Verto students lived Afro-Caribbean experience

• Community leader and chef Lasel Lonis shared some of the secrets of his famous Caribbean dishes and told a bit of his story.

Monday, March 3, 2023. The student community of the Verto Education program staying at the CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) campus had the opportunity to enjoy the experience of a delicious Afro-Caribbean meal.

The initiative stems from the course on Latin American history taught to Verto students by Carmen Hutchinson Miller. Professor and historian Hutchinson shared with her students the changes that took place in Latin America after independence and the liberal ideology that drove them. In Costa Rica, this ideology allowed the construction of the railroad and the arrival of Chinese and Afro-Caribbean immigrants who stayed in the country. This is how more than 20,000 Jamaicans arrived in the country, which explains the strong Afro-Caribbean heritage in the province of Limón and throughout the country.

To provide her students with an enriching experience, she decided to invite an Afro-Caribbean descendant and what better representative than Mr. Lasel Lonis, who has not only kept his ancestral customs and traditions alive, but is also a recognized community leader and chef of the canton. Mr. Lasel is the son of Jamaican parents, which makes him an important part of the Afro-Caribbean heritage in Costa Rica, besides his spoon was famous throughout the country thanks to his 32 years as owner of the restaurant "El Kingston" located in Turrialba. Professor Hutchinson spoke about the resistance of the people and highlighted the importance of preserving this type of cultural aspects such as gastronomy.

For the occasion, Lonis, in addition to talking about his roots in the community of Siquirres, showed them the process of making some of the traditional dishes that remain to this day, such as fish with yucca and the famous "Rice and Beans". "I am very happy to share with these kids, they are young people from other cultures, so it is very nice to explain to them more or less our roots, what we have eaten for so long. In my case, my mother was the one who taught me all the secrets of cooking," he said.

Cinthia Arévalo Martínez, of Salvadoran nationality, is one of the students who enjoyed the Caribbean food and mentioned: "It is very interesting how they cook everything in big pots and it still has a lot of flavor, compared to American food, where they can't make it that big because they don't know how to season things. Here I also learned how they make patacón from plantains. I had never tasted anything like that until I came here to Costa Rica".

For her part, student AlyceWatt said, "I think this experience we are doing for my Latin American history, Spanish and photography classes about Caribbean cuisine is very interesting. I think it's a great learning opportunity. Another subset of Costa Rican culture, with the inclusion of Jamaican culture and I am very excited to be able to eat and taste the food, as well as hear more about the chef's experience and culinary journey.

Verto Education is an education abroad program working with U.S. universities that provides students with the opportunity for multidisciplinary learning where they can gain valuable skills and tools for personal and professional development. Through the cultural exchange that means the stay of each of the students at CATIE, social and environmental alliances are created with local organizations for joint work and bilateral benefit.

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