¡Pura vida!

Volcano Arenal, clouds drifting past the peak

La Fortuna, Costa Rica.

A beautiful morning, the sun already shining warm on the main square at Parque La Fortuna, the volcano Arenal in the distance towering impressively over the area, clouds moving through and covering it once in a while. A small store of frutas y verduras (fruits and vegetables) with a sugarloaf-shaped roof, almost like a garage yard sale, full of avocados: big, heavy ones in perfectly ripe state, piled up on tables next to other fruits and vegetables. I pick up a loaf of bread and some butter from a small local supermarket nearby. I find myself a spot in the sunshine, on a bench in front of a pergola, the Catholic church behind me in the middle of the square, and make my own breakfast. A street dog lazing on the lawn, strolling around from time to time, making his rounds, checking in on me, as if the whole square were under his care. By his third round, his name is Charlie. No menu, no waiter, just pure simplicity and an animal friend in sunny calmness.

Charlie, the street dog lazing on the park lawn

I press my thumb into the skin of the avocado and it gives in immediately. That particular sign that tells you the timing is exactly right. Not a day too early, not an hour late. I spread a good chunk of butter on the bread, lay the avocado across it in thick slices, lots of flaky salt, some pepper, and a good amount of slowly drizzled honey.

Parque La Fortuna in the sunshine

And the beauty of it: this simple green fruit is quietly one of the healthiest things you can put on bread. The creaminess that makes it feel so indulgent is mostly the good kind of fat, the heart-friendly, monounsaturated kind, the same family as olive oil. It adds more potassium than a banana, a solid dose of fiber, vitamins E and B, and its fats even help your body absorb the nutrients from whatever you eat alongside it. A breakfast that tastes like a treat and still quietly gives your body all the vitamin superpowers. Like the Costa Ricans would say: ¡Pura Vida! (Pure life!)

Super ripe avocados. Photo: Eddie Pipocas/Unsplash

I sit there on the bench, eating my masterpiece, crafted with artistic precision and the few tools I have - really, really slowly, Charlie completing another round, unbothered. My mouth watering at the symphony of tastes coming together and melting in my mouth. Just some water and freshly pressed orange juice to go along with it.

Parque La Fortuna. Charlie patrolling the area

What struck me, sitting in that sunshine with the avocado bread melting on my tongue, was how completely the whole thing held together. Nothing competed. The avocado its rich creaminess, topped by the honey giving it a quiet sweet surprise. The butter underneath it all, doing its invisible work, like a rug holding the room together. The salt balancing the sweetness out perfectly and the pepper giving it a pinch of spice and character. Each thing fully itself, each thing making the others better. Simplicity in perfection.

Avocado bread. Photo: Faruk Tokluoglu/Unsplash

Recipe: The open slice — for two

2 big slices of bread, freshly baked

1 ripe avocado

Unsalted butter

Flaky sea salt

Black pepper, freshly ground

Honey runny (or hot honey, for a flaming kick)

Butter the toasted bread generously. Slice the avocado thick and lay it across. A steady slow drizzle of honey over it, a good amount of flaky salt, a crack of pepper. That’s it. Eat slowly in the sun or wherever it shines for you ;-)

Enjoy! ¡Buen provecho!