My Town Friday Shoot-out / Outdoor food

Over my three years with this blog I have talked many times about Brazilian food – food is a very serous topic for Camillo and I – we eat and drink as a priority, so to find another way of talking about food took some time and effort. 

You have to remember that we are in the southern hemisphere and it is winter.  Winter in the State of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is very moderate, some cool rainy days (in the 60-70) and the rest of the year is – well - hotter than moderate. (75-100)  This subtropical weather points all Brazilians outdoors all year around when it is time to eat.  

Gotten this far with the story of outdoor food and it still hard for me to pinpoint outdoor food. 

What foods are eaten outside versus inside?  The answer is - whatever you can find on a menu indoors, your can find on the menu outside.   Many of the best restaurants have sit-outside areas, and if you want to really eat in the sun there are bars and street seating almost everywhere on the streets in Rio.  To tell the truth this is the limit to my knowledge, I have never eaten at a soccer game or out on the beach.  I know there is beer sold, coconut water, ice cream bars, potato chips in very small bags, and boiled corn and chocolate covered peanuts.  I have never taken a picture or bought any of these foods outdoors.  (well the beer and potato chips maybe) so what else is there to say. 

I am going to say that given Camillo’s love of getting out on a beautiful Sunday and drive in a new direction, always following his stomach to a new eating opportunity, and given the nature of eating out on the sidewalks here, then all foods in Brazil are possible outdoor food.   Our delicious fresh vegetables ready to be gazpacho on a hot summer day, and beef on the hoof watching you hike on by, and a  Churrasco – all you can eat beef      for every occasion, fresh fish and vegetable at the market make it easy to eat well outdoors here every day. 

 

 

festa junina

  Last Saturday night, already over a week ago!, we had a festa Junina party. Ours wasn’t as good as some; we didn’t have a bonfire - living in the forest and is dry season; we didn’t have a wedding…. maybe more explanation than I can make…., but we did have good food brought by all.  I made caldo verde (green soup – is actually delicious potato soup with greens and sausage) and received rave reviews.  Camillo made a drink with some (very) cheap red wine seeped with ginger root and cinnamon sticks and then heated short of a boil.  I drank one small glass to be polite because he ate a lot of my soup. I didn’t take any photos of the food…. sorry I was having too much fun.  We did have live music, one man band playing Forró and we did a square dance with my favorite fitness trainer EDGAR doing the calling.  See photos for additional information.

 

 

   

 

sorry I chopped off Paulista’s head and Tatiana’s feet – you have to just imagine….

  

 

 I would rate this party as one of the best I have ever been to or given…. nothing like costumes (and drinks of cheap red wine) to set the right tone going in.

Listen to Forro here

Driving the country roads – part IV – Duas Barras revisited

     A few months back I wrote a short series Driving the Country Roads, and one of the small towns visited was Duas Barras. Last week I took Marissa and Wendy (English/Brazilian friend) on a drive looking for a nice lunch and to show them this little town. I took a few more photos and thought you might enjoy just a little more than what I showed you last trip.

I kept thinking about our ‘rainbow’ Friday shoot-out and the metal, and the textures. This little place, so well preserved is a Mecca of eye-catching color and texture. The style is colonial Portuguese at its best. Wood frame windows, the use of natural stones and wrought iron just please me beyond description. The last time I drove over from Friburgo it must have been Saturday, this week it was a Wednesday and the school children were on their way back to school after lunch. The streets were full of people, walking, talking, sitting in the central square. No one seemed to pay me any attention while I nearly climbed a tree trying to photo some mushrooms at the base of its branches.                                                                                                                                    

   

    

  should I stop now…… no just one more row!

My town Friday Shoot-out / Reflections

I played with the idea of making this week a philosophical shoot-out but the week became somewhat of an emotional quagmire for me and I wasn’t able to really get my mind around it, so I fell back on my archives. That is what an archive of photos is for isn’t it?

We spent from Sunday night to early this morning in Rio and for the ‘my town’ in this week’s shoot-out Rio is optimum. I have always loved reflections both in glass windows and in quiet waters. Reflections are romantic and mysterious, and they give color and texture, extending what the eye sees. In Rio, the lagoa is one of my favorite places for walking with my camera and for reflections that merge man, sky and water.

My Town Friday Shoot-out / yard objects

At our home in Nova Friburgo we have a beautiful garden. In Portuguese it is called a Jardim. This is the area that surrounds the house, what in the USA is a yard. We don’t have what is considered formal gardens; flower beds, gazebos and or the like, but about 3000 sq meters of forest with some wrought iron fencing, potted plants and …… well trees.

At the front gate we have a brass bell to tell us you are here, a small guest house for friends and family and a Hammock in which to rest and reflect. In prior post I have written about the painted bird houses, the small greenhouse, the patio where we entertain friends and the wine cellar so you should be familiar – Hope you enjoy your visit to our garden.