Costa Rican Food ("casado")

[Barry Popik]

   Greetings again from Quepos.  AOL Mail decided not to work on me.  This
is not acceptable.
   That Fred Shapiro is such a tease...My explanation of "love" in
tennis--from Costa Rica--was not meant to be a full explanation of the term.
  It indeed appears--just as baseball took "grand slam" from cards--that
tennis took "love" from cards.  I have some important whist notes at home.
The Friday WALL STREET JOURNAL's "l'oeuf" explanation appears to me to be
wrong.

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THE RESTAURANT GUIDE FOR QUEPOS/MANUAL ANTONIO

Pg. 6:  Mid-day lunches feature the popular "casados."  These are huge
plates of white rice, beans, fried plantain, salad, _picadillo_ (a vegetable
orpotato hash), and meat, chicken or fish.
(Not in OED??--ed.)

Pg. 7:
   A FEW "TICO-ISMS"
_pura vida_ (POO-rah VEE-dah)--probably the first idiomatic expression
you'll hear in Costa Rica, it means "very good or well"--commonly used as a
greeting and also to refer to objects in good condition.

_tuanis_ (TWA-nees)--originated from British West Indies, it's actually two
words said together, "too nice," meaning "cool."

_el zarpe_ (el SAR-pay)--the last drink before leaving the bar; the final
round.

_con mucho gusto_ (cone MOO-cho GOO-sto)--the most common way to say "you're
welcome," "thank you" or "my pleasure."

_pulperia_ *pul-pah-REE-ah)--small corner grocery store.

(Maybe a "panderia" or bakery later--ed.)
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