Melzinho!

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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!

Melzinho

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

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What’s wrong with favelas?

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I first became aware of the word “favela” when I was 12 or 13 – we watched a video in geography class about São Paulo. I don’t remember much about the video itself, but the word stuck in my head and 20 (ish) years later I find myself living right next to one.

Favelas are one of the most prickly subjects in Brazil. Get into a conversation about favelas with a middle class Brazilian and there is a good chance that you will find yourself in trouble before long. I once mentioned to a friend of a friend that Vidigal looked beautiful at night. He responded “Favelas are ugly. You think it is romantic to live without proper sanitation?”.

Vidigal favela at sunset

Vidigal (a favela next to wealthy Leblon) lights up as darkness falls.

 

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Gentileza Gera Gentileza

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When I was a kid growing up in Winchester, there was an eccentric fellow named Ron who would wander the streets pushing a pram full of bits of junk. He was a weird guy – he often seemed to mutter to himself through his unruly beard and as he passed he would often let out a massive burp. At first the burps made you jump, but as the years passed you’d be rather disappointed if he passed without one. Like I said, he was kind of strange, but he was also pretty friendly and he certainly added some character to the town. I realised how much affection people had for him when the tributes poured in on news of his death in 2006.

For almost 30 years, Rio also had an eccentric. The true name of Rio’s unconventional character was José Datrino, but he was better known as Profeta Gentileza (Prophet Kindness).

Profeta-Gentileza

Uh-huh, I think this guy fits the description of eccentric!

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mc beyonce funk carioca

The challenging sound of Funk Carioca

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I can’t speak for the whole of Rio, but if you live in or around my neighbourhood, you can’t have missed a distinctive new sound during the last month or two. The sound I’m talking about is a Funk Carioca (AKA Baile Funk) track called Fala Mal De Mim. I guess the literal translation would be “Speak badly of me”, but probably a better translation would be “Talk sh*t about me”. The artist responsible for this is MC Beyonce.

 

mcbeyonce

This is MC Beyonce. She’s seems very nice, just don’t talk sh*t about her hair or make up. And definitely don’t attempt to steal her boyfriend…

 

Wanna hear the track? OK, here it is:

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Popcorning!

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Some time ago Mrs EatRio and I were cooking up something delicious in the kitchen (prawn and lemon risotto since you ask). As I was getting the drinks I said “Would you mind spooning the risotto out into those those bowls?”

Her reply surprised me. Instead of the usual “Yes chef!” that I expect and demand in my kitchen, she asked incredulously “Spooning? I can spoon something out? I love how almost anything can be a verb in English.”

It wasn’t something I’d ever given much thought, but now that she had mentioned it I felt a warm glow of pride as if somehow I was responsible for the remarkable versatility of my native tongue. I excitedly blurted out “You can ladle out soup too! You know, using a ladle!” and waited expectantly for her amazed reaction to this new linguistic revelation, but instead she replied with a barely interested “Oh…” and I realised that the magic of the moment had passed…

More recently I stumbled upon something which shows that Portuguese can play that game too.

Popcorn

This is popcorn. In Portuguese it is pipoca. Image source

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