I don't know where the last two months have gone.  The hours and minutes flutter away from me into the ether.  I'm not writing --- as is obvious from this very neglected blog --- and I'm not doing a ton of consulting work, either.  Yet, I seem to be busy every single moment of every single day, from the minute I wake up until the minute I crash into my bed, completely exhausted from doing stuff and dealing with things.

Stuff and things.  If you pin me down, I can point to specific things: finding a house in the finicky real estate market of Atlanta, calling mortgage companies and convincing them that our three year sabbatical does not pose a credit risk, closing on the house (yay!), and searching for a reliable contractor to remodel the kitchen and bathroom before we can move in.  And, stuff --- oh stuff --- I seem to have no shortage of stuff lately: new light fixtures, a washer and dryer, paint, boxes upon boxes of accumulated stuff from our past lives, and a giant list of "to buy/register for baby items" because apparently an eight pound newborn needs as much stuff as a full-grown adult traveling the world.  (Did you know this, by the way?  People complain all the time about how much stuff babies need but, seriously, I packed for three years with less stuff than this baby's going to need in her first six months of life.) 

I think part of the shock factor comes from the complete and total disconnect we had from everyday lives for the last three years.  Bloggers always talk about reverse culture shock and how when they return from a long trip, they're frustrated by the lack of freedom they have or annoyed by conversations that center around television shows or pop culture references that they don't understand.

Those aspects of reverse culture shock are there for us --- occasionally, we sit at a restaurant and say to each other, "Do you realize that we can understand every conversation in this place?" --- but, in many ways, we don't really feel like we're back in the United States.  We're still traveling, though right now our packed bags basically take us from my parents' house to Patrick's mom's house, as we try and get our new life in order.  No, what I find disturbing and disconcerting about this new chapter of my life is how much stuff and things we seem to need . . . or want . . . or buy.

. . . keep reading on stuff and things after the jump

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Papaya and honey pollen salad at Cambalache

When we plan a trip to India, we know what we will eat: rich curries, flaky naan, and juicy mangos.  When we go to Thailand, we salivate over the street food noodle stands and eye-watering coconut-based curries.  In Argentina, we can be assured of eating steak (unless you're vegetarian like me), and in France, we would not dare to leave the country without dipping into brie and french baguettes.  Steeped in centuries-old traditions of gastronomy --- from the Mughals, the Sukhothai emperors, the Incans, and the French monarchs --- these countries are well-known as food empires and gastronomy is an integral part of travel in those countries.

Gallo pinto, the typical Costa Rican breakfast

But, what about the others?  What about the forgotten realms, the countries that served as bypasses between greater historical empires?  Costa Rica was one of these places, a throughway between the Incan and Mayan empires in Peru and Mexico, and few indigenous populations made their home in its forests and beaches.  Later, the Spanish neglected Costa Rica because it lacked the gold and silver resources of its neighbors.  In 1719, a Spanish governor described it as the "poorest and most miserable Spanish colony in all of America." 

Randong

It was not until the early 19th century that Costa Rica began to see success and prosperity as it found that its soil was ideal for coffee production.  And, now that Costa Rica is the most stable and wealthy nation in Central America, it is developing its own food empire.  I was invited along with two other journalists to discover the establishment of this "pais marco" (or brand of a country) on its first Gastronomy and Culture press trip. 

Making cajeta

Coconut flan

We stopped at a restaurant on the way from Pachira Lodge back to San Jose and they served me something completely unique and delicious: a coconut flan with a crunchy coconutty topping.  Though it wasn't quite creamy as I would have wished and was overcooked, I loved the idea of adding coconut into the mixture and the thick caramel coconut edges.

Food at a taqueria: enjucado, tacos, tortas, nachos, and platanos con queso

In San Jose, the locals eat at taquerias, small establishments that serve tico tacos or Costa Rican-style tacos.  The tico tacos are different than those in Mexico: a corn tortilla with meat is rolled with shredded cabbage and mayonnaise and ketchup on top.  The torta is more like a Mexican style taco, with a flour tortilla topped with meats, cabbage, and sauces.  Nacho chips are served with mayonnaise and ketchup and fried plaintains are baked with cheese.  As we discovered, the San Jose taquerias combine Mexican and Caribbean flavors with unique cooking methods and some American influences (such as the ketchup and mayonnaise.) 

. . . keep reading costa rican cuisine: creating a pais marco after the jump