Iron stomachs. . .

These are plantains (pictured). The look like bananas, but are a little larger, thicker and infinitely more indigestible than their cousins.

Basically, if you eat them raw, you're going to have jungle tummy for a couple of days.

They are very tasty when you bake them, fry them, pound them into chips and fry them (think Gump Shrimp). But do not eat them raw.

The other day, Lucy and I popped into one of the tree houses to change the towels after the folks had vamoosed, and found a bunch of plantains above the refrigerator and some were missing. The family, from Germany, were out hiking the volcano.

The next day at breakfast, Lucy told them that the plantains should not be eaten raw. The father, a very gregarious fellow, nearly fell off his bench laughing, saying that they had been eating them raw for the past two weeks (the German folks have a great vacation plan).

Patricia and Seidy, who were working that morning, about fell over laughing that anyone would eat a plantain raw. The family, though, was unfazed and will probably make that a part of their diet for their whole time here in Costa Rica.