QCOSTARICA – The sellers of vigorón in Puntarenas fear the new market in the Paseo de los Turistas will harm their sales. The president of the Asociación de Vendedores de Vigorones y Cajetas, Vanesa Galán, said there is no vantage point of grouping all the sellers in one location.
“I feel that the new market will be a low for us. It will be very nice in the beginning, people will come to buy the vigorones, but what happens after?” said Galán.
The Puntarenas Municipal Market (Mercado Municipal de Puntarenas) consists of two structures – each a kilometre apart – equipped with electricity, water and sanitation.
Some 20 vigorón vendors that used to sell on the street, now are inside the market.
In addition to expressing concerns on sales, the association president is also calling on the government to grant the women vendors over the age of 70, a pension.
Galán said that most of the women suffer from chronic health problems and need to retire. Skin diseases are very common among the vendors, as they spend many hours in the sun.
“The needs are great. Many (of the wome) are heads of households, living in poverty, on the job every day in order to feed their families,” said Galán.
The association has been active since 2012, with the objective of maintaining this Puntarenas tradition alive. Currently, 40 vendors form part of the group.
Vigorón is a traditional dish in Puntarenas consisting of a cabbage salad known as curtido (chopped cabbage, tomatoes, onions, and chili pepper marinated in vinegar and salt), boiled yuca, and chicharrones (fried pork with skin or with meat) wrapped in Banana leaf.
