Sunday, September 17, 2006

matar saudade in Sao Paulo

Saudade is a portuguese word for nostalgia. In Brazil it means more. It is a unique feeling of missing something with passion, yearning and love. Matar saudade means kill the nostalgia in plain English. In Brazil it means letting oneself indulge in all those things one missed, with a vengeance. The following are some things i did to matar my saudade and these are a must-experience for the visitors:

- Radio Gazetta. This is a FM radio playing Brazilian music. As soon as i get into a car or taxi I tune to this favourite station. One of the reasons i got attached to this station was that the station is located just in front of the Consulate I established in 1996. The steps of the entrance to the Gazeta building is the best vantage point to sit and watch people.

- Cafe. In Brazil cafe means more than coffee. It is culture, conversation and colour( of the skin of people). cafezinho is an affectionate dimunitive for a small cup..but strong.

-Churasscaria. This is the typical barbecue restaurant offering varieties of unlimited quantitity of meat and a large buffet to be enjoyed leisurely.

- Chhop. This is light draft beer which keeps conversation going for hours without getting drunk. Every street corner has a chopperia, besides beach fronts and bars.

- Caipirinha. This is cane liquor with lemon and sugar. So sweet and easy to drink and easy to forget the number of pegs and get intoxicated.

-Pao de queijo. This is a little ball of cheese bread. It goes with cafe, as a snack and with dinner,lunch and breakfast.

-Feijoada. This heavy meal with all parts of the meat like a stew and black beans is for weekend or wednesday lunch.

-Livraria cultura. This is a bookshop in Conjunto Nacional building in Avenida Paulista. The best collection of books of Brazil, Latin America and in English language too.

-FNAC bookshop next to the consulate has a cafe besides books and music.

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