A tempting display in Alajuela, Costa Rica. It shows bananas and small juicy fruits called pejiballes. This picture gives us a fairly accurate idea of the wealth and diversity of tropical fruits in the Central American republics. The consumption of these products of the earth, on the internal markets, is notable. It is an indispensable complement to a mainly vegetarian diet. This fact is the result of a long tradition. But it is also explained by the high cost of meat for the country's poorest populations. Nevertheless, the production of tropical fruits by the large landowners is primarily geared towards export. The production of bananas - to give just one example - has allowed North American companies to develop and even acquire considerable economic and political importance, becoming a veritable state within the state and keeping a close eye on everything that happens in the republic. - 1977
