For Kristen... Rice Revolution

A Brazilian Secret Recipe to Spice Up Your Rice...

Use Uncle Ben's rice to mimic Brazilian rice if desired
1) In a pot mix one tablespoon of olive oil, half an onion, and 4 cloves of garlic in cut into nice chunks.
2) Heat and stir until garlic is golden brown.
3) Add desired amount of rice and sear for four minutes... watch and stir so the bottom does not burn
4) If desired sprinkle a teaspoon of salt and mix
5) Add water until it is two fingers above the rice with a quick stir and cover with lid while it is still on the heat (Here you can taste the water to see if you would like to add more salt...).

Once the water has disappeared, test the rice to see if it needs more water and repeat step 5 if necessary.
Bon Appetite!!

Weekend Trip to Maringa.

Last weekend I had the chance to go on a road trip, four hours south to Maringa.  I travelled with a good friend as he was heading back to his hometown for an annual 'Festa July" party with his friends from high school.  We left Friday at 530 and with it getting dark by 6pm, seeing the country side would have to wait until the ride back.  Maringa is known for its beauty and I was not disappointed when I arrived.  The city was mostly settled by the Japanese over one hundred years ago and with the settlement, they planted thousands of the traditional pink flowered trees all throughout the city.  Even more spectacular was in the heart of the city a magnificent park/zoo was being maintained.  Once you walked into the park/zoo you felt like you were not in the middle of the city at all.  You could not hear the traffic, monkeys were running wild in the trees, and beautiful peacocks were following you along the paths hoping for you to drop some bread.
Saturday night brought about the party we had travelled so far for.  It was a traditional culture party celebrating the farm and the end of the harvest so all the men wore funny farming outfits while the girls wore traditional dresses with makeup and braids in our hair.  Another common tradition includes a fake wedding ceremony where a couple that is about to get married in real life becomes the bride and groom for the tradition.  All of the people gather around and  watch the wedding ceremony (as ours was a student party, it was a little more light hearted than one would think of a wedding ceremony).  Once the wedding was over everyone started into the traditional dance to celebrate the newly married couple.  It was pretty cool to see everyone (approx 70ppl) at the party dancing together.  And luckily for me I met a charming brazilian boy to be my partner and teach me the steps!
It was a wonderful weekend and I cannot wait for more adventures to come!

One Month In Brazil!

Well friends, today marks one month here in Brazil!  I cannot believe how fast time flies. There was a time when I thought I would never make it to Brazil and her I am, one month already in.  I have learned a lot doing school thus far and learned a lot about this country.  First, Brazilians are way more adventurous with their food... Mashed potatoes on hot dogs, who believed that could taste good? While uncommon for me, tomatoes and onions, cut up into little pieces, may not be the end of the world.  I have accidentally also ate cow's tail.  Second, driving is what you imagine intense... All cars are standard and with speed bumps that go into the ground with one way streets and three cars sideways in one lane... I will never drive.  That being said, the stoplights have countdowns for both red and green so you know exactly how many seconds you have left.  There are no dryers here so doing your laundry must be timed with the sun as if you get stuck with no under ware in a three day rainstorm ... Inside out or commando it is my friend.    Although there are differences, we are pretty much the same.  All the kids here have big dreams of taking over the world, friends here are getting engaged, whoever does the cooking the rest do the dishes.  Its pretty nice this country.  Hope all is well at home.

My Birthday In Brazil!

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes! I had quite a good day yesterday!  Interestingly my birthday fell on the championship night of the South American soccer league! In the finals was a team from Sao Paulo and a team from Argentina.  So to celebrate my birthday we had a traditional Brazilian BBQ and watched the game! While you would think everyone would want the Brazilian team to win, apparently this team from Sao Paulo is the most hated team therefore you are either a fan of theirs or you will cheer for anyone in hopes that they never win.  Needless to say there was only one person at the party who was cheering for the Brazilian team and everyone else was hoping that the Argentinian team would win. I could not bring myself to cheer for Argentina, as I am sitting on Brazilian soil for my birthday maybe never getting this opportunity again, therefore it was two vs the party and it was exciting! After the first half it was still 0 - 0.  I have some pretty great friends down here in Brazil, as during half time they surprised me with a cake, singing happy birthday in portuguese and english, and my very own Brazilian soccer jersey! I was very touched and the jersey fit perfectly! In the second half Brazil scored twice to win the game!! It was a great birthday and I am honoured to have met some great people to have shared it with while I was away.