Costa Rican Dress
Costa Rican clothes are similar to most Central and South American countries. There clothes were developed by the Climate of Costa Rica. Costa Rica Clothing today is separated into two groups traditional cultural clothes and modern clothing. Costa Rican traditional dress is used for traditional practices. Most of the cultural dress has layers. This is because of the climate of Costa Rica. You never know when it is going to rain because of its varied climate. Traditional dress is only worn on special occasion such as when they dance. Both women and men have different style of traditional clothing. Usually the clothes are the colors of the Costa Rican flag which are red, blue , and white.

Mens dress is very simple but elegant. Mens traditional costume usually have a few different things. The pants are a solid color which usually is blue or tan. They usually wear a white button down shirt. Then around the waist they wear a red cummerbund which is like a sash. Around the neck of the man they would wear a kerchief tied around it. Then on their head they would wear a “chonete” which is a traditional type of Costa Rican hat. A Chonete is like a straw cowboy hat. Usually men in Costa Rica will not really wear shorts on a day to day basis but only to the beach despite the tropical weather of Costa Rica.Today in the fields Men still wear the traditional dress.

Women's traditional dress has a few important characteristics. The dresses are usually tailored in a special style. All traditional dresses have thick ruffles that start at the shoulders and go out all the way down the dress. The dresses have no sleeves to cover the arms. They are usually the colors red,blue,and yellow. Another type of Costa Rica dress has a long ruffled skirt. This is usually made in shinny colored fabric. A white shirt is usually worn and a red cummerbund connects the dress at the waist. To top off all these wonderful dresses a flower is usually placed in the ear of the women.
Costa Rican cuisine is known for being flavorful, yet fairly mild, with high reliance on fresh fruit and vegetables. Rice and black beans are a staple of most traditional Costa Rican meals, often served three times a day; gallo pinto, a breakfast dish of rice and beans mixed together with onions and bell peppers, is often considered the Costa Rican national dish.

For lunch, the traditional meal is called a casado. It again consists of rice and beans served side by side instead of mixed. There will usually be some type of meat (carne asada, fish, pork chop, or chicken) and a salad to round out the dish. There may also be some extras like fried plantain (patacones or maduro), a slice of white cheese, and/or corn tortillas in accompaniment. Salsa Lizano is ubiquitous as a condiment and as an ingredient in cooking various dishes, including gallo pinto. In many family gatherings or for special occasions is very common to prepare Arroz con Pollo (rice with chicken) accompanied with a Russian salad, a salad made with beets, potatoes, hard boiled eggs and mayo. .

In taverns, various small dishes (boquitas) are served which include patacones with black bean dip, chimichurri (tomatoes and onions pickled in lime juice) accompanied with tortilla chips, chifrijo (rice and beans with chicharrones, which are fried pork skins, and chimichurri), ceviche (fish and/or shrimp with onions and pickled in lime juice), and vigorón (cabbage, chimichurri, and yuca, served with a slice of lime).

Fresh vegetables are a primary ingredient in most main dishes, and members of the squash family are particularly common. These include varieties such as zucchini, zapallo, chayote, and ayote. Potato, onion, and sweet red pepper are other common ingredients. The above vegetables are made into soups (sopas) which are usually made with beef or pork ribs as a base; also found in the soup will be corn on the cob, yuca, ñampi (a hairy root vegetable), and yam (camote).

Costa Rican cuisine is not generally spicy. However, find home-made "chileros" can often be found in restaurants, which can be made with vinegar, carrots, onions, other vegetables and always habanero.

A typical Costa Rican breakfast consisting of gallo pinto, fried plantains, an egg, and orange juice Coffee and bananas are the two main agricultural exports of the country and also form part of the local cuisine.

The plantain, a larger member of the banana family, is another commonly used fruit and can be served in a variety of ways. Ripe plantains (maduro) have a sweet flavor and can be fried in oil, baked in a honey or a sugar-based sauce, or put in soups. Green (unripe) plantains can be boiled in soups or can be sliced, fried, smashed and then refried to make patacones.

A Costa Rican tamal at Christmas.
Sweet corn dishes are common traditional meals like pozol (corn soup), chorreadas (corn pancakes), etc.
Other Costa Rican food staples include corn tortillas, white cheese and picadillos. Tortillas frequently accompany meals, but rice is nearly always present. Traditionally people should often fill tortillas with whatever they are eating and eat it in the form of a gallo (direct translation: rooster, resembling soft Mexican taco).

White cheese is non-processed cheese that is made by adding salt to milk in production.
Picadillos are meat and vegetable combinations where one or more vegetables are diced, mixed with beef and garnished with spices. Common vegetables used in picadillos are potatoes, green beans, squash, ayote, chayote and arracache. Often, picadillos are eaten in the form of gallos.

[edit] Beverages

The traditional breakfast drink, besides coffee, is called agua dulce ("sweet water") and is made from tapa de dulce, an ingredient very similar to the American "brown sugar". "Tapa de Dulce" is made with sugar cane juice which is boiled down in traditional trapiches and put to solidify in conical molds with the top cut off called tapas ("lids"). Then some of this tapa is scraped off and dissolved into boiling water or milk to make the agua dulce.
Coffee is usually served at breakfast and during traditional coffee breaks in the afternoon, usually around 3:00 pm. It has traditionally been brewed in a native Costa Rican drip brew device called a chorreador.

The traditional drinks for lunch are called refrescos naturales, or frescos or naturales for short, and consist of liquefied fruits diluted in either water or milk and sweetened to taste. They come in many varieties such as canteloupe, blackberry, strawberry, watermelon, mango, tamarind, passion fruit, guanabana, cas, and lime.

Another popular drink is known as a granizado, a slush drink made of finely shaved ice and flavored syrup. The most popular flavor is kola. This is not the cola usually associated with carbonated soda, but a fruity flavored syrup. It is usually served with evaporated and/or condensed milk on top.

The national liquor of Costa Rica, guaro, is made from sugar cane. Costa Ricans often drink guaro as a shot or mixed with juice or soda. The cost of guaro is very cheap compared to beer (cerveza) in Costa Rica which has one major beer producer. Imperial is the most popular beer and is an American-style lager that is also available in Light. Pilsen is a Bohemian style Pilsner produced in Costa Rica. During the 2007 holiday season, a 6.0 version with higher alcohol content was produced. Due to its popularity, production of Pilsen 6.0 was continued through mid-2008. At that point, it was replaced with Pilsen Red. It has a 5.2% alcohol content and a hint of red coloring. Bavaria is offered in Light, Dark or Gold. The Dutch beer, Heineken, is also produced in Costa Rica. Imported beers can be found in some markets, but are common only in parts of San José or larger tourist towns.

Costa Rica produces an excellent rum: Ron Centenario and the Flor de Caña rums made in Nicaragua are also widely available http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Rican_cuisine
The Costa Rican cuisine is simple and chefs normally shun spices. Comida Tipica, or native dishes greatly rely on rice and beans which is the basisof many Costa Rican meals. The “Home-style” type of cooking predominates the cuisine of Costa Rica. The meals are generally wholesome. Gallo Pinto, which is the national dish in the cuisine of Costa Rica, is made out of fried rice and black beans. Many of the meals in the cuisine of Costa Rica are derivatives, including arroz con pollo (rice and Chicken) or arroz con Tuna. Commonly at lunch Gallo Pinto is the main dish. This is made with rice and beans supplemented with cabbage and tomato salad, fried plantains and meat. It is noted that vegetables do not form an integral part of the Cost Rican diet, therefore there would be hardly any dishes on vegetables in the cuisine of Costa Rica. Food staples include carne (Beef, sometimes called bistek), pollo (Chicken), and pescado (fish) in the cuisine of Costa Rica. http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Costa_Rican_Cuisine

Greetings
Polite and respectful greetings are a social norm. Female friends or relatives greet each other with a light kiss on the cheek. If women are not yet acquainted, they may pat each other on the arm. Men shake hands and may kiss the cheeks of female friends and relatives. It is an insult not to shake every man's hand in a small group. Common greetings include Buenos días (Good day), Buenas tardes (Good afternoon), and Buenas noches (Good evening). Ticos often respond to the greeting ¿Cómo está? (How are you?) with the expression Pura vida (Pure life), which is understood to mean that the person is doing well. Also a way to say “Okay” or “No worries,” Pura vida has many uses. Hola (Hi) is a casual greeting popular among the youth; older people consider it

disrespectful if used to greet them.
In rural areas, people greet each other when passing on the street, even if they are not acquainted. One might simply say Adiós or Buenas or more formally Adiós, señora or Buenos días. This tradition is less common in urban areas. Rural people often bow their heads slightly and touch their hats in greeting. Greetings between strangers or acquaintances are brief, but people who know each other usually take a few minutes to talk about family, work, or health.
One addresses others by professional title either with or without a surname, depending on the situation. Señor (Mr.) and Señora (Mrs.) are also used, especially for people with whom one is not well acquainted. Ticos address friends, children, coworkers, and subordinates by first name. They use the title Don with the first name of an older man, or Doña for a woman, to show special respect for and familiarity with the person. For example, a child might call the mother of his best friend Doña María.

Gestures
Hand gestures are common and important to everyday conversation. In fact, Costa Ricans often use their hands to express an idea, either with or without verbal communication. To indicate “no,” one vigorously waves the index finger
(palm out, finger up). When expressing shock or when faced with a serious situation, ticos will shake the hand vigorously enough to snap (slap) the fingers together three or four times. There are many different hand greetings in addition to the handshake or wave. For instance, young people slap hands together in a greeting similar to a “high five.” Eye contact is important, especially when one is discussing a serious issue or talking to a superior. It traditionally is understood that the lack of eye contact means one cannot be trusted. Chewing

gum while speaking is impolite. http://education.uky.edu/OFE/sites/education.uky.edu.OFE/files/documents/CultureGram-CostaRica1.pdf EATING HABITS: People eat frequently, especially snacks as they walk down the street. These include gallos (filled tortillas), with meat and vegetables. The staple dish is rice and beans which is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Costa Ricans eat a lot of meat - beef, chicken, pork. Eating fish is considered a luxury although fish marinated in lemon juice and spices is a cheap delicacy. Vegetables and fruits are also popular and cheap. Imported apples and grapes are considered a special treat.