Things I ate in Costa Rica

I've now added #2 to my list of weirdest things I ever ate.

#1 was horse heart tartare in Montreal.

#2 was cactus ice cream in Costa Rica.

(Technically, cactus fruit ice cream. Bright purple, tastes like a not-very-sweet cross between lime and pineapple. Verdict: I'd totally eat that again.)

Other things I ate that rocked my world: a whole fresh fried bass (see picture above), right out of the water, with yucca fries. Yucca is a starchy root, the South American potato, which tastes like a cross between a potato and a sweet potato.

All different kinds of ceviche. The best kinds were with fish (as opposed to shrimp or other shellfish). Ceviche is a dish with raw seafood, marinated in lime juice and onions and sometimes other things. The citric acid changes the texture of the seafood--the same texture as if you'd cooked it, but it's still raw. And citrusy. It's addictively good.

I ate my weight in fried plantains.

Fresh papaya juice, all the time.

Chicken marinated in a coffee-chocolate sauce, baked inside a banana leaf. Think barbecue sauce, but made with coffee and chocolate instead of tomatoes and vinegar. I'm definitely going to try to recreate that one.

Black beans and rice, and fried plantains, make a really amazing breakfast.

Rum and fresh pineapple juice is also really amazing.