Straw wars: #authres photo resources for Carrie Toth’s Mar de plástico

Recently I had the incredible privilege to take my daughter on her first international trip.  My husband and I had decided we’d do a sort of “coming-of-age” trip for our children when they reached about 9.  (Yes, that’s how early you have to get to your kids before someone else does these days. And earlier, FYI.)  Our oldest daughter had asked for Hawaii, and I told her that was just too expensive.  I mentioned it to a friend of mine and she said, “Have you thought about Costa Rica? It has just about everything Hawaii does at a third of the price.”  And so the plan was born.

She was so right.  My daughter and I took our entire trip for about the price of one of the plane tickets my husband and I bought to Buenos Aires last year for our tenth anniversary trip.  And of course, Costa Rica is a rare gem south of our border.  The nature, safety, size, value, and people make it an ideal first trip for any child, but for mine it was doubly so: she got to practice her Spanish!  Two of my own students came along for the journey.  It was so much fun.

While we were there on the southern Caribbean coast, we ziplined, we snorkeled, we jungled, we slothed, and of course, we enjoyed several fantastic sodas – street cafés with typical food at a great price.  One of them was Soda Kawe in Cahuita.  It’s a hopping, affordable, delicious place to stop for a buen casado, and on Sundays they serve very yummy “rice and beans,” which we learned is a dish cooked in coconut milk, not the same as gallo pinto or arroz y frijoles.  (Think of telling a Russian or Indian person: “Of course we have tea, we just don’t have any chai today.”)

Another thing Soda Kawe is known for is their position in the straw wars, the battle to keep plastic straws out of the streams that lead to the ocean.  My understanding is they were the first eatery in the area to get rid of straws.  They didn’t just get rid of the straws.  While you’re there, they’ll flood you with advocacy for less plastic use, in English and Spanish.  Their sign

made a real impact on the girls I had with me.

Of course, the place made me think the whole time of Carrie Toth’s Mar de plástico unit and resources.  So, while I was there, I walked around and snapped pictures of the resources.  I’m publishing them here for her and anyone else to use to accompany her unit.

I’m so guilty, Soda Kawe, I actually drink my coffee through a sip straw pretty often…

Looks just like a worm, a tentacle maybe…

Notice they emphasize the benefit to the animals, not to us…

Interesting linguistic question: is pajilla an alternate subject for tomar or is it an alternative object to líquido?

Don’t forget the birds…

This is a FUN one with the various words for “straw”:

All credit to Soda Kawe here, none needed for me.  Enjoy.
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