Things you don’t get in Rio
As I approach the end of my third week back in the UK I have to say that being back here has stirred up a complex mix of feelings. I’ll quickly get the negative part out of the way and say that I miss my special one back in Rio – 2 months is a long, long time. But on the other side of the things, I spent last night enjoying a wonderful meal with my mum at a spectacular restaurant in South East London – when you live more than 5,000 miles away, these occasions are rare and precious.
And as I sit here tapping away, I look to my right and see a delicious glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and a plate of yummy cheese from Switzerland (gruyere, since you ask). If you ever consider a move to Rio, you’d better get used to doing without these little luxuries.
This is just the cheddar section of the medium sized supermarket that I was in today. JUST the cheddar! So much choice and quality! Incidentally, I’m saddened that most of the world is either unaware of cheddar or thinks of it as a dull, tasteless cheese. Real cheddar is rich, sharp and tangy! How I miss it when I’m back home in Rio…
If you asked me what other good things I’ve enjoyed since I’ve been back I would tell you about the amazing ham I’ve been eating (far too much of), the delicious sandwiches you can buy pretty much everywhere and the great beers and ales that are for sale in every bar, pub and supermarket. Nothing too surprising so far.
OK, so try this on for size: I’ve been enjoying the weather! Yes, the freezing, cold, rainy, miserable, grey British weather. At least that was my faded memory of the weather – what I’ve actually come back to is something called spring! A season that, after 4 years, had started to fade from my memory.
Rio doesn’t really ‘do’ four seasons. It gets hotter and (theoretically) wetter in the summer months (Dec-Feb) and then cools off and dries up (a bit) for the rest of the year. The trees never lose all their leaves in one go – instead they just steadily drop-a-few and grow-a-few throughout the year. As far as I’m aware, there are no ‘signs of the season’ like the appearance of certain flowers or blossoms.
Being back in England to see spring springing has been a bit of a revelation. Cherry blossom, daffodils, clear chilly mornings – it really is a wonderful season.
Signs of spring – Cherry blossom!
Ah, there’s nothing quite like a crisp sunny morning in early spring.
Pretty yellow flowers that I spotted on my way the work.
A clear chilly evening near King’s Cross.
There have been times since I’ve been back that I have characterised the differences between London and Rio as if it were a competition. But the longer I’m back the more I realise that these two cities, whilst having very little in common, are both great in their own ways.
I’ll leave you another sign of spring that made me very happy. Not sure if I mentioned this before, but I spent quite a bit of time studying British woodland birds at university and thus I am a bit of a bird nerd lover. After such a long time away, the sound of this little fellow (a robin) singing away made me very happy!
Ahhhhh Tom you made me so jealous!!! I can’t wait to go home this year – I’ll be there for fall – just as exciting as spring in my opinion!
But in general, yes, I miss seasons so much!
Very bittersweet going home without your love by your side!…. good luck and have fun
Ah, thanks Lindsey – yes, it’s tough being apart for so long. But we’re almost at the half-way point and when I return I’ll be bringing goodies with me! :D
Canada is famous for its spectacular autumn isn’t it? Will you get to see all those red/yellow maple trees? (sorry if that’s a gross stereotype!)
Canada has THE best Falls! Incredibly spectacular.
Love the posts even though they’re not coming from Rio anymore Tom. Seems to me you’re living the good life between the 2 cities :)
Thanks Brae! Being over in London for a while has kind of messed with my formula (“formula? He has a formula?!”), but the ideas are starting to flow a little better now. And yes, between Rio and London there isn’t much I’m left wanting! :)
Dude, of course it’s a competition. You evaluate two or more things and then conclude what, overall, is better.
Let’s just admit it: London beats Rio, in any season ( and this coming from a guy who stayed at the Regent Palace, meaning that even the quirky is better in London).
Rio is troublesome, and can be amusing at times; London is spectacular, and is functional.
Btw the bird you hear chirping is saying “come Gritty, come Gritty . . .”
Plus, only in the United Kingdom do you encounter this:
http://grittypoet.blogspot.com.br/2012/03/dolphins-and-wales.html
It seems that not only the chirps are different over your side of of the lake. Unfortunately I’m not so sure this peculiarity can be described as something positive.
What can I say? The two cities are completely different. But I like them both in different ways – and conversely, there are things about both that I find frustrating. London can be pretty cold at times, and I don’t mean just the weather. As Brae says, lucky me to get to enjoy both!
Tom, good to see the hemispheric angst! Being torn in two directions is good because both are. Good that is. Quite a comfort for those in the opposite one, where you aren’t cos they know you’ll be back.
I was pretty impressed with the spring in Atlanta a month ago – birdsong all around and flower and leaf buds bursting everywhere. Doesn’t quite work with gum trees…but our magpies sing like angels until they try to rip your head off in the street :)
See you soon. Maybe some iron blue duns on 7th April?
Ha ha! I’ve heard about the magpies down under. Seems like every creature in Australia is out to get you!
The 7th sounds great – I’ve pencilled it in.
That’s so funny – when I made a trip back to the U.S. in April 2010, I had the EXACT same feeling about spring! There’s just something about that delicious promise of warmth in the air… I had forgotten what it felt like.
Yes, that’s exactly it! I have really found myself being bowled over by all this new growth and the birds building nests and so on. I guess being without something for a long period (i.e. winter) makes you appreciate it all the more when it returns – a principle that applies to people too! :)
Funny… I feel the same way after hearing the screeches of the cockatooes here in Australia… How can a bird so beautiful make such a horrible noise. It reminds me of the following, you might enjoy translating it:
“Minha terra tem palmeiras,
Onde canta o sabiá.
As aves que aqui gorjeiam
Não gorjeiam como lá.
Nosso céu tem mais estrelas,
Nossas várzeas têm mais flores.
Nossos bosques têm mais vida,
Nossa vida mais amores (…)”
Goncalves Dias
Ha ha! Those cockatooes should have their beaks taped shut shouldn’t they?! ;)
I love that poem – I actually had a go at translating it back in November in a post about Brazilians talking about Brazil. Such a poetic nation!
It’s an interesting poem because you could imagine it sounds a bit boastful (“Our sky has more stars, Our plains have more flowers, Our forests have more life, Our life more love…”), and yet knowing Brazilians it doesn’t sound that way to me – it just reflects a genuine love and pride in Brazil.
haha…… nah! we are just really really cheesy ;)
I enjoy the cheese selection in London, I really do. But I still have to take exception with your picture. In most supermarkets the Cheddar section is as big, if not bigger, than the section dedicated to cheeses from other parts of
the worldEurope.It’s like the wine selection in France: a whole long aisle for French wines, organised by region, sub-region, town, neighborhood and postcode and five dusty bottles out of reach on a top shelf with wines from other countries.
OK, maybe less extreme than that… :)
Ha ha! It’s a fair point Andrew. But it’s definitely more extreme in France – as you say, try asking a French shopkeeper where he keeps the Australian wine! He will act surprised to hear that you can even get wine from other countries! ;)
But remember, I’m the equivalent of a Frenchman spending two months back in Paris! :D
Yeah, the cheese is a pretty big downside…I (conveniently) forget how good and varied cheese in the states is, and seeing the gross yellow “cheddar” here is just sad. Fresh goat cheese, man…
The funny thing about seasons is that I think it’s hard to understand the appeal if you’ve never had them. The first time I explained to my boyfriend that we have different food in different seasons, he was like, that must suck…
Fresh goats cheese – check out today’s post!
I find that kind of sad about not getting the seasons… But then I’m sure the average Brazilian finds it quite sad when they see me trying to samba – some things you just have to have grown up with I guess :)
I think the not getting the seasons thing has to do with finding it unnecessarily limiting, like if someone told you you could only have coffee 3 months a year, then tea for 3 months, you´d be like wtf, that´s not “fun”, I like my coffee year round thankyouverymuch. So yeah, I agree there’s some stuff you just have to grow up with to appreciate– like no matter how hot it is, I will never find freezing cold showers “refreshing”!
PS Very jealous about the goat cheese and rhubarb, any chance you’d be willing to smuggle some rhubarb back into the country in exchange for some Colombian rum??
That’s a great analogy. When you put it like that, I can see how it sounds kind of annoying. And to be honest, between the months of November and March, I always struggled to be convinced with the argument that all the rain and cold would feel worth it in July! Can’t complain this year though – this has been the springiest spring I can remember!
p.s. Hmmm, not sure that fresh goat’s cheese in my hand luggage would make me very popular! ;)
I couldn’t agree more! I have been living in Rio for 19 months now and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, but I really miss good farmhouse Cheddar cheese. Tesco organic extra strong was my favourite but there are lots of other good ones. Here cheddar is a flavour in cheese spread or the tasteless processed squares like you get in burgers. At least you can get some decent Gorganzola which has some bite to it although it’s not the same as a good Stilton.
I also miss good bacon, rhubarb, parsnips, English mustard and HP sauces, especially the HP Guinness sauce.
But you can’t beat the bananas here and there are lots of good things here that you don’t get in the UK such as acái, nectar de maracujá (passionfruit juice), Pão de quiejo, pasteis, caldo de feijão and hot dogs with everything on including a quail egg.
I also miss English real ale! You can get some here but the prices are crazy!
Hi John,
We have very similar tastes! Parsnips are so good! I ate tons last time I was back. I also feel very sad when my supplies of HP Sauce run out (I haven’t tried HP Guinness Sauce before – what’s that like? I’m intrigued).
But you’re right – if I ever leave Brazil, I know I will miss many, many things. The cheery street vendors (and all the great food they vend!), all the amazing fruit, packed with flavour. I’ll just have to console myself with ham, cheese and pickle sandwiches and pints of proper English ale. Ah yes, and ginger beer! :D
HP Guinness Sauce appeared early in 2011, about 6 months before I left the country, and it is amazing. It’s difficult to describe the flavour which is unique. It’s wonderful on a bacon roll which is something else I miss. I’m getting hungry! I also find it curious that a country that regards beans as almost compulsory doesn’t sell baked beans in tomato sauce. At least you can get Heinz tomato Ketchup here.
I had actually forgotten about Ginger Beer. Crabbies is the best, not just because it has alcohol.
I will be spending June in the UK, my first overseas holiday since emigrating, and I am looking forward to tasting everything we have listed.
Man! I have to try that Guinness HP! I actually tried making my own Ginger Beer recently – didn’t quite work out, but I’m going to stick with it! ;)
Heh heh, I remember my first trip back after moving here. I had been away 2 years and I found it quite strange being back at first. Drinking a whole pint at once was great! I came home (back to Brazil) with a suitcase stuffed full of ginger biscuits, salt and vinegar crisps, HP Sauce and a massive box of Earl Grey tea! :D