CHURRASCARIA CARRERÃO AND COMIDA BRASILEIRA

https://zairetakesbrasil.wordpress.com/2015/05/29/churrascaria-carrerao-and-comida-brasileira/

On our first night of the program here in Rio, the school in which our program in working in cohorts with, IBEU, graciously blessed us with the one of the best meals I have ever had. It was also here that I learned something very important about Brazilian culture: They love their food, and love it in very large quantities.

We went to Carrerão, which is a Brazilian churrascaria. Simply by the set up of these types of restaurant, you can tell that it is Brazilian. Churrascarias are all-you-can-eat restaurants in which there is a salad bar containing fruits, pastas, rices, fish, bread, etc. Then they have every type of meat one could ever desire brought out by the waiters on sticks (for lack of a better word). They cut off whatever meat you like, and however much you like, and put it onto your plate. They also have these little circular cards on the table that look like coasters. One side is green saying “Sim por favor” and the other side is red saying “Não obrigado”. These indicate whether or not you want them to continue bringing you fresh meats or not. Needless to say, it is a ton of food. Plus dessert!

And they even serve you coffee (or a cafezinho) after dessert! It was extremely strong, so that’s why they make them so little.

From this experience alone, it is clear to see that Brazilians love their food, and eat a ton of it! Combining that with the meals that I have been served from my host mom Nilda, who serves a ton of meat, rice, fruit and potatoes every day, this observation of Brazilian culture is furthermore confirmed. Here are some of the meals she has prepared for me over the past few days .

The food I have been eating is so different from American food in the sense of how it is consumed. While we have a majority of the same ingredients, preparation is often different, and things that typically would not be served together in America are served together here. For example, the ham, mango, and egg sandwiches my host mom made me for breakfast… Yes you read that correctly. Not pictured for my own reasons. However, what is importNt to learn and know is that Brazilian food is a part of their culture, and it is different and varies depending on which community you are in, just like everything else