Single women visitors find that many Costa Rican men fancy themselves prototypes of the "Latin lover." It's as a Latin friend once explained, "When I was a young man, my father one day took me aside to tell me the facts of life. He said, 'My son, in this world you must understand one thing: you cannot go to bed with every woman you meet. But, you must at least try!'"

Mostly trying comes in the form of priopos, or flirtatious, double-entendre remarks as ladies walk past a group of "Latin lovers" on the street corner. The remarks are intended to be humorous asides to draw laughs and approval from the man's companions. Unlike in some countries, the remarks here are rarely blatantly obscene, so a lady can safely smile as she con­tinues on her way. Costa Rican ladies take it all in stride, either pretending they heard nothing, or smiling if the priopo was particularly flattering. But American women, unused to this unwanted attention, often take offense. Showing anger is a mistake, because your indignation simply amuses the offender and the bystanders. Although you may disapprove of this cultural absurdity, priopos area fact of life in Costa Rica. When you, as an outsider, try to change things, you end up making a fool of yourself. If you absolutely cannot ignore the remark, a simple curling of the lip as an expression of disgust, as you continue on your way, is ample. You've put him down as repugnant instead of clever enough to get under your skin.
It's perfectly acceptable for single women to enter bars, restaurants or nightclubs, and they won't likely be bothered by priopos because most bartenders won't stand for it. But since the bar will be full of "Latin lovers" you can be sure that before too long some feisty man will be testing his luck and charm by professing his undying love. Curiously, according to the foreign ladies I've talked to, every one of the men who tried to date them in bars was either "single" or "divorced." Now, isn't that convenient? The fact is, divorce in Costa Rica is not common, yet married men pretending that they're divorced are extremely common!

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