“What? There Are Condoms In My Steak Sauce?”

Long time VIP Members will recall a few of the different, personal challenges I’ve been through trying to learn the Spanish language over the last 15 years of living here in Costa Rica.

There was the time when I wanted to thank a lady friend for a compliment she had paid me and I accidentally thanked her for head lice!

You see in Spanish a ‘flirtatious remark’ or an ‘amorous compliment’ is called a piropo but that little brain block of mine kicked in and instead of thanking her for her piropos, I thanked her for her piojos which are unfortunately, those disgusting little critters that feed on blood from the scalp – head lice.

She’ll always remember me though!

You might remember when I ran back into the health food store because I had left my umbrella paraguas there and the woman looked at me as if I was stark raving bonkers because I was asking her if she’d seen my windshield parabrisas which I had left by the side of the cash machine?

Well on Sunday night there was another confusing scenario.

I had cooked medallones de lomito (fillet mignon or fillet steak) on the BBQ and had prepared my own chimichurri which is a traditional steak sauce made with parsley, oregano, garlic, chopped onion, lime juice, red wine vinegar and lots of olive oil.

I cook dinner every night and when he’s home, my wife’s youngest son (aged 20) sets the table and he put out the chimichurri.

As we ate our juicy steaks, he asked my why I prefer to make my own sauce and I was trying to explain that I like knowing what goes into my food, I don’t like seeing a long list of ingredients that looked like they came out of chemistry book and don’t want preservatives on my dinner plate.

Unfortunately this was where it got a bit silly because we only speak Spanish in the house and I used the word preservativos thinking that was the word for preservatives.

Makes sense right?

Well not quite…

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary the word ‘preservative’ means “something that preserves or
has the power of preserving; specifically: an additive used to protect against decay, discoloration,
or spoilage.”

But in Spanish the word for preservatives is preservantes and not preservativos which unfortunately means condoms!

So next time you’re at the dining room table just be a little careful and make sure you’re not talking about condoms in the steak sauce…

Written by Scott Oliver, author of 1: How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa, 2: Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore and 3. ¿Cómo Comprar Bienes Raíces en Costa Rica, Sin Perder Su Camisa?

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.