FEBRUARY 09, 2007

The World of Poetry: Tico poet Oswaldo Sauma is one of 140 poets from 45 countries to participate in this week's Third International Poetry Festival in Granada, Nicaragua. The four-day festival -- featuring poetry readings, artisan and book fairs, cultural acts, concerts and a parade --concludes Friday evening with a public concert in the Central Park by renowned revolutionary folksinger Carlos Mejía Godoy.

ZONA Roja: Actors Lorelay Sancho and Ronald Moya play in “ VIP en Zona Roja ” (“VIP in the Red-Light District”), a drama about life in a rough neighborhood showing today through Sunday at Teatro de San José at 8 p.m. Call 256-5752 for more information.

A poll published in the daily La República yesterday found that 62% of Costa Ricans questioned said they support the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA), while 37% said they oppose this controversial trade pact.

Police in the Caribbean port city of Moín yesterday unearthed a machine gun illegal in Costa Rica as well as two boxes containing hundreds of bullets for guns also illegal here and arrested three men accused of possessing these weapons, according to Public Security Ministry spokeswoman Jesús Ureña.

Nicaraguan poet and novelist Gioconda Belli yesterday said that poetry will save humanity during the third International Poetry Festival, which began Tuesday and ends today in Granada.

Poll: 62% of Costa Ricans Support CAFTA

A poll published in the daily La República yesterday found that 62% of Costa Ricans questioned said they support the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA), while 37% said they oppose this controversial trade pact.

The poll also questioned Ticos about whether they fear violence surrounding future CAFTA protests, and 15% said they are very afraid of violence; 22% said they are somewhat afraid; 28% said they have little fear; and 26% said they are not afraid at all.

CAFTA opponents have announced they are planning a protest in late February.

These results were compared to those from a poll conducted in October 2005, when 64% of those questioned said they were in favor of CAFTA and 10% were against it.

The recent poll was conducted for La República by CID-Gallup Jan. 20-28 with 1,231 people. It claims a 3% margin of error.

Costa Rica is the only signatory country that has not ratified CAFTA, which is being studied by the Legislative Assembly and is likely to move to its main floor soon.

-Tico Times

Police Investigate Illegal Weapons
and Ammunition Buried in Moín

By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff | aroberson@ticotimes.net

Police in the Caribbean port city of Moín yesterday unearthed a machine gun illegal in Costa Rica as well as two boxes containing hundreds of bullets for guns also illegal here and arrested three men accused of possessing these weapons, according to Public Security Ministry spokeswoman Jesús Ureña.

The men, identified by the last names Jara, 20, Costa Rican; Céspedes, 34, Costa Rican; and Mayorga, 40, Nicaraguan, were allegedly standing armed with a knife near the grounds of the Moín National Oil Refinery (RECOPE) plant, according to a statement from the Public Security Ministry.

Police received an anonymous call about their presence and went to inspect the grounds. They found the three men “armed and with a suspicious attitude,” the statement said. While looking around the grounds, police noticed a bit of loose dirt and discovered buried a box of 100 bullets for an M-50 machine gun, a bag of 391 bullets for an AK-47 gun and one Fall brand machine gun, Ureña said.

Police are investigating these three men in connection with the buried weapons, Ureña said. They stand before the Limón Prosecutor's Office.

Poet Says Her Craft Will Save Humanity

Nicaraguan poet and novelist Gioconda Belli yesterday said that poetry will save humanity during the third International Poetry Festival, which began Tuesday and ends today in Granada.

About 140 poets from 45 countries around the world are in town for the festival, which is dedicated to Nicaraguan poet Pablo Antonio Cuadra, who died in 2002.

Poetry is “what is going to save us... I feel like we are living in a world so convoluted, so complicated, that poetry has to remind us of the great human values, without which there would be nothing,” said Belli, 58, author of novels including “ La Mujer Habitada,” (“The Inhabited Woman”) and “ Wasala,” which have won her international recognition.

“There are things that run through poetry that show the human need to seek transcendence, to seek things that unite us, grand feelings, humanism,” she said.

Meanwhile, Brazilian poet Amadeu Thiago De Mello called the poetry festival in Granada “a very important moment for the life of our humanity.”

Belli and De Mello joined poets from around the world including Steven White ( United States ), Waldo Leyva ( Cuba ) and Amir Heicom ( Israel ) in poetry recitals in public venues around Granada. Additionally, the city's streets were graced with folkloric dancers and other colorful cultural acts.

Belli, one of the festival's organizers, said this year's event has been successful and had good participation.

-ACAN-EFE

Visiting German Delegation Wants Stronger
Commercial, Tourism Ties with Costa Rica

A group of seven representatives of the German government's Tourism Commission Wednesday met with President Oscar Arias before departing for Mexico, the next stop on their trip, yesterday. They posed suggestions for strengthening commercial ties between the two countries and bringing more German tourists here, according to a statement from Casa Presidencial.

Specifically, Germany would like to see more direct flights to Costa Rica and further work toward developing a trade agreement between Central America and the European Union, according to the statement.

About 40,000 German tourists come to Costa Rica every year, but there are now only two direct flights per week to and from Germany.

Germany is scheduled to host the next International Tourism Fair, which will give the country a chance to talk with airlines about the possibility of creating more flights, Fasse said.

The German visitors and Arias agreed that attracting more foreign direct investment to Costa Rica to create jobs here is another priority.

“For us, it is of vital importance that we expand our commercial ties with the rest of the world; a small nation like ours can't afford the luxury of staying out of the world market,” Arias said.

Few plant species can be considered a marvelous discovery that has transformed human culture. Bactris gasipaes is definitely one of those rare cases in which a plant provides a wide variety of products for different uses. The peach palm supplies two of the most delicate and exquisite vegetable products Costa Rica exports to the world: peach palm (pejibaye) and heart of palm (palmito).

It is thought that plantations already existed by the time Columbus arrived on Costa Rica's Caribbean island of Uvita in 1502, which was appropriately named La Huerta (The Vegetable Garden). It wasn't until 1541 to 1546 that the first reference to the peach palm appeared in official colonial records, when Spanish settlers entered the southern hills of the Coaza Cacique territory in today's Talamancas, an area in which a tree locals called “pijibay” (pronounced pe-hee-BYE) was more than prominent and utilized by the locals in many ways.

Conquerors discovered how not only the fruit but also the core of the palm was consumed, and that the palm fronds were used for thatch and the tree trunks for timber. At that time, the peach palm was cultivated throughout southern Mexico and Central America to the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon regions. Although today the peach palm grows in most tropical areas of the globe, its potential production scale is still in its infancy.

Mixing Palm Products: Pejibaye and palmito in Chef Marco's “Mocha Mexicali Sauce” with cumin rice.

Marco González | Tico Times

Costa Rica and Brazil are the leading exporters of peach palm products. Pejibaye and palmito are considered delicacies sent abroad to gourmet markets in the industrialized world. The pejibaye itself is so unique in taste that it has been described as somewhere between a sweet potato and a water chestnut, with a unique bright orange color and nutty texture. It is a versatile ingredient that can be cooked in many ways, either savory or sweet. Flour, starch and oil are extracted from the flesh for both industrial and domestic uses. Palmito is one of the crispiest and delicious of the edible palms; its rich aroma and consistency are comparable to those of tender bamboo shoots.

Chefs from around the globe continue to be inspired by these two ingredients, creating a melting pot of techniques, recipes and ideas. Their versatility means they are adaptable to almost any kind of cuisine, style, technique or flavors. Commonly found in gourmet markets of New York, London and Tokyo, their prices in these far-off locales certainly categorize them as “elite” ingredients, deserving of regal treatment.

Many Costa Rican and Brazilian scientists are dedicated to the collection, distribution and expansion of knowledge of this “perfect palm.” Costa Rica is the largest exporter of peach palms in the world, and one of the top exporters of heart of palm, thanks largely to the effort of Jorge Mora and his colleagues at the University of Costa Rica, whose dedication and hard work are the backbone of the Pejibaye Research and Technology Transfer Program. Gathering all information available, they have created a database of all things peach palm. From seed banking to general information, their efforts to utilize the palm in different ways is finally paying off as peach palm is put to use in new ways, such as animal fodder and industrial raw materials.

Costa Ricans have a keen taste for pejibaye and palmito, and are quite discerning when it comes to quality. Surprisingly, however, the use of pejibaye in local gastronomy is rather shy, and it is usually served simply as boiled peach palm with mayonnaise or in soup or bread. The same goes for heart of palm, usually appearing in salads and in the quintessential Tico pie, pastel de arroz con palmito, a creamy, buttery, cheesy baked dish with simple flavor but lots of character.

For this recipe, I chose to combine the two amazing products from this versatile tree into one recipe, fusing their flavor and providing a Caribbean twist. ¡Buen provecho!