Wednesday, June 4, 2008

I Thought it would be fun to show you...




Some of my finds during my grocery store "adventure" today. First of all I'd like to introduce you to "little blue freedom". This is my SIL's golf cart that just became available to me. Whooo hooo! I have been concerned about putting my little guys on this thing to go out into the CR world of "crazy" drivers, scary bridges and craterous potholes. I had enough yesterday and decided to venture to the grocery store. We all survived.

I thought you might find it interesting to go through my grocery bags:



This is the butter I get here. Each stick is 1/2 cup and costs 490 colones {$1.00} So for those of you who aren't math geniuses {i.e. don't have children in 6th grade or higher} I have to pay $2.00 for a cup of butter. The butter is sold like this. It looks like they just took it out of it's regular packaging and set it on the shelf.
Mantequilla means butter.



It's been a challenge for me here to get a good brown sugar. Look at the first picture. The brown sugar is really just white sugar tinted dark brown. It doesn't compact like our beautiful brown sugar from the states and it sure doesn't taste like it. I made a batch of cookies using this and they were horrible. Every once in awhile when a batch doesn't make it, you haven't lost everything because you can still devour the cookie dough. Well not this batch! I even had to unwrap 50 Hershey's Kisses and then chop them up to use as the chips. {See how creative you have to be here?!?!} What a loss this was.



So the good news, I found this! Beautiful brown compactable sugar. It's not the same as our Costco C&H pure cane sugar, but I'm in love. My cookies are beautiful and I'm a happy domestic goddess.




This is the juice we buy here. It's boxed like this and I am quite pleased with the packaging. It pours easily and the expiration date is forever and a day away. The juice {jugo} is so sweet here, that I can get away with pouring water in to dilute it. More money saved. Did I mention that most milk is sold in this container. This is the best for short term food storage.




Aren't these the cutest little things? It's zuccini but about the size of my finger {If I had slammed it in my car door, the car that I don't have here in CR and have to drive a golf cart and worry about my babies falling out and drowning in the huge pot holes that are filled with water because we just had a monsoon! Sorry.}. They also have baby carrots the same size. How do they coordinate that? Do they grow them side by side so they can pull them out at the same time?!?! Hummm.
These are my favorite thing. Paige is the only one who will attempt to eat them with me. Oh and Wes, if the other kids are watching.




Today I picked up Honey Nut Cherrios. So good. You get the sweetness, but don't have that mommy guilt that attaches to the boxes of Lucky Charms. This small box cost $4.25. Not too bad.



Did you know that most homes here do not have hot water? The water here is supposed to be good enough to drink. We've had it many times and haven't been sick. But beecause of the lack of hot water everyone buys this brand of dishsoap. It kills bacteria better than the regualar soap from the states. You can think of it as handsanitizer for your dishes. MaryAnn, should I send you some??? {She always has hand sanitizer with her!! Always!!!



These are my newly found snack. They are platanos fried. Platanos are like bananas except they are hard. They are fried and can be used as desserts or in main dishes. I don't like them any way but as a chip. Yum.





And for my newest addition to our big family, I have Henry our microwave. Isn't he beautiful? He is to me. Not having a dishwasher, I'm good. But how do you live without a Henry? When I use him I break out in "...you are so beautiful... to me."

So that is about it. I've had to improvise on many items that I'm used to buying in the states {and with a coupon!}. I need buttermilk for Dallin's {no wheat diet} bread. They don't have it here, so I found something in a baggy that was yellow and thick like sour cream. I water it down with milk and their you have it. It works. I love that part of living here, I truly do.

So next time you are out getting your groceries {with coupons} grab a bag of sugar snap peas {my favorite and I will never see them here} and think of me. Or don't! :)

3 comments:

Lara said...

I'm enjoying this vicarious Costan Rican cultural experience. (That was a mouthful.) Thank you, Shawna!

Christine said...

Hey I loved this post. I think we forget that life (and items in our stores) are not the same in other places. So fun!

Tica Macha said...

Where did you find the brown sugar? I'm still looking...
What amazes me are all the cans with pop-tops, no need for can opener! If you find self-rising flour, please let me know. Teri