I am a 2 hour drive west of São Paulo Brazil in the small town of Piracicaba. I've heard the population stated anywhere from 300,000 to 1 million people. If I had to guess I'd say AT LEAST 1 million, if not more. The feel is that of Tijuana east of downtown where large companies have set up Maquiladoras to benefit from the lower labor costs, etc. This is my first impression as we drive from the airport.
The faces I see as I walk the streets later int he evening are as diverse as the planet. All shades and sizes of people, all calling themselves Brazilian. It is really fascinating to see the personal interactions as well. There seems to be no segregation of any type. Not of color nor sexual preference, nor even a glimpse of the typical American quest for perfection in one's mate. Tall and skinny hold the hand of short and fat. Light with dark, old with young. There seems to simply be an attraction of people to people, sharing time and space, as it should be. More on this later....
At my hotel I went to the roof to check out the bar, as was noted in the elevator "Roof Top Bar", and this is what I find. OK. Maybe there's another roof I don't know about....?
This is the view to out and beyond.
Looks like Brazil, or Spain, or Europe somewhere.
Our quest is for an evening meal, and to try the famous Brazilian drink Caipirinha, made with locally produced alcohol from sugar cane, Cachaca. As we walk, along comes a cool bridge over a raging river.... I half joke and ask if it's the Amazon River... There is simply a glance that tells me I'm a moron.
And we walk on.
And as we walk, on the opposite side of the river, there is a festival in the early stages of prep. This is beef ribs cooked surrounded by an open fire.
Pretty darn awesome, and right off the bat on my visit, which it better be as I have only two night in this place. A short but sweet visit :-)
We didn't stay for the festival as it was 2 hours till kickoff and I was hungry and tired having flown in earlier in the day and going straight to the office. So we walk on, continuing the search for more local flare.
Still not the Amazon River.
I still like it though.
A friendly woman on the street directs us to a popular local drinking and eating establishment. It is road side but the outdoor dining is across a busy street so that the waiters must brave the traffic to deliver all goods, both refreshing and satisfying.
I being with a Chopp, pronounced Shop-ay. A local beer served with a huge head which surprisingly evolves down to a normal looking beer after a few minutes, and I'm not sure how it happened, but it did.
As my cohort is sick she is enjoying a refreshing American carbonated syrup.
The beer was good but I'm here for the Caipirinha, which is muddled limes, sugar, alcohol, ice. Nothing more. There are many varieties though, this one is made with Cachaca. Others are made with vodka, less/more sugar, muddled with other fruit, etc.... I liked this a lot, a bit sweet for my taste, but refreshing and STRONG.
Let's try the Vodka one!
I didn't like this one as much. I thought that the Cachaca worked much better with the bitterness of the limes. This one doesn't seem as balanced. I still downed it pretty quick.
Now that I'm properly juiced up (hardy har) it's time for dinner.
Our choice is Picanha na Chapa, which very loosely translated means beef tenderloin cooked on a grill. Here's the grill.
Yes, they did this right on top of our table.
Accompaniments that honestly were not used too much. We're here to eat meat, not salad.
Bread with cheese baked on top. This went well with the meat.
Picanha
The only concern is the grey exterior. We actually thought that maybe they had seared it off first, but alas, that's not likely. Fuck it, let's eat!
It was terrific. Tender and meaty and more than enough for two people. A few times I tried to make a lettuce wrap, but it was not worth the effort.
Meat and Cachaca, I love this place!
As I mentioned before, the integration of people from different ethnic backgrounds into this country, and their national pride, have renewed my faith in the world. It is just about the total opposite from the USA, at least on this front. The inverse could be said from the workplace here though. The color of your skin almost directly relates to the type of work you do. Very much a class system of sorts, not as dramatic as say in India or Pakistan, but it's there, the lighter your skin the better your pay. Talking to people I have the impression that change is coming this way, but for now it is what it is. Interesting though, analyzing my country where in the workplace color should have no impact (I know there are businesses and bosses, etc., that are prejudiced, but it's not the norm).
Speaking again of the personal relationships in Brazil, if someone emigrates to Brazil from Korea, they are Brazilian. From anywhere to Brazil, they are Brazilian. I love that.
In my country the gap between cultures is very deep and ingrained in who we are as a people. African-American is a great example. Why do we need this? Aren't we all just Americans? Can't we all just be Americans?
Thanks for getting it Brazil.
Culturally and personally this country is wonderful.
Professionally I think they are on the road to better days.
Meat and Alcohol - It's what's for dinner
DVA
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