Talking to myself

You know when your internal monologue escapes your lips? I was driving along in traffic the other day when I started to tune into that monologue, it went something like this:

no really, it is the pedal on the right.
signal, please? no really, signal.
the middle is not a lane.
the shoulder is not a lane.
um, this is one way....?
wow. (as a motorcyclist cuts her way through traffic wearing flip-flops, shorts and a tank top)
no. no. no. no. no. (actually nao, nao, nao, nao in response to the people selling things at traffic lights--everything from fruit to kitchen towels to kids floatie pool toys)
oh. my. god.
who is honking????!

and that was pretty much all in just one outing to do some grocery shopping. this driving commentary could become a recreational past-time for me. i really believe that if you can drive here you can drive anywhere....

Rio 2016

Correction: CIDADE GANHADORA!!

Uma Bomba, indeed

This was on the news Friday--a fireworks store in southern Brazil exploded and killed 11 people! Yikes. I am back on my anti-fireworks soap box.
http://terratv.terra.com.br/especiais/noticias/4416-249140/veja-como-ficou-rua-onde-loja-de-fogos-explodiu.htm

Caruru de Cosme e Damiao

On September 27, many Brazilians celebrate the saints Cosme (Cosmas) and Damiao (Damian) who were regarded as protectors of children. This is a religious holiday--both Catholic and that of Cadomble (Afro-Brazilian religion). In Bahia, people commemorate the day by preparing a caruru, a traditional Afro-Brazilian dish, and sharing it with poor children in the community. We went to a "caruru" today at the home of a family friend. When we arrived, there were about 7 boys who had been invited from one of the nearby favelas (poor neighborhoods) for the holiday. They were sitting around a table on the patio, eating their plates of caruru, accompanied by other typical Bahian foods. It kind of looked like this:


Caruru is a dish made of okra and shrimp, served with rice and chicken. It is accompanied by acaraje and vatapa, which I wrote about in an earlier blog. These are Afro-Brazilian foods specific to the northeastern part of Brazil.

After the kids ate, they left and we had our own plates of caruru. B and I sat outside on the veranda where we could see the streets below. Not all kids get invited to people´s homes....some just hang out in the neighborhoods and wait for people to stop. We watched as cars pulled up to groups of women and children walking along the streets or sitting on benches...the people in the cars either handed bags of food out the window or opened their trunks from which they gave out food. Once the kids all had a bag of food, the people drove away. It kind of felt like Halloween in reverse--without the costumes, and caruru instead of candy. Apparently for all of the food sharing there is something to do with giving thanks for wishes come true or hoping that wishes come true...not quite clear on that...but was a really interesting tradition to take part in. P.S. I am not a big fan of caruru, but it is definitely a must-try in Bahia.

Simple Pleasure #2...

...is "suco"---juice. There are so many amazing fruits here, many of which are used for making juice. A glass of cold, fresh fruit juice makes me so so happy. Today I am having pineapple juice with mint. This morning...guava. Yesterday...acerola. A few days ago....cacau. And sort of mixed in between, lime juice. I love ordering "limonada suica" which is lime juice with the skin included-so completely refreshing. There is fresh fruit juice everywhere here. There are even little juice shops in the city that are like the old-school hamburger drive-ins in the states. You pull up in your car, they come over and take your order, then bring your fresh juice to your car and put a little tray on your window so you can sit there and sip it. Brilliant!

Bumps in the Road

Life with an automobile in Salvador for us has had its fair share of bumps in the road. Literally, navigating the myriad of random speed bumps and/or variety pot holes after the rainy season...and figuratively....the process of finding a car, then buying a car, then that very car ceasing to function whilst parked on a sidestreet late on friday evening. We (I) had a misty moment of longing for our old, reliable Japanese import cars. We would have surely opted for one of those here in Brasil were they not taxed like there is no tomorrow. Waaaaaaah.
p.s. said car is functioning again. Go little made in Brazil car by American company, go! (please, please keep going...)

"Learning a foreign language"

Our trip to Cape Town spoiled me...I spoke English freely all day every day. Now, I'm feeling more like this!! (except the portuguese version...). Someday it won't be like this, right???!