Coming up next on Dog TV – Chicken!

About three months ago my wife and I moved into the top floor of a lovely house near the top of a steep hill in Santa Teresa, an artsy neighbourhood near downtown Rio. To be honest, it’s a little more than we can afford and walking up the hill is exhausting, but the beautiful view makes up for cutting back on a few luxuries and the achy legs.

A sight for sore legs – the view from our new house, situated where the neighbourhoods of Santa Teresa and Glória meet. You can see Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain) and Guanabara Bay in the background.

Santa Teresa (or simply Santa as the locals say) is quite unlike most other Rio neighbourhoods, being a hilltop district with steep, windy roads lined with beautiful old buildings. In English we would describe the streets of Santa as “cobbled”, but here in Brazil they have a far more interesting word for the rough, rectangular stones: paralelepípedos. Try saying those seven syllables after a caipirinha or two!

The steep hills and cobbled streets of Santa Teresa – a far cry from the modern apartment blocks of Ipanema and Copacabana.

As well as the picturesque architecture, the area boasts many bars and restaurants full of character and a thriving artistic community. But there is a downside. The combination of Santa Teresa’s bohemian, dog-loving community and the hill/valley acoustics means that each morning at dawn, the ‘dog chorus’ ensues. After 3 months I have now acclimatised, but light sleepers who are visiting for just a week should bear this in mind when deciding where to stay.

But it is not just the Santa Teresans who love dogs. Despite the fact that so many Cariocas live in apartments, dogs are a common sight throughout the city, particularly little poodles with ribbons, t-shirts and even little booties. And recently I stumbled upon a review for a different kind of restaurant – Pet Delícia caters only for canines. Apparently the food is “all natural” and “nutritionally balanced”, making it the ultimate in healthy eating for your pooch. And although this sounds more like something you’d hear about in New York, by all accounts business is booming.

Doggy risotto, made with wholemeal rice, chicken and a mix of vegetables perfectly suited to a dog’s nutritional requirements. Looks pretty nice right?

Happy (and very well behaved) customers.

Of course people have the right to spend their money however they like, but the thought of a pampered dog being carried out of this place, past one of Rio’s many hungry, homeless kids would surely make even the most enthusiastic dog lover feel uncomfortable. The owner of Pet Delícia herself acknowledges this disturbing situation:

“We prefer to say it’s an ‘area for dogs’ rather than a restaurant, being in a country like Brazil where millions of people still suffer from hunger.”

I don’t think Rio is alone in this – all major cities have homeless people living in close proximity to the super-rich – but I think that the gap between Rio’s rich and poor is particularly stark.

And so to Dog TV. I’m happy to report that this is not some demented television station designed for the viewing pleasure of poodles and pomeranians. Instead Dog TV (TV de Cachorro) is the nickname for something enjoyed by the city’s human residents. Many bakeries and other assorted snack shops have a large, glass-fronted rotisserie cabinet. Inside will be as many as 20 chickens roasting away – the overall appearance is not unlike a large television and you know that, given the chance, all dogs would watch that channel!

Warning: watching too much Dog TV can have unwanted side effects…

At first glance I was not convinced by this frango de padaria (bakery chicken), but since trying it I can assure you it is really good! The succulent and crispy roast chicken is usually served with rice, beans, fries and molho à campanha (a delicious salsa of onions, peppers, tomatoes, olive oil and vinegar). Sophisticated? Perhaps not. Delicious? Undoubtedly.

And finally I thought I’d leave you with a short film clip. You can see Dog TV (Télévision du Chien?) in action towards the end of this lovely scene from the French film Amelie: