Friday, December 19, 2008

Quiquiriquí (cock-a-doodle-doo)

I grew up not far from a couple of dairy farms in our beautiful Wisconsin coulee; seeing cows and horses was ordinary, but I don't recall seeing many chickens.

Here it's another story—there's poultry everywhere. The beef in Costa Rica isn't that hot, but Ticos really know how to do up chickens. Even the country's most traditional food, rice and beans, is known as gallo pinto (spotted rooster). I guess you could say that chickens rule the roost.


I see chickens here daily as I go to the grocery store, the school, church, the mall ... Even the kids' former favorite jumping spot (which is no more, sadly) was host to a giant inflatable rooster.

On our trip from Guanacaste back to the valley we easily saw over a hundred chickens along the way. People keep them at their homes in the yards and they run all over like ... well, like chickens with their heads cut off! (BAWK!)

I lived in a gated community that appears to be chicken-free, but somewhere nearby lives at least one rooster—and forget that stuff about crowing at sunrise, because this misguided dude often begins his cock-a-doodle-dooing at about 4am. Somebody needs to readjust that bird's clock.

3 comments:

Justine said...

I wonder where that whole "the rooster crows at dawn" thing started? 'Cause I've heard them do their thing at every time of day!

Justine :o )

Shelli said...

OKay, that's definitely the first inflatable rooster I've seen.

Lisa said...

Down the street from my parents place there is a family that has hundreds of roosters, each with its own teepee. Once one of those suckers starts cock-a-doodle-dooing the rest join in. It is very funny. Im just glad you cannot hear them from my parents place!!