Yes, Snicker Bars

[Jamie]

For the most part Colombians appear to like more sugar and salts in their food and drinks. So you would think that you would have a good assortment of chocolates at a decent price. But nope. Be prepared to pay up to 2- 3 times more for a Snickers candy bar and a stale one at that. Which makes me wonder, do American companies ship their outdated candy products down South or do they just sit on the shelf for such a long time in Colombia that they all go stale. All the chocolates I have seen come from Europe or the States. I don’t get it, Colombia can’t make chocolates. So you if want to really want to delight your girl and her family during a visit bring lots of Costco large size variety of different American candy bars.

For those of you living in Colombia does that lack of good American food and variety just makes you want to give up on eating? I don’t like the steaks down here either. I had a Peruvian girl friend in the States and she use to tell me how much better the food was in Peru. Us American were ruining the food with chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics. Well it all made sense and I thought she was right, but now that I am down here I miss those chemical, hormones and antibiotics. The food is not better. This is a myth.
Isn’t this human nature you live in the States and can have all the foods that you desire and you talk about women. You live in Colombia and can have all the women you desire and you talk about food. So I think tomorrow’s topic will peanuts and nut: Why are peanut and nut so expensive in Colombia?

Jamie
Engage the Exotic Foods

[Heat]

... in response to Yes, Snicker Bars, posted by Jamie on Jun 20, 2004

Where are you?

[Jamie]

... in response to Where are you?, posted by Heat on Jun 20, 2004

Barranquilla

[kented]

... in response to Yes, Snicker Bars, posted by Jamie on Jun 20, 2004

Everything imported in CR costs a lot due to import tariffs.  Worse than chocolates are cigarettes.  Ads are not illegal in the third world and there are tons of billboards, cigarettes are sold as singles in bars making them cheaper and despite laws are sold to children.  There are "local" generic cigarettes (which aren't local since tobacco isn't grown in CR) and packs cost $1.75.  

This is the last market open to US tobacco companies and they exploit it to the max.  The country is loaded with McDonald's, Taco Bell and KFCs.  My wife LOVES the coronels greesy fried chiken as opposed to the local pollo a la lena, chicken roasted over coffee wood which almost falls of the bone and is delicious.  

Every two weeks we went to the supernmarket for staples and meat and to a farmer's market for fresh produce.  The fruits in CR are to die for. We had freshly squeezed juice for every meal.  There are about four to six fruits that I we don't have here and she also makes juices out of seeds and out of oatmeal (not my favorite).

Vegetables are fresh but they rely a little too heavily on starches, yucca which you can get here is like potatoes and Tequispe which you can't get here is like sweet potato (only light burgandy in color). Platanos my wife buys verde (green or not ripe-like potatoes) or maduro (ripe--like bananas).  

Meat was generally part of a caserole and seldom the main course.  Every Costa Rican meal features Gallo Pinto (literally spotted rooster and is rice and black beans).  I loved my wife's cooking.  The only thing I hated is the cheese.  We'd go to the market and there would be ten kinds of cheese which all tasted bland and not tatty to me...they loved them).  

I gained two major things by living and eating in Costa Rica.  I know my wife doesn't waste money shopping whether it is mine of hers.  I also know how my family likes to eat and have some idea of what US food that are good for them they might like.  

I went to Costa Rica to live like a Costa Rican and I never considered giving up eating.  

[Jamie]

... in response to Food in Costa Rica, posted by kented on Jun 20, 2004

You have more Americans going to Costa Rica so I am not surprised about the American fast food chains, yet I never understood the concept of eating American fast food while vacationing outside the country. I am only aware of one McDonalds and one Kentucky fried chicken in Barranquilla.

As for the last market for tobacco companies, you forgot about Asia which is a much bigger market (China).

I agree you can get a large variety of fresh tasty tropical fruit many of which are not sold in most American markets. But many of the displayed fruits and vegetable they sell here would be thrown out in an American grocery store. I have yet to eat a good strawberry, which are expensive, I have yet to see cherries and some of the other temperate climate fruits. Orange juice is also very expensive. They do not have good tomatoes and I love Italian food. So the way I look at it if you added all  the food experiences it is a negative. Yes one should certainly sample the local food but what I ultimately want is good food.

“I gained two major things by living and eating in Costa Rica. I know my wife doesn't waste money shopping whether it is mine of hers. I also know how my family likes to eat and have some idea of what US food that are good for them they might like.”
That interesting I learned my wife likes to throw useless items into the shopping cart she adapted real to well to American foods got her off rice and now she is a pasta lover like me and still has her incredible waistline.  

Jamie
Engage the Exotic

[kented]

... in response to Re: Food in Costa Rica, posted by Jamie on Jun 21, 2004

Yea, they don't have fruits they would need to import like cherries and peaches.  As far as selling fruits and produce which would be thrown out in an American supermarket, that';s why we shopped for produce at "La Feria", the farmer's market.  Several hundred open air stalls, freshly picked and if the items look bad, twenty-five other booths sell the same product.

They sell wild strawberries on the road to Paos volcano and they were delicious but I didn't see them much.  My family likes pasta too and I definately want to get them away from gallo pinto at every meal.  Tomatoes are great and oranges are greenish orange but very sweet.

[Chris F]

... in response to Yes, Snicker Bars, posted by Jamie on Jun 20, 2004

I agree with you..the Chocalate bars are sent from the U.S. and they are twice as much and STALE!!!   I also am not that thrilled with the food in Colombia (except the steak..which is all I really ate) and usually came home about five pounds lighter every time I went.

Well...I know the Atkins diet works...............

[Jamie]

... in response to Re: Yes, Snicker Bars...your right, posted by Chris F on Jun 20, 2004

Yea I lost weight too however I don’t like the steaks at all their thin and tough. The chicken is fine but without all those extra harmful chemicals force fed to the chickens in the States the chicken bones splinter too easily and I am not sure why but I am always biting into bones that broke loose. I think it is mandatory for the soaps here to have little sharp bones in you bowl. Colombia exports shrimp yet the prices are more then double the States. It took me 4 months to find a place that sold a good roost beef sandwich.
I also don’t understand how does a grocery store in Colombia run out of bananas? Where is all the good advice from this board when your really need it.
I will be in the States vacationing for about 3 weeks so I’ll be able to take care of some of these cravings.

Jamie
Engage the Exotic

[pablo]

... in response to Yes, Snicker Bars, posted by Jamie on Jun 20, 2004


Do I hear a second job exporting chocolate to Colombia in the works?  

What city are you in Jamie?  Barranquilla?

[DavidMN]

... in response to Re: Yes, Snicker Bars, posted by pablo on Jun 20, 2004

Maybe chocolate has to be shipped by air, otherwise it might melt sitting in a non-refrigerated container in Cartagena?  Thus, due to air transportation (or expensive refrigerated containers), it's not competitive with the local Jet products from Nacl. de Chocolates.  So it sits on the shelves and gets stale. Chicken and the egg.  ;-)

[Jamie]

... in response to Re: Yes, Snicker Bars, posted by pablo on Jun 20, 2004

supposedly the second largest carnival event after Brazil in South America. At this years carnival I literally only saw one scantly clad woman in the parade and I think she was about 45 years old. She was walking all by herself. I saw lots of scantly clad men dressed as women… this city could definitely use a better carnival director. Someone earlier was looking for work... I think I just found a job.

Jamie
Engage the Exotic