Santa Cruz Lunch



Across the street from the department store (where everything was on sale for half off) was the school. 

 



Since it was about noon, the students were getting out.   The first thing they did was to head for something to eat.
In grade school there are two shifts per day.  The first shift starts at seven in the morning and goes until about noon.   The second shift starts at about noon and goes until five.
When you enter high school, you go all day.
Everyone wears a uniform (at this school the boys had beige pants and white shirts--the girls had plaid skirts and white tops).

We were also hungry so we headed back to our van and set off to find the women’s cooperative restaurant called Coope-Tortillas that we had heard about.  This is a restaurant founded by a local woman to help create jobs.  It serves “tortillas baked the old-fashioned way—on thick, round plates on an open fire”.  It is one of the few places that still serves traditional Guanacasteco food. Our driver turned down an alley and parked by a pavilion filled with picnic tables.  

After getting out of the van, several of us went to see the kitchen.  There were all of these pots arranged on an open fire.

You had your choice of pork, beef, or chicken for your tortillas.

There was also a big pot of black beans.

And...........................something else?!?!?

When you put all of this together and add a little coleslaw and rice, it looks pretty good.

 

Although I took this picture before they served our drinks, we also had Tamarindo tea, made from the seeds of the Tamarindo tree, which is what the town where we are staying is named after.

It turned out to be a very educational and entertaining day in addition to finding a few sales.