Rio de Janeiro

So excited for cheesy meat

Mom is excited as well

The view of Rio from Sugar loaf 

Jesus Christ at Corcovado 

 Back in the days when I was a mere herbivore words like "steakhouse", "filet mignon", or "rare" did very little in tantalizing my taste buds. As we all know, that is not no longer the case. I eat meat -steak actually, on a regular basis. I even order it jugoso or rare. While I have become quite fond of Argentine parillas (traditional steakhouses) I was delighted to try meat served in a new way at a Brazilian steakhouse. 

    The first day in Rio I was greeted by fresh fruit juices served out of coconuts and healthy salads and sandwiches. The beaches were crowded with women sporting string bikinis and men, well, in shorts way too tiny for my liking. What I'm trying to say is that the beach was packed with beautiful fit people. However, during the night we saw a very different side of Rio, one could say a hungry side. We saw the all you can eat steakhouse side. Men whisked by your table carrying huge skewers of meat. Sometimes you would have to flag them down like hailing a cab by frantically waving a card that said "Yes, please I want more." Very rarely did I flip my card to the "No thanks" side. I mean how can anyone turn down meat covered with parmesan cheese or another favorite of mine, meat oozing with my beloved cheddar. But wait, there was still more food. The meat was just the beginning into this royal feast. At our table you only had to check a little box on a piece of paper indicating the type of sides you would like and magically yucca fries and fried plantains would appear on the table. I dug in ferociously. Nevertheless, the glutenous feast didn't end there. There was a huge buffet spread, decorated with fish, sushi and fresh salads. I ate till the point where I worried my dress would burst. And my mother, never before had I seen her so excited to eat meat nor had I seen her consume the amount she did. My little health nut mom was has been converted. Of course we had to wash down the whole meal with fresh traditional caparianhas, a drink made of cachaca (Brazilian rum), lots of and lime and sugar. 

    Besides the food and overeating, Brazil was remarkable. The city made me feel really calm but so much alive. It made me feel so many things actually, I felt like I was in a familiar place but I couldn't put my finger on what that place would be. It reminded me so much of Miami with the diverse population, industrious buildings across from a beautiful ocean. As well as the Caribbean and parts of Europe. It didn't feel the way I had imagined it to feel. Rio de Janeiro seemed so immense but yet quite manageable. I had expected more chaos, violence and fear in the air. Obviously I didn't go wandering the streets at night but I had built up such a negative idea of the city that I was shocked by the beauty, charm and warmth of the people. The disparity between rich and poor was also very striking. Big pristine buildings and hotels stood proudly across from the beach ushering tourists into the confines of the well patrolled walls while favelas were visible from every angle of the city. We went to the top of Sugar Loaf and saw the most incredible vistas of the city. Unfortunately the day we went to see Corcovado and the famous Jesus Christ statue the thick fog made visibility near impossible and we were only about to see bits of Jesus as the fog shifted. Ultimately the trip inspired me to take up learning Portuguese and go back to travel more extensively around Brazil.