Community Eating

Life in Brazil has shown to be hard, so they raise and grow most of their food. Even the tiniest of properties will have a small piece of land designated for food. Its amazing! The picture you see above is a cow my Brazilian family butchered. They love their meat, especially their beef. Everyday for dinner, we eat a grand meal with some kind of protein, usually containing beef. Along with this are black beans, rice with [green, young] corn, and lettuce. After we eat our lunch, everyone takes a siesta to recover from the meal. However, not I. During siesta, I use this time to write and practice my Portuguese.

When everyone wakes up from their seista, they typically partake in a communal event of drinking yerba mate, a green tea, called chimarráo. The picture below depicts the drinking vessel, special to chimarráo, with a long straw to drink from. The straws have a flattened mesh like sieve to prevent the tea from entering your mouth. Other things may be added for an enhanced flavor [chamomile, fresh bay leaves, etc.]. The means of drinking chimarráo is quite a social event, for there is only one vessel to go around. You pour hot water over the tea on the opposing side from the tea and continue to drink the tea until you finish. Then, you fill it again with water and pass it the next person going around the room. Thus, there is only one vessel per household. I love chimarráo not only for the social engagement, but for the taste too!

Another way to enjoy social eating is by having a churrasco, or BBQ. Below is a picture of beef over an open fire, which is located in the ´garage ´. I say ´garage ´ with question because it´s not the same kind of garage you or I would imagine [if from USA]. In Brazil, the garage is a place to socialize and sit down to enjoy churrasco and chimarráo, not a place for vehicles. Once the food is ready for consumption, the man of the house portions the carna into small portions and puts it on a plate with farinha de mendioca, a starchy potato like flour. Then, one person walks around the room to pass the meat with toothpicks.

These types of social events are exactly what I am in search of with every culture, because food is such an important part of our lives. Food is meant to be enjoyed and experienced with others, not to be abused. Perhaps we can return to our own cultural roots.

I wonder what I will encounter next???