Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
“M” You are indeed a hoot! LOL, But a wealth of information too. I was wondering why the Tico margarine was so yellow, till I saw the butter. It surprizes me why they love margarine all that much. I guess they were told it was good for you too.
For sure they have to be doing something to the seed stock. Vegetables look perfect, they just taste like under-ripened garbage. Like I was saying about the tomatoes, they are all flesh, no liquid in the seed parts, and the flesh is dry and mealy.
Nutrirional value has to be way down on everything we eat now also. Artificially ripened fruits and veggies, can’t be as healthy as those ripened on the tree or vine.
Just keep drying those seeds. Who knows, maybe one day you can go into the seed business?
Maravilla, I did not know commercial milk was made whiter with chemicals. That separated milk we had in CR did have a more beige tone especially the cream on top. We did not get sick from it, so I’m sure it was fine.
Vegetables are another thing in the US, getting marketed for looks. Try buying a tomato that tastes like a tomato used to. They are all pasty and tasteless now. Even the locally grown ones do not have the same taste as before. I’ll bet they have even genetically modified the seeds these farmers use.Beef, chicken, vegetables and grains. If they all get screwed up, there’ll be nothing left to eat.. Remember “Soylent Green?”
I couldn’t agree more. We are becoming so obsessive about germs, and sanitizing our hands with alcohol gels, that we are essentially not giving our immune systems a workout. Also we are creating resistant germs in the process. Some methods of disinfection are necessary, but we have to be very careful not to upset the balance. This is why when you take antibiotics you should take acidophilus, I think that’s how it’s spelled, to renew your gut flora. Now doctors are actually getting on board and recommending it.
Not sure about the yogurt, but I remember a commercial that showed 100 year old plus women, in eastern Europe I believe, eating it and attributiing longer life to its consumption.
You’d think they would have skimmed the cream, as it is more valuable, and gotten us used to having skim milk. There must be another answer. Whatever it is, I’ll bet it involves money.
Is it just me, or is $800 per meter a little high on the buyout? I’m not a big fan of expropriation. We’ve seen what “Eminent Domain” laws have done here in recent years. If Costa Rica could increase the size of buildable lots to possibly 100 acres or more that might accomplish similar results with less cost to the country. Either way, at least they are taking steps toward preservation.
Thanks, I guess I’m in the majority for once! Not that I really wanted to be. I use lactaid which works well for the intolerance. Makes you wonder if it is just our bodies telling us not to have milk products when we get older, or if it just another one of those genetic defects that have crept into our makeup.
Why was milk ever homogenized in the first place? What was the purpose for it? I’ve had milk in my coffee at a restaurant in CR, and because it was cream on top of the decanter and what appeared like skim milk on the bottom, I thought something was a little wrong at first. I have been drinking homogenized my whole life, and got used to it being “normal.” Except for a brief period in the 50’s and early 60’s when milk was delivered to the home every day and the cream was sometimes on top, I’ve been drinking it homogenized. Is this what causes us lactose intolerance as we get older?
A fact here, a fact there. Pretty soon you’ll have a compelling argument. Their minds are made up, don’t confuse them with the facts. Lest you wish to be labeled insensitive, and thereby become anathema.
Edited on Oct 12, 2007 04:09
Excellent points, Rebeca. Heroes almost always do fall because of the scrutiny they are put under. Like you, I try to find the good aspects of a person. None of us on this earth can ever achieve perfection. I agree, we are all connected, and being touched by humble people will let you know how true that is.
One additional note I wanted to put in a separate post, Over the past year or so of participating in this forum, I have noticed that the original topics get blurred sometimes, and the thread take on a life of its own. This, I find is great. We all put a lot more emotion and feeling into our discussions here, unlike any other blogs or forums I have seen. My hat is off to all the posters I have had the pleasure of conversing with.
Scott, Thanks for letting us use your house to chat.
Yes, Scott, I did read it, and just looked at it again. This part of “American” history was not regularly taught in schools, although today it may be. I first found out about it while trying to educate myself about Costa Rica’s history and traditions. Walker it seems, was looking for a new source of slaves for the US to exploit. It took but a child for him him to realize the resolve of the Costa Rican people and make him turn back. I don’t know if the history books of Costa Rica accurately portray Juan Santamaria or not. Still, he is a figure that has become their singular, untainted, icon of freedom.
Don Pepe is another modern day hero for many in Costa Rica. He gave them what was the beginning of their young democracy, and I have talked to one Tico who had spoke of him with much pride. Like I said before, I think it is necessary for a country to have heroes. Individuals who have put their lives on the line for the greater good of their countrymen, act as inspiration. Their memory should be cherished throughout their nation, in the hope that others will follow their example.
As far as the names, and titles we ascribe to those who plunder in the name of greed or country, political correctness, embarrassment, truth and lies, will always follow them. There will always be supporters and detractors of anyone who has risen above the level of the common citizen. Remember the saying, and I’ll paraphrase “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” We all have a perspective from which we judge these people who seem larger than life. As we discover the truth about them, my hope is, we may find more good than bad.
In Rebeca’s very personal description of Che, we see another side of him, different from what many outsiders would like to believe. To many in Europe, he is still venerated. For myself, I admired his reason and principles. His actions however, were inconsistent with what I think were his beliefs. In the final analysis, he may have been just a cruel individual with an enormous ego. We all have differing opinions, and philosophies about our heroes and villains, and the times in which they lived.
Maravilla, The small shops will go the way of the dinosaur, if we continue to let them. Most of the products sold on store shelves now are “Productos de China.” Small stores cannot import directly from the manufacturer, therefore they are forced to buy from distributors who import. They cannot sell at the same low prices as the big box stores. Manufacturers that sell direct to small stores, goods made in the US, are diminishing. As we lose the ability to manufacture quality goods here, we are forced to buy low quality crap.
A couple of weeks ago I need to buy shoes. Every shoe store, which is now only at the mall, had Chinese made shoes. Even brands like the British Clark company has Chinese made shoes. I went to one of the smaller franchise stores to find some good quality ones. I found Spanish made shoes of excellent quality and bought them. I paid at least twice what I would pay for China made, considering the low dollar as well, but wound up with the most comfortable pairs I have had. The side benefit, was the pain in the knee I had for a while disappeared after a couple of days wearing them.
My own personal protest to avoid buying China made anything has given me a little less money in my pocket, but a dividend in pain reduction. Quality has to be paid for. Small specialty stores might remain the last hope of keeping alive small business in this country.
We all miss the stores of our youth. I remember knowing every store owner by first name in my neighborhood. It is a shame to see it go. When in downtown Alajuela, I get the same feeling as I did as a kid. Everyone is courteous and the people all know each other. It will be sad if it ever completely gets replaced by malls.
Scott, I just got off the phone with my brother not ten minutes ago. He always calls me the “gloomer and doomer” as well, and did so again in our conversation. He doesn’t look at the economy here as going into recession, and thinks the stock market is still a good place to be in. He fully understands the world’s position, but feels we always come out of the bad times. The question I have is, how many times can we rebound? My father always had a saying, that one day “The bubble is going to burst.” Maybe sooner or later, his words will come true. You are not as gloomy as you may have been painted to look. You are most likely a realist, who sees things as they are, and one who hopes, like myself, for a better future.
You know we were talking about heroes on this thread, and how they can sometimes not be what we hoped they were. There was a comment about even the need for national heroes anymore. I think of the young Alajuela drummer boy, Juan Santamaria, and his heroic feat against William Walker and the filibusters. The celebration every April the Alajuelense have in his memory, galvanizes the country into one proud group. They gather to remember the proud spirit of one boy who represents that same proud spirit of an entire country…Freedom!
The fact that Juan Santamaria was killed at such an early age, some say as young as 12, others 17, will most likely preserve his innocence and purity as a national hero. Not too much was known of his life and he did not have a wife or children to carry on his historical lineage. Somewhere I read in one of his supposed family origins, an ancestor that happens to have my last name. There is a part of me, deep inside, that wishes we shared at least one drop of familial blood.
Every country has its national heroes. They are a symbol of national Identity and pride. Though sometimes flawed, they are a beacon to its people, an Icon that humbles, and a hope for them to do better. In spite of the fact we ourselves may never achieve that greatness, it is still an image we strive to attain.
Do we really need heroes? Yeah, I think we still do.
Scott, I know about the revelations in the past ten years or so of Columbus’ atrocities. I’m not sure if some of it may be revisionist or not. I was thinking back to my youth, when Columbus was that hero that was acknowledged in parade and holiday. There are many conflicting stories, and it always seems our heroes and icons are tarnished in some way. If it is not for their human failings and frailty, then it will be for their motivation in their accomplishments.
I am not insensitive to other peoples feelings on this topic. I knew this would strike some nerves, and there will always be controversy regarding Columbus. He may have been a hero, or he may have been a murderer, but he is part of our history.
Many people have been slaughtered in the name of religion. It still is happening today. The human race seems bent on trying to impose its beliefs upon other people. Maybe we will never learn, maybe we will. Only time will tell.
