Wednesday, June 13, 2018

FANTA IN A BAG


                                         REALLY ?

     An incident in Costa Rica makes me chuckle even years after it happened. On my first trip to the country we were traveling the countryside on a weekday, which also was some sort of a holiday.
     It seemed every little town was celebrating with a parade. Our guide asked, “Would you like to stop and watch a parade?”
     In chorus, the eleven of us said, “Absolutely.” From the back of the van came,”That sounds like fun.”
     The driver stopped and parked the minivan in the shade of a tree. He pointed us in the  direction of the plaza and we were off. I was impressed with the quality of the children’s bands and their ability to play their instruments so well. Their concentration was unbelievable.
     After the parade and having stood in the hot sun for a good while one thirsty couple was looking for something to drink. They wandered into a small grocery store on the way back to the van. When paying for her Fanta the fellow behind the counter asked, “Would you like this in a bag?”
      The young girl gave a shrug of indifference, so the fellow proceeded to uncap the bottle and pour the contents into a small plastic bag. After gathering the bag at the top and inserting a straw he handed it over the counter to her. Somewhat surprised she accepted the bag and finished her walk down the street sucking the chilled Fanta through a straw.We all enjoyed a good chuckle over this unusual event.
     One will be lucky to find a really cold drink outside the U.S. Over the years I learned  that in Central and South America soft drinks usually come in bottles instead of cans. More than once I’ve had to consume my drink on the premises as the bottles stay with the establishment. However, I have never had to drink it out of a plastic bag.

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