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Social Profile
Food & Drink: Restaurants in towns and cities serve a variety of foods including French, Italian, Mexican, North American and Chinese. Food is good, from the most expensive to the cheapest eating places (which are generally found west of the city centre). Food sodas (small restaurants) serve local food. Common dishes include casado (rice, beans, stewed beef, fried plantain, salad and cabbage), olla de carne (soup of beef, plantain, corn, yuca, nampi and chayote), sopa negra (black beans with a poached egg) and picadillo (meat and vegetable stew). Snacks are popular and include gallos (filled tortillas), tortas (containing meat and vegetables), arreglados (bread filled with same) and pan de yuca (speciality from stalls in San José). There are many types of cold drink made from fresh fruit, milk or cereal flour, for example, cebada (barley flour), pinolillo (roasted corn) and horchata (corn meal with cinnamon). Imported alcoholic and soft drinks are widely available. Coffee is good value and has an excellent flavour.
Nightlife: San José especially has many nightclubs, venues with folk music and dance, theatres and cinemas.
Shopping: Special purchases include wood and leather rocking chairs (which dismantle for export) as well as a range of local crafts available in major cities and towns. Local markets are also well worth visiting. Prices are slightly higher than in other Latin American countries. Best buys are wooden items, ceramics, jewellery and leather handicrafts. Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1800/1900.
Special Events: For a complete list of special events for 2003, contact the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (see Contact Addresses section). The following is a selection of the major annual festivals and special events: Dec-Jan Fiestas del Fin del Año (week-long festivities). Feb-Mar Orchid Show, Cartago. Mar (middle) Día del Boyero (Day of the Oxcart Driver), San Antonio de Escazú; National Craft Fair, San José. Jun (end) Feast of St Peter and St Paul. Aug Arrival of Pilgrims, Cartago. Oct Carnival Week, Puerto Limón.
Social Conventions: Handshaking is common and forms of address are important. Christian names are preceded by Don for a man and Doña for a woman. Normal courtesies should be observed when visiting someone’s home and gifts are appreciated as a token of thanks, especially if invited for a meal. For most occasions casual wear is acceptable, but beachwear should be confined to the beach. Tipping: It is not necessary to tip taxi drivers. All hotels add ten per cent service tax plus three per cent tourist tax to the bill by law. Restaurants add a ten per cent service charge. Tipping is expected by hotel staff, porters and waiters.
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