Juan Santamaria Day

Statue of Juan Santamaria in Alajuela, Costa Rica

In the United States, we know surprisingly little about our American neighbors, despite being actively involved all over both North and South America. Most Americans probably don't know that our nation burnt Toronto (then called York) to the ground, or that we had captured Mexico City in the Mexican-American war. Surely, even fewer Americans have heard of William Walker--yet I bet most people in Nicaragua and Costa Rica have. Walker was a filibuster, an individual who illegally engages in foreign wars. He also a Southern and slave-holder before the US civil war. After a number of stratagems, he found himself president of Nicaragua and was eying Costa Rica to build his own private slave empire in Central America.

Yeah, I don't remember hearing about that one in history class. But then again, I didn't go to school in Costa Rica. The Costa Ricans advanced northward to defend their nation. As the traditional story goes, a young drummer from the town of Alajuela volunteered to complete a suicide mission on the condition that someone look after his mother. This boy, Juan Santamaria, succeeded, but was killed in the process. Today, he's celebrated as a national hero and even gets his own day.

Amazing Costa Rican Breakfast

So to commemorate we put together a meal centering around gallo pinto--a mix of rice, beans, and various vegetables (see the recipe here). It was very tasty, but you may want to make sure to add enough salt and some hot sauce. We had eggs and toast on the side, and completed the meal with a green salad. I could eat this sort of thing every day of the week: delicious, cheap, and nutritious.