blues Festival


When: Saturday March 12, 2011, 10am-11pm
Where: La Campiña Country Club, San Rafael de Montes de Oca, www.lacampiñacountryclub.com
Who: YOU, your friends, and these bands:
Sonny Boy Terry & Jonn del Toro, Donnie Walsh, Steve Arvey, Los Santìsimos Snorkels, The Blind Pig Blues Band, Robbie Clark, Blues Devils, 3 for Blues, The Known Associates
Price: Advanced sales 16.000 colones, Door: 18.000 colones
Tickets will be available on February 22nd, 2011
Where to purchase tickets: Tickets can be purchased online at www.crbluesfest.com or at any of these sales points: Santa Ana (Motorpsychos Bar & Grill and The Old West Steaks), San Jose (Instrumentos Bansbach, Chicharronera Rancho Alegre, Chubb´s Sports Bar, Dunn Inn Hotel), Escazu (Instrumentos Bansbach Multiplaza, Time Out Bar & Grill , Chi-Chis Bar & Restaurant), San Pedro (Bar Rocolas Plaza Real).

Costa Rica’s Only Blues Festival to Bring 5 International Acts, Original Blues Brother Included

The 4th Annual Costa Rica Blues Festival will be the largest to date with 5 international acts and four Costa Rican blues bands on the schedule. Due to the continued growth in attendance at the festival, the event will be held at a new location this year, La Campiña Country Club, San Rafael de Montes de Oca from 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. on Saturday, March 12. Bus service is available to and from the festival to accommodate attendees living in the western parts of the San Jose metro area.
The festival, a unique event in Central America, and significant to the diversity of music in Costa Rica, brings the tradition of blues festivals found in the U.S.A. and Europe to Costa Rica for the fourth consecutive year. Families and friends of all ages can come and enjoy the outdoor summertime concerts with traditional Texas BBQ and drinks.
This year’s festival features headliners Sonny Boy Terry & Jonn del Toro from Houston, Texas. Terry is one of the most respected harmonica players in the U.S.A. and del Toro is the winner of the first place of the Blues Challenge at the Blues Awards of 2005 and he is also the winner of the Albert King Award for most promising Blues Guitar Player in the same competition.
Also included in the lineup is ‘father of Canadian blues’ guitarist and vocalist Donnie Walsh, one of two brothers that Dan Akroyd modeled the famous movie Blues Brothers after. The remaining lineup includes Seteve Arvey (Chicago), The King of the North, SAB and The Electric Storm (Canada), Robbie Clark & the Live Wire Blues Band (Austin, Texas), Los Santìsimos Snorkels (Mexico), and 3 For Blues, The Blind Pigs Blues Band, The Known Associates and Blues Devils (Costa Rica).
Highly respected international figures and true blues legends such as Guitar Shorty, Texas Johnny Brown and Smoking Joe Kubek & Bnois King have played at past festivals.
Regular daily bus service from downtown San Jose drops fans directly at La Campiña County Club upon request (must tell driver or will be dropped off ½ mile from venue). The San Rafael de Montes de Oca bus stop is located 50 meters south of Hotel del Rey. Buses will also return from the festival to downtown San Jose downtown after the event.
There will be food and beverage service during the entire event, outside food and beverage are not allowed.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Guest House - Rock Costa Rica

Guest House - Rock Costa Rica: "




3D model by Jax
Stay on the magnificent Arenal lakefront Enjoy the scenery and activities of the Arenal area at your own pace when you stay at the Rock Costa Rica guest house. The two-bedroom, one-bathroom home...
"

Friday, February 4, 2011

Welcome Center El Castillo

Welcome Center El Castillo: "





3D model by Rock Costa Rica .com
Mr. Alonso Esquivel is owner and operator of this fine establishment. A Tourist Information Center and Booking Service.
"

Google looking at Costa Rica

Google, the most popular Web search engine, is eyeing Costa Rica as a possible location for what would be the company's seventh Latin American site.
Earlier this month, Daniel Gertsacov, the head of new markets for Google in Latin America, visited Costa Rica to meet with government officials, advertising agencies and representatives of the tourism sector to discuss and appraise the country's capacity for online advertising. Gertsacov said Google is analyzing the possibility of opening a new office in Latin America, and that Costa Rica, Panama and Puerto Rico are considered as potential sites for the Internet search giant.
“We are looking to approach new markets to reveal some important tools that we have indentified that businesses are still unaware of,” Gertsacov wrote in a statement to The Tico Times. “More than 90 percent of Google's income comes from online advertising that is conducted in the search engine. We want to promote this in the region and assist companies to know the benefits of online publicity and see the Internet as an ally to conduct business.”
Gertsacov said the creation of a Google office in the region would allow a representative of the company to act as a Google “ambassador” to ensure that the company was communicating and working with companies that could benefit from the services offered. Currently, Google has Latin American locations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and will soon open offices in Peru. According to Gertsacov, Google is drawn to Costa Rica due to its stable economy and the presence of several multinational companies here.
The new destination for Google is expected to be announced in the next few weeks.