Food and drink Archives - Page 22 of 39

Brazilian Brands: Aviação

14/12/2012/11 Comments/in Food and drink

How do you feel about brands? Whether it’s food, clothes, electronics or detergents, they’re all around us whether we like it or not. Some of us willingly embrace a brand, while others feel that brands are simply a cunning marketing ploy to fool us into paying more than the fair price.

I have to admit that I find some aspects of branding really interesting. I like the design elements of the packaging and find it interesting how these are involved in the way we (at least some of us) develop an affection for certain brands. Of course a lot of this brand indoctrination starts at a very early age so that by the time we’re old enough to be buying our own tomato ketchup we don’t even stop to think about why we always pick Heinz.

An interesting aspect of transplanting yourself into a new country is that you come to the market cold. Many of the brands from home are unavailable and so you find yourself adopting new favourites.

Cow Hand Soup

12/12/2012/16 Comments/in Food and drink

Last Saturday some friends and I went to a kind of fundraiser for one of Rio’s top Samba Schools, Portela. It was pretty cool actually, there were a bunch of different bands playing up on a stage, there were plates piled high with feijoada and there were ice buckets full of beer. Oh yes, and there was some serious heat!

A day of samba, cerveja, feijoada and fun!

With the temperatures up around 40°C (104°F), the ice cold beers slipped down very easily (along with a cheeky caipirinha or two). Eventually the sun sank, our boozy afternoon became evening, and I started to experience that special kind of hunger that comes after drinking a little too much.

Luckily for me, Mrs Eat Rio’s appetite tends to be well aligned with mine, so we decided to leave the stage area and go in search of sustenance. We wandered past stalls selling beers and caipirinhas and then we saw the sign.

How to order food in Brazil

06/12/2012/10 Comments/in Food and drink

The first time some friends from back home came out to visit me here in Rio, I was more than a little excited. It had been 18 months since I’d seen them and after such a long time, where better to have a reunion than Rio de Janeiro? On their first night in town, we had a few drinks in Copacabana and then went for a meal at La Fiorentina in Leme (sadly no longer with us).

La Fiorentina – legendary seafood and pasta restaurant on the seafront in Leme.

Back in London we would often meet up at a favourite restaurant (or try a new one), so it was like old times, chatting over a glass of wine as we perused the menu. However, when the food arrived, they realised that they weren’t in ~~Kansas~~ London anymore.

Buzios: good blood and tiny hearts

04/12/2012/7 Comments/in Food and drink, Musings

Those of you who stay in touch through the Eat Rio Facebook Page will know that the Eat Rio team (erm, that’s Mrs Eat Rio and me) went to Búzios over the weekend. Búzios is a popular beach town located on a peninsula around 100 miles (170km) northeast of Rio. Apparently Brigitte Bardot loved Búzios so much she stayed for months and is now immortalised by a statue that sits (rather provocatively) on a bench along one of the main streets.

I had heard plenty about Búzios since I came to Rio, but until this weekend I hadn’t visited. So when some workmates suggested a weekend trip I jumped at the chance. It’s really rather nice:

This is Praia de Geribá, just 2 blocks from where we were staying.

That’s a fine looking scene isn’t it? I can only imagine how this must make you feel if you’re currently suffering sub-zero temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere (heh heh!). However, you should know that we didn’t spend the whole weekend lazing on the beach…

Melzinho!

09/11/2012/6 Comments/in Food and drink

Are you going on a long car journey anytime soon? When I was a kid it felt like we were always going on mammoth long car trips. My sister and I would be packed into the back seats of the car along with duvets, pillows, suitcases, camping gear and all kinds of other bits and pieces.

One of the things that made it bearable were Travel Sweets – specifically these Travel Sweets.

Smith Kendon Travel Sweets. These were basically marketed as a way to stop your kids complaining on long journeys! They work!

I’ve talked before about Brazil’s love of sugar, so it should come as no surprise that here they have their own sugary option for long car journeys. Melzinho!

This is Melzinho, a long lasting (hopefully!) treat, to keep you going on your long car journey.

Archive for category: Food and drink