When thinking about what I wanted to gain from my temporary move to Costa Rica, my goals went something like this…
1. Get back in touch with what I want in life and what really makes me happy
2. Learn Spanish
3. Eat well and drop a few pounds
When I first got to Costa Rica, I was on track and moving along with all of these goals. I was spending time journaling and examining my life, was taking Spanish classes 5 mornings a week and was eating less.
The eating less was actually pretty easy when I first got here, partially because it was so hot that I wasn’t really hungry and partially because I had not yet found a lot of things I liked to eat. While Gringo Mas does have things like Jiff peanut butter, it does not have Lean Pockets…which in my mind deserve their own food group...and are a staple of my diet in San Fran. Also helping in my “eating less plan” was the fact that I didn’t know anyone, thus, I wasn’t going out to restaurants to stuff my face with friends.
Well that ended as soon as I discovered gallo pinto… and more importantly, Kapi Kapi.
I went to Kapi Kapi for the first time when Lara was in town, and have gone back during every friend/family visit since. If it ended there, I would probably be ok… a good meal or two a month isn’t going to kill someone. But the fact of the matter is, I go to Kapi Kapi any time I have an excuse to do so… and just so we are clear, the excuse need only consist of “I am hungry.”
Kapi Kapi is an easy place to like. The service there is amazing and everyone is friendly and fun. I have gotten to know all of the staff well and they encourage me practice my Spanish and challenge me to learn new things. And while I believe it is the people who make or break a place, I have to tell you, the food at Kapi Kapi is so amazing that even if the servers spit in my face, I am pretty sure I would still go back…I would just take a towel.
I have become pretty good friends with Darren, the chef, who grew up in Los Angeles and moved here to start this restaurant (along with some investors). Darren creates the amazing menu, and when we go there to eat he always makes us a special non-menu item. Here are some of his creations from when Brooke was in town…
This was a "shot" of yummy goodness...there was no alcohol...rather a bunch of amazing fruits and vegetables combined to use as a chaser for the civiche (sp?) below.
Darren and I sometimes grab a drink together after he gets off of work, or go out to eat on a night that he is not working. Which always makes me wonder, when you are such an amazing chef, how can you ever go out to eat? I am always surprised when Darren is so happy with the food from other restaurants, because all I can think about during the meal is how much better his food is than what we are currently eating. However, despite my wishing that it was his cooking I was eating, we still have a great time.
Here we are on a couple nights out on the town....
Along with Darren's friend... and my new friend "Snoop."
So, with a little over a month left of my first stint living in Costa Rica… here is an update on my goal progression…1. I am happy to report that I have gotten my smile back and have really started to figure out what it is that I want out of life.
Clearly a win.
2. I have learned a lot of Spanish, but have sooo much more to learn. My expectation of being fluent after 6 weeks of instruction, along with a few months of living in Costa Rica (with a full time job where I don’t speak/practice any Spanish most days) was laughable. However, I have not given up, am working with a Spanish tutor a couple hours a week, and have already signed up for Spanish classes when I return to San Francisco.
While I still have a ways to go, I am going to cut myself a little slack and count this as a win too.
3. Now onto my desire to lose a couple pounds (and by a couple I mean 20)…In my attempt to discover what makes me happy, I have found that one of the things that really makes me happy is eating gallo pinto or anything that Darren makes… along with a few glasses of wine. Clearly this has not helped to accomplish my goal.
In spite of the fact that I haven’t dropped the pounds I wanted to… and may not be able to add a point to the “win” category for this goal, I don’t feel it was a total failure. I figure if I can still fit comfortably into my clothes (read: may have to do a few squats after I get my jeans out of the dryer, but don’t have to lay on the bed to zip them up) after eating Darren’s “seafood cigars” and pistachio desserts for the past 4 months…with no Crossfit coaches around to keep my ass in shape (can’t wait to get back to my 6 a.m. workouts with Adrian)… I think I have probably broken even on this one... which is ok for now.
And whereas I may not be back in my skinny jeans, I have, for the first time, had to call a draw in a round of the “I’d rather” game.
Would I rather marry a chef or a trainer??
It is a very difficult question…though one that really doesn’t need an answer, as neither opportunity has presented itself. However, that has not stopped me from overanalyzing this non existent situation.
If I married a trainer, there is a good chance that he would look something like the shirtless wonder (who I have come to decide was a figment of my imagination, as I have never seen him again), but then there is also a good chance that there would be continuous guilt/heckling from him as I lay on the couch and watch “Rock of Love III” instead of going for a bike ride. While I may let a man get away with a lot of things, no one comes between me and the trashy goodness that is Rock of Love.
On the flip side, there is a good chance that the chef would not be the Adonis that the trainer would be… but would be the kind of guy to bring me amazing food as I lay on the couch watching “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” While this may sound appealing, Bravo sometimes has those Housewife Marathons…which means I could spend an entire day watching TV and eating things coated with butter….thus making me so fat that I would be unable to leave the house and return to Costa Rica to check on my monkeys. Clearly not acceptable.
After far too much time pondering the pros and cons of this hypothetical situation, I have decided it is in my best interest to rule out marrying both a trainer and a chef. But don’t worry Mom, my marrying options are still a plenty, as I won’t EVER rule out a firefighter and haven’t yet ruled out a doctor. Though sadly, I have still not found the right opportunity in Costa Rica to use the line “Es usted medico?” so I don’t know how good my chances will be. But keep your fingers crossed; I still have a little over a month left here.
In the meantime, I will just look forward to dinner at Kapi Kapi on Thursday night when my friend Greg arrives. I can’t wait!
