Cowboys and Cow Ribs

Imagine if you were attending a local festival celebrating your culture. Perhaps it is a bit of a mini-family reunion where your extended family has traveled to join in the festivities. As you are seated around your table waiting for food, someone approaches the table to tell you that there are foreigners present and they need a place to sit.

Would you welcome them to your table?

Let me tell you about my Sunday.

Early in the week we had been told by some friends about a festival taking place just outside the city. Costela ao Fogo de Chão festival, or more a way of cooking and eating, that celebrates the Brazilian Gaucho, cowboys typical to South America and from what I’ve learned most prominent in the south of country. You will likely hear of them in Argentina too which creates a bit of a rivalry from what I hear.

We made the decision to attend the festival after Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day and arrived to look around, not exactly sure what we were in for. We knew the costela (ribs) were a big draw, but we didn’t know what else was involved. The day turned out to be quite the cultural and culinary adventure, one we weren’t at all expecting.

We soon found a gymnasium-type facility decked out in colorful decorations, overflowing with people and filled with dinner tables. In the middle of each table was a round base, and in this base was a massive piece of cow rib.

Throughout the dining rooms there were tables set up with vinaigrette (tomatoes with onion, lime juice and parsley), lettuce, mandioca (yucca, manioc), rice, farofa (toasted mandioca flour with bacon, onion and corn) and rolls. The idea was to surround your table with family and friends, fill your plate from the salad bar and then feast off the slab of ribs elevated in the center of the table.

We weren’t exactly sure how things worked. Many of the tables were reserved and we had started to think that it was a private event or maybe that we needed to have made reservations. Finally we saw a gentleman dressed in gaucho attire and we decided to ask him what we were supposed to do and if we could eat.

Immediately he asked us if we were German (as usual). My husband told him we were from the US and from that point things just happened so fast. Before we knew it he had grabbed a lady who happened to be an English teacher. She was asking us if we had someplace to sit and told us to hold on while she found the boss.

It turns out that the boss was the head of the CTG (Centros de Tradições Gaúchas) organization. He appeared very happy to see us and in a few minutes we were directed to the table of his family. As it turned out two members spoke English and even though my husband told them he spoke Portuguese and I spoke a little they continued to communicate with us in English. Incredibly hospitable, in my opinion. They were having a bit of a family reunion and let us know that their family was from Rio Grande de Sul (known for gaucho traditions) and had moved to both Curitiba and Maringá.

I have to say it was the most welcoming, gracious experience I have had in our two years here. Looking back, the whole event and how we were treated was unbelievable. Here we were complete strangers, foreigners at that, and we were simply wondering if we could get a table to eat. They welcomed us to the experience, and were clearly excited for us to witness a piece of their culture. We were even addressed during the announcements!

So let’s talk about this costela (the rib meat of the cow) as it was certainly the main attraction at this event. Our new friends told us that the ribs are salted the night before and then the cooking begins about 5:00 a.m. over the open flame. That means they cooked for about seven hours before making it to the table. Fogo de Chão, which you may be familiar with because it is the name of a popular chain of Brazilian restaurants in the US, is roughly translated fire of the floor, or fire of the earth.

The meat was coming out all over the place, and if you weren’t carefully, chances are you would get bumped in the backside with a big slab coming out on a long metal pole with a sharp hook which the meat was attached too. From there, on the table it goes and the designated carver slices off pieces for everyone around the table.

The meat itself was just okay. This was much more about the experience itself. It was very, very fatty and resembled a roast beef like my mom makes at home with the carrots and potatoes. I can appreciate the fact that it is loved around here though. I just can’t eat it like most Brazilians do, fat and all. I carefully picked around the fat to get to the better meat. As is the case at most parties here, a second portion was practically forced upon us, but after that I was done for sure. The rice, vinaigrette and farofa were much more to my liking.

At dinner the family was telling us about their horse. He was described as a champion and after we ate we went out with a large group of people to walk through the stalls and take some pictures of him. We were met by a barn full of horses, some wanting a bit of attention, others content to eat their hay and still others a bit moody.

The champion’s name turned out to be Zeus. Zeus fully met the criteria of being a self-confident champion. He was bit irritated at being bothered during his hay munching. As one of the men teased him a little, I have never in my life seen a horse practically bust through a stall gate to try to bite someone. Zeus may have been beautiful, but he was not all that friendly. In fact, they closed up the stall and I didn’t even get a picture. He looked like his day was going bad enough already and I didn’t think a photo would sit too well given his current mood.

We did meet some other friendly horses. The names were the best part because many of them were in English. My husband really liked Cowboy.

Hanna was my favorite; a sweet girl with her head out of the stall welcoming anyone who passed by to give her a scratch. I couldn’t help but laugh when two young boys walked up to give her hay and started calling her Hannah Montana. Apparently she is popular here too.

What a completely unexpected day. In fact, until about 10 minutes before, we weren’t even sure we would go. I’m so glad we did and it makes me wonder if I’ll ever have the opportunity to return this type of hospitality and cultural experience to a complete stranger someday.


This culture and culinary experience was a good fit for both my blogs so you'll find this cross-posted at Fake Food Free.

Reaching Normalcy

I do believe I have the worst case of ex-pat blogger’s block known to man. I keep thinking of ideas for posts, I start writing and they lead nowhere.

Perhaps this is because things just aren’t all that exciting right now. I wake up, I work, I workout, I cook, I sleep. That is pretty much my day and thinking about it makes me realize that I’ve reached that place in this new life that can be referred to as normalcy. It will be changing soon, but after two years in this country I am there.

I’m not passing up opportunities as we eat out with friends and coworkers and we have a few festivals to attend this weekend. All which keep the cultural experience alive. However, other than that things aren’t overly exciting. Perhaps those events this weekend will produce something resembling blog entertainment and I do still need to share our experiences over the 4th weekend which involved bingo and sushi.

In other news, all I had to do was mention the flight prices in South America and along came a deal. I’m happy to say I will be flying up to Belo Horizonte in August to meet Corinne and Emily! I very excited to meet them and to experience another part of this country that will be new all over again.

And now that I think about it, today was a rather exciting day. I absolutely love our Japanese/Asian market here. They bring in fruits from all over Brazil and a few from around SA while selling foods from local vendors as well. I found açaí berries! Not the pulp, but the actual berry. This was the first time I’d seen the berry in its natural form and I’m thrilled to trying juicing them myself. So on the culinary side, things are still very exciting!

Looky – I Found Lemons!

Oh how I love it when the supermarkets around here make a liar out of me!

We’ve been branching out lately and trying some new stores around town. While we had been in practically all the grocery stores in town, my husband stopped in a new one when I was still in the States and really liked it. Since then we’ve been doing most of our shopping there.

A week or so ago we were shopping the produce section and browsing the exotic fruit row. You know, things like Granny Smith apples, plums, pomegranates and special varieties of pears. I truly enjoy how exotic is one of those words that means completely different things in different areas of the world.

I practically yelled across the store to my husband when I found one of these.

Lemons!!!!

Okay, there are two things regarding this that I need to mention. The first is that I’m not a crazy person. When I say I can’t find something around here it isn’t after simply walking in the store looking and then reporting that it doesn’t exist. No, it is a bit of a two step process.

To begin I check a couple of stores and if I don’t find it, I ask someone which often turns out to be one of my husband coworkers. When they act as if they have never heard of an item before, that is when I make the judgment call that they probably don’t have it here. This was the case with lemons. Many people had never seen or heard of them and those that did told us they don’t have them here.

The second thing I need to mention is that I was tipped off about lemons existing in Brazil a couple months ago. Miranda, who had the same reaction to a lack of lemons in Brazil as I did, went to São Paulo recently. She was happy to email me upon her return to tell me she had found limão siciliano (the name in Portuguese) at the market there.

To be honest, I am a bigger fan of limes than lemons, but I did buy one just because I could. One ended up costing R$1 or 50 cents USD which is about what they cost at home.

So yes, I withdraw all previous claims which may have mentioned there were no lemons here. That was not a lie because at that time and according to all my sources, there were not. However, things are a changing around here it seems.

Big Travel News!

It is hard to believe that we made this decision to move to Brazil over two years ago. Since that time we have always had the idea of more travel on our minds. First we thought we’d do a lot of traveling in Brazil and South America. That was pretty much nipped in the bud once we got here and saw flight prices.

Man, Brazil desperately needs a discount airline. When you think about all the good places to go around here, you would think there would be one. Jet Blue (Azul) is helping, but not quite there yet. I thought that the US was bad after seeing prices in Europe, but South America takes the cake. I mean, come on, Ryan Air has its faults, but you can’t beat flying for 20 euro even with a bag charge.

Sure, I know everyone raves about bus travel in Brazil, but I’m going to be honest with you, for me, choosing to take a bus is like self-induced torture. I love trains, but I can’t stand buses.

So our travel throughout the two years quickly turned into the idea of an extended SA trip at the end of our time here, and once again that has changed too. We are still trying to find a stellar deal to some select countries (Chile & Argentina) during one of the random airline sales, but it isn’t looking hopeful.

So once again we set our sights on a different location. Europe is always in the running and we thought I’d go to Ireland with my husband again while he worked and then head off to Italy, but that wasn’t feeling right either.

Picky, picky, picky.

Hmm…so what does that leave us? Where could we travel that is affordable, incredibly interesting and offers some of the most amazing food on the planet?

Southeast Asia, anyone?

That’s right, the trip is planned (at least most of it) and I can hardly contain my excitement! The month of October, after we leave Brazil, but before we settle back into the States, we are going to be soaking up all the Southeast Asian culture we can.

Our itinerary is set and we will be off to: Hong Kong, Bangkok-Thailand, Chiang Mai-Thailand, Krabi-Thailand, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur-Malaysia and Bali-Indonesia!

I plan to take you with me, but likely under a new blog. The Brazil theme isn’t going to fit well as I take on life’s new adventures. I’m still working on that though.

In the meantime, start throwing your ideas at me. If you’ve been to those areas, I’d love to know what you did and your favorite foods. All advice and friendly traveler warnings are welcome!

Being a Traveler is Easy

I come across many different travel articles and posts and I enjoy reading them all. There have been some especially funny ones lately about being a good traveler, not being a travel snob and about being accepting of other cultures as a traveler.

That last topic always gets me thinking. A traveler and a person who is a traveler and also an ex-pat must share similar characteristics. However, not all things are the same. I think it takes the same basic skills to be both – patience, sense of adventure, openness, and acceptance. However, if there is one thing living abroad has taught me is that being a traveler is much different than being an ex-pat.

Being a traveler is easy.

When you come into a new world as a traveler it is easy to go with the flow; easier to accept all the little things that make cultures different. They are fascinating. Our senses are heightened and everything is new and different.

And more importantly it stays new and different mostly because you are there a short time. The adjustments you have to make are welcomed – eating local foods, keeping the same hours, shopping the same way, respecting cultural gestures and personal bubbles (or lack thereof).

Even if there two or three weeks it isn’t long enough for anything to get old and you haven’t yet had the opportunity to miss anything from home. (Even though as avid travelers we convince ourselves that we would never do that. (Miss things from home. As if! )

I think most of us take on the ex-pat experience because we enjoy travel and being exposed to other cultures in the first place. I know that is why it was intriguing to us.

I had plans for myself, big plans. I would be open and accepting, avoid complaining, become completely fluent in a language in two years, learn how to make every local dish and embrace every single opportunity that came my way.

Then life started to happen and I started realizing - wow, ex-pat life is actually nothing like traveling. I try to hold on to the same attitudes and beliefs, but the truth is it has challenged me in ways traveling never has and likely never will.

When you live in a foreign country the right way (and by that, yes, I mean legally), you are experiencing real life as a grown up. Not that grow- ups don’t travel, I just mean the responsibilities start popping up.

This whole issue of being accepting and understanding of another culture isn’t something you adjust to for a couple weeks, it is something you face day in and day out with no break. You must adjust, no exceptions, and you must do it quickly. Quite frankly there are days where these criteria make it bit less fascinating and more along the lines of stressful.

Your cultural clashes are more than just disorder when boarding an airplane, but they arise in how you communicate, what time you eat dinner and what resources you now have available to you. Your interaction moves beyond a curious local and the hotel receptionist or hostel manager and on to setting up internet service, having the bathroom light fixture repaired, paying the rent in person every month and forking over a crazy amount of taxes to your new government.

You meet new (great) friends and keep in touch with old ones, but your experiences are much less new to those around you. When you return back to your home country for a visit less questions come your way about what you saw and what you do. It’s not like you just returned from a trip and have exciting stories to share, you are just visiting from your home-for-now. (This one may actually be a good one as I’m not one for all the questions!)

I think I’ve managed okay with keeping a travelers attitude…externally. Internally? Probably not so much. As in, when I’m sitting in the apartment and cars honk instead of stopping at the stop sign on the corner, or the guys with big boom boxes on their mopeds come blaring down the streets shouting an ad for a pharmacy. Let’s be honest, curse words have been known to fly even if I’m the only one who hears them.

It’s clear to me that traveling and living there are not at all the same. I think it is easy to be judgmental as a traveler thinking that some people aren’t getting a true piece of culture. You know, those tourists (how we shutter at the word). Then you become an ex-pat and might think, as I often have - wow, this whole embracing another culture is not as easy as I thought. Maybe I have more tourist in me than I would once admit. Surely not.

As a traveler I feel fortunate to have experienced the other side, the ex-pat side. As an ex-pat I am also excited to be turning back into a traveler soon. It will be nice for everything to be new again.



Here’s the links to some of the articles I was speaking of the in the first paragraph in case you are interested.

6 Ways To Not Be a Holier-Than-Thou Traveler
10 Things every traveler should do
How culture shock broadens your cultural perspective