Food Archives - Working 2 Live, Living 2 Travel

Lighting up: The history of Amsterdam coffee shops

Amsterdam, known as Venice of the North throughout Europe, is more famous worldwide for its leniency toward drugs and prostitution. After taking a recent coffee shop tour of the city, we explore the history of Amsterdam’s drug culture.

How did Amsterdam coffee shops start?

The locals say that Amsterdam’s ideas of decriminalization first appeared when Catholicism was outlawed in the 17th Century. Houses like the Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord of the Attic) were converted into churches and didn’t necessarily hide their congregations of around 200 people. These churches and worshipers paid taxes just as legal churches and worshippers paid so the Dutch decided it was beneficial to both sides to look the other way.

Other religious refugees also descended upon Amsterdam including Huguenots from France and Puritans from England. Gedogen is a Dutch word with no direct English translation that refers to this habit of looking the other way via plausible denial. Tax forms today still include a section of “other” income where citizens can legally pay taxes on income that isn’t necessarily specified as legit.

Fast forward to the 1980s and Amsterdam was a dangerous city overrun by heroin. According to those who live in the area, some of the most beautiful blocks surrounding the canals were entirely infested with filth and people of malicious intent. In an effort to rid the area of hard drugs that caused huge problems and to allow police officers to focus on these important tasks, marijuana and other soft drugs were decriminalized. Soft drugs are those that authorities deem unable to kill a person who overdoses by using too much. Amsterdam natives quickly point out that one of the world’s most deadly hard drugs, alcohol, is legal in almost every country worldwide.

Would the Dutch be willing to completely legalize marijuana today rather than simply decriminalizing it? Probably, if it weren’t for the European Union. As the EU as a whole bars the drugs, The Netherlands would forfeit its membership. Policies of plausible denial, therefore, will continue.

Uruguay is currently the only nation in the world with legalized marijuana at the federal level. Meanwhile, only 5 percent of Dutch people smoke marijuana on a regular basis and only 20 percent have ever tried it, leaving it far below the percentages of Europe’s leaders.

What’s so bad about marijuana?

Public Enemy #1 in Amsterdam is William Randolph Hearst, the late American newspaper publisher. Smoking scholars quickly recall the yellow journalism of Hearst, published in the USA and spread around the world, demonizing the cannabis plant. They point to him as coining the term marijuana as the major word used for the plant because it derived from Spanish, which he could use to further play off the fears of conservatives dreading an invasion of any foreign people or substance. Hearst, they say, with large investments in paper and nylon, had financial incentives to drive away potential competition from cannabis created by harvesting the hemp plant.

Signs in Amsterdam coffee shops say that smoking marijuana is allowed but warn that tobacco users should stay away. Whether warranted or not, Amsterdammers are convinced that marijuana is healthier than tobacco.

For the science behind it and statistics on why the war on drugs kills people rather than saving them, such as figures that show whites use drugs much more often than blacks but are six times less likely to be arrested by the police, visit a professor of the subject at the Cannabis College. Here, avid volunteers declare their support and avidly defend marijuana. You can also pay to enter their marijuana garden (maintained for research) or try a vaporizer in a private room while being instructed by a professional.

Running the business of Amsterdam coffee shops

You will not find many cannabis gardens around Holland. While selling and smoking marijuana in small amounts are both decriminalized, growing mass amounts of it generally is not. Therefore, plantations may still be controlled by organized drug rings. Ask a coffee shop owner where he gets his product and he pleads ignorance. It’s said that the front door remains open, police wander in and look around, but the backdoor remains locked. Outside that backdoor, the deals take place and the officer inside can continue to claim plausible denial.

Tour guides warn first timers not to start with space brownies. Holding an indeterminate amount of weed inside, they could be duds as regular brownies disguised to take tourists’ money, or they could be loaded with an amount that overpowers a beginner one hour later while the brownie is being digested once he assumes that nothing is going to happen and he possibly has eaten two or three more. They also warn that THC levels are much higher than you find in other countries, hovering around 15-20 rather than the normal 5 percent.

If you are in search of a 420 holiday and want to know where near the city center you can find good stuff, we can’t offer much assistance ourselves, but the locals suggest De Dampkring, now also famous for its inclusion in the movie Oceans 12. Here, in the back of the coffee shop, you can choose from several different types of high quality weed and roll a joint for less than 5 euros or sit up front and grab a drink and a brownie.

Another type of shop in Amsterdam is known as a smart shop. Smart shops do not sell marijuana and once profited mostly from the sell of magic mushrooms. In 2008, magic mushrooms were banned by the Dutch government after a French girl was said to jump from a bridge to her death and another tourist was said to be found naked eating his own dog. Both events were blamed on mushrooms and the resulting press created enough of a firestorm for a ban. In a bit of a legal loophole, however, that has never since been filled, mushrooms grown above ground were simply replaced with truffles grown below ground and smart shops continue to exist.

Are you up for visiting Amsterdam coffee shops?

Amsterdam is known for its tolerance on a wide array of issues. How do you feel? Do you feel that decriminalization of others’ practices affords you more freedom or less freedom in your daily life?

-Chris

Dining on the streets: A Shanghai street food tour photo post

A couple of weekends ago, Chris’ co-worker, Caroline, a local Shanghainese, took us on a Shanghai street food tour in the Qibao Ancient Town district. With my distaste for Asian food and fear of food poisoning, I have mainly refrained from the plentiful street food vendors throughout the city. I was excited, though, to have a local guide who could explain what the odd foods were and make sound recommendations.

Without further ado, I present a photo story of how our exciting cuisine adventure unfolded.

Candied fruit is a popular sweet treat. Chris' favorite of the day was the glazed-covered crab apples with the edible wrapping. — Candied fruit is a popular sweet treat. Chris’ favorite of the day was the glazed-covered crab apples with the edible wrapping.

Lotus root is known for its many medicinal benefits, such as soothing an upset stomach. Here, it is boiled and ready for a wide variety of dishes, such as stir-fry.

At the end of the tour, we were bursting at the seams. It was a great experience, made even better by the fact we didn’t get sick due to Caroline’s expert guidance. We now have a better sense about what street foods to order, and we plan to put that knowledge to use soon. What’s your favorite street food?

-Monica

Jumping frogs and squirming eels: Shopping in a Chinese wet market

Before coming to China, I knew there would be some different items on the menu. I knew that the Chinese food I had in the States was a bastardized version of the real stuff. As I wasn’t a huge fan of that version anyways, I wasn’t expecting to find myself in a cultural cuisine heaven here in China. Further admitting to my lack of the palate needed for Asian cuisine, I foolishly also believed that a fortune cookie was authentically Chinese until I recently attended a dinner at a restaurant here specializing in American-bastardized Chinese food, appropriately named “Fortune Cookie.”

What I wasn’t prepared for was the exoticism that would be a typical trip to the market here. I have come to love open-air markets since we made our first international move a year ago. The brightness of fresh produce, the mouthwatering aromas from the grills, and the lively calls from the vendors urging you to stop and look at their selections, it’s always an incredible experience. From the feiras of Brazil to the orderly market day in a European town to the nostalgia of an American farmer’s market, these open-air grocers are a healthy and vibrant shopping experience.

What you’ll see, smell, hear and (possibly) taste in a Chinese wet market

A wet market is the open-air market where you can buy produce, meats, spices, eggs and other groceries. It is so called a wet market because the vendors are consistently washing down the vegetables or pouring fish out of containers and the water flows down the street. There are air-conditioned super markets here, such as the French CarreFour, and I have even found Kate & Kimi, an online community supplying deliverable groceries. The wet market, though, is the authentic Chinese grocery shopping experience.

Upon arriving here in Shanghai, I immediately sought out expatriate organizations that had proven to be lifesavers in our other destinations. With some research, I joined the Shanghai Expatriate Association. Like the São
Paulo International Newcomers Club, the organization offers social and cultural outings to teach foreigners about the Chinese and Shanghai culture. I recently booked a tour of a Chinese wet market through SEA. Our tour was led by Janny Chyn of Shanghai Pathways, a tour agency that specializes in tours of unique and hidden areas of Shanghai. Janny provided a very informational tour of Penglai Lu Market, one of the first and currently the largest wet market in the city.

Breads and noodles

We started by venturing out onto the first long street of vendors. The first thing you notice is the crowd. The street is narrow, and there are hundreds of people dodging motor bikes and men with carts ringing a bell to signify they are collecting plastic containers as the recycling system isn’t that advanced here.

At the top of the street, a vendor was making Chinese pancakes on a griddle. This flat bread is spread with honey and rolled up for easy take-away. Our next stop was at a vendor selling heaps of different noodles. According to Janny, the Chinese, not the Italians, actually are to be credited with the founding of pasta. Marco Polo took noodles home to Italy after one of his expeditions to China, and the Italians created pasta based upon these noodles. It seems, though, that there is quite a bit of debate on this topic.

Dairy and eggs

As we moved further down the hustling street, we stopped at a great display of eggs. There were white ones, brown ones, speckled ones and oddly blue ones. Known as Century Eggs, these blue ones are placed in the ground to ferment for months instead of years. The whites and yolks become a black jelly inside and are eaten as one would eat a hard-boiled egg. If you can get past the look, texture and smell, I’m told that are quite good. As a rather picky eater, I wasn’t able to get past the first three senses.

Though it is largely believed milk is not popular in China, Janny said this is not the case. Chinese rather enjoy their milk if not the cheese. Tofu is actually a replacement for most things cheese here. Janny told the story of how milk came to the country in the 1800s. An American businessman noticed there was a lack of good milk in China. Not part of the traditional diet, there wasn’t a need for such a source. He set out on a Public Relations campaign to introduce and develop a strong market for milk in the country, and it has been booming ever since. Most of the milk is imported, but there has been some recent scares in production.

Vegetables, beans, spices and nuts

We moved on to the first stall of nuts, beans and spices. Janny proceeded to explain that in Chinese culture, it is believed that the food matches the body parts it resembles. For example, red beans are believed to be beneficial for the blood, walnuts are good for for the brain, and kidney beans support the kidneys. I found it very interesting that the Chinese believe purple food, like eggplant, is a good preventative for cancer. Maybe it is no surprise, then, that the American Cancer Society uses a purple ribbon to raise awareness about cancer.

Next door was a vegetable stand with a variety of produce. Especially interesting were the mushrooms, which came from all over the country. One in particular is called the hidden mushroom. It’s as if you can get a two-for-one. Inside the first mushroom a second mushroom grows.

As most homes don’t have the space and food is not doused in preservatives here, most Chinese go to the wet market daily as they only buy a one-day supply at a time. Some haggling does take place at the wet markets, but the price is plainly posted on many items. At the low costs (I bought two bunches of asparagus for the equivalent of less than $1), it seems a bit stingy to even attempt to get a lower price.

Meat

As we made the turn onto the next street, I saw them and my heart sank. Inside cramped cages were ducks, chickens and pigeons. Beside them were about 20 frogs in a large bowl. Every now and then, a frog would try to jump out only to be thwarted by the mesh covering over the bowl. A tank of slithering eels came next with the bodies squirming up through the mesh. Known as a delicacy in Shanghai, the eels were pushed back down into the tank by the vendor or snatched out to be skinned. A specialty for the city, hairy crabs pinched out of from their steel cages hoping to catch a vendor’s finger as he snatched them out to beat them with a hammer. All sorts of fish floundered in tubs of shallow water.

The exoticism of seeing your meat alive and jumping was a bit much to take. If I eat meat, it’s mainly chicken, and I have no desire to see what it looked like before it was slaughtered or for it to resemble itself in anyway once it’s on my plate. Here in China, however, that is opposite of what is normal. The Chinese believe that it is best to buy meat alive and butchered in full view. This way, you can see if the animal is healthy and ensure you are receiving the freshest cut. It’s also very typical to serve meat in its original form. Plenty of restaurants here serve the chicken with its head and feet (it’s a popular belief that chicken feet are good for a woman’s complexion) still attached or a fish with its eyes still staring at you. Bones are also left in many animals as the Chinese believe the best meat is located nearest the bone.

Holiday foods

There are many festivals on the Chinese calendar, and each comes with a special food. There is sticky sweet rice for the Dragon Festival, and, most recently, moon cakes for the Moon Festival. These special treats are a big hit in the wet market.

With eight distinct food regions in China, the country has a well-versed menu for any palate. To make these unique dishes, wet markets are the traditional means to buy the freshest ingredients. Though a bit of an attack on the Western senses, I would certainly recommend a stroll through these open-air smorgasbords of sights, sounds and smells.

What has been your strangest grocery shopping experience?

-Monica

In the land of milk, chocolate and cheese

If you’re looking to lose weight, Switzerland is not the place to come. With food in Switzerland on the heavy side, this is the place to get your fill on dairy, bread and potatoes.

Dairy if you please

Switzerland is most known for its dairy products. Did you know that the Swiss were the first to think of mixing milk and chocolate back in the 1800s? Chocolate is king here, and you can find every type imaginable. From chocolate factories like Nestle and Lindt to the high-end confectionery shops, this is a chocaholic’s paradise. For affordability, we suggest checking out the wide variety of chocolate at local supermarkets.

The Swiss national dish is fondue. This pot of melted cheese and bread on skewers for dipping has been bringing family and friends together for generations. The blend of melted cheese and white wine makes for a filling meal. Fondue is a big affair, so it typically is only served in the home on the weekend when there is time to prepare and enjoy it. There are many restaurants that serve the national dish, but if you don’t want to be made fun of by the locals, don’t order fondue in the summer as this is a winter-only meal. Also, the Swiss are quite confused to see chocolate fondue in the U.S. as it is unheard of here. Fondue is strictly for cheese. All those choices at the Melting Pot? Not so much.

Raclette is another popular cheese dish. Usually served individually in small black iron skillets, Chris and I just had our first experience with it at a street carnival. Wheels of this pungent cheese are melted to scrape over bread and served warm and gooey. I’ve sworn that Switzerland has cured me for a lifetime of my cheese cravings.

A world food tour in one country

As Switzerland is divided into regions by language, much of the food is influenced by other countries. In the Center and North where we live, you have the German region. In the South is the Italian region. In the West is the French region. There is a very small region in the East that speaks the ancient Romansh language. With a mixture of German, French and Italian influence, one can sample food from across Europe.

Röschti, a slivered potato dish much like hashbrowns, started off as a breakfast dish for farmers in Bern. It has evolved into a main course topped with cheese, vegetables and meat. — Röschti, a slivered potato dish much like hash browns, started off as a breakfast dish for farmers in Bern. It has evolved into a main course topped with cheese, vegetables and meat.

With the Germanic influence, we have lots of potato and pork dishes. Röschti is a popular dish made of slivered potatoes, much like hash browns. Any combination of meat or vegetables or cheese is then served on top. Another popular dish to mix is spaetzle. A food created by peasants in medieval times, the drop-dough dumpling has now become a main course. Schnitzels and bratwursts are also very popular. With a bit of French flair, you can find cordonbleu on many menus.

Bread, good bread, is baked fresh and sold almost everywhere. You can find great bread from any of the local bakeries to a convenience store. The best bread, though, is when you can find it homemade. Near our flat, there is a lady who sets up a stand each Saturday and Sunday morning and sells her own bread. Using her grandfather’s recipe, her beer bread is the best we’ve had here.

As eating out is far too expensive for our budget, we’ve learned to cook a lot at home. On those rare occasions during the week when we do decide to venture out, we mainly eat at a local kebap. These Turkish restaurants are the most affordable options, and the menu includes lots of lamb and vegetables rolled up inside of a tortilla-like shell.

Cheers

Though Switzerland doesn’t have a caipirinha or a national drink like Brazil, you will find strong German beers and fine French and Italian wines along with shots of Jager and schnapps. A common pastime here is to sit and enjoy coffee or tea in one of the many cafes.

What food would you most like to try in Switzerland?

-Monica

Milk, butter and efficiency

One of the adventures of living abroad is re-learning how to do the most mundane daily activities, like grocery shopping. We went from the laid-back stroll of buying fruits and vegetables in the supermarkets and feiras of Brazil to the efficient speed race of grocery shopping in Switzerland.

Down a country road

Due to a typo in some official mailing paperwork, we came to meet our neighbors across the street. A Swiss man who lived in the U.S. for 10 years and his Austrian wife who has lived in Switzerland for 30+ years were not the typical couple we had come to expect. There is a saying in Switzerland that once you make a Swiss friend, you’ve made a friend for life. Typically, Swiss people are hard to get to know, sometimes taking years for an invite into their homes. However, once a Swiss person has befriended you, it sticks. So, we were a bit surprised when we knocked on their door one evening the second week we were here to explain how our mail might be delivered to their home by mistake and were invited in for beer and tea.

Since then, I have gone grocery shopping each week with Hilda, the wife. She has been a godsend for us. As we live quite far out in the country here without a car, getting to the grocery store can be a challenge. Our nearest grocery store is about a quarter of a mile walk past a cow farm. It’s quite a change from our days in São Paulo.

Hilda and I go in her car two towns over to a few different grocery stores. First, there is Spar, which is comparable in size and selection to a Food Lion (I can’t compare anything in Switzerland to price, though, since everything is much more expensive here, but that’s for another blog post). Then there is Migros, which is something like a Wal-Mart with more than just food but not a superstore. Next is Coop, more high-end like a Publix, and Coop City, comparable to Wal-Mart Super Centers, can be found in bigger towns. There is one discount grocery store chain, Aldi, which can also be found throughout the U.S. Finally, there are smaller convenience stores, like Volg, where Chris picks up milk and some other smaller daily items on his walk home from work. There are also lots of individual shops, like bakeries, butcheries and pharmacies.

On a mission

Unlike Brazil, grocery shopping (and pretty much everything else) in Switzerland is a lesson in efficiency. From the way the store is stocked to how people go about their shopping trip to the checkout, everything is organized to get you in and out quickly.

Shoppers aren’t browsing; they are grabbing and going. I think I’m the only one who doubles back to areas to check prices. I look for “action” items as these are how products are marked for “sell” because they are near expiration.

Checkout is quick, and you’re expected to bag your groceries and pay all at the same time. There is even a divider at the end to separate groceries of shoppers in the process of checking out. If it weren’t for Hilda helping me, I’m pretty sure I would get a lot more glares from people in line behind me. You also bring your own bags as plastic/paper bags are either not available or only available for cost.

Like the U.S.

For the most part, it seems Switzerland has many of the same foods as the U.S. I’ve adopted new eating habits here, so I haven’t looked for the same products as I did in Brazil.

Fresh fruits and vegetables can be found in the grocery store, but the selection isn’t as wide. It does seem every imaginable meat can be found here, though. Cheddar cheese is still hard to find, but we’ve been experimenting with Swiss cheese and a wide variety that is available here. Nutella is still the No. 1 choice for a sandwich spread, but you can find peanut butter in the regular grocery stores (there are no Wal-Marts or Sam’s Clubs here). Mayonnaise and mustard come in tubes like toothpaste instead of bottles along with tuna salad. Fresh bread is available almost anywhere, including convenience stores. Soups come more in packets to be made instead of already-made in cans.

Swiss food is of a heavier diet, so preservatives are more like the U.S. instead of Brazil. Most food will keep here, and Switzerland is freezing produce for later use more and more. A friend of mine lived here about six years ago, and she told me then she could never find food that was out of season. Now, though, it seems you find more produce in the frozen aisle.

When it comes to grocery shopping, are you more Brazilian like and stroll through the store looking at all the items? Or are you more Swiss like, focused to get in and get out?

-Monica

This isn’t your Piggly-Wiggly

One of the hardest things to do here is grocery shopping. I read a blog post once about how living abroad was like going through adolescents again because you have to re-learn everything. The author must have been thinking about grocery shopping.

Where’s the creme de azedo?

There are three grocery stores within just a few blocks of where we live. Dia is a discount grocery store like Bottom Dollar. The Extra Supermercado is a basic grocery story comparable to Food Lion. Pão de Açúcar is higher-end and more like a Publix. And I don’t go to any of them without my Portuguese dictionary. A usual 15-minute run to the store in the U.S. takes me on average at least an hour here. It helps, though, in learning Portuguese when you have to look up how to say the most basic food items, like cheese (queijo pronounced k-joe), butter (manteiga pronounced mon-te-ga ), milk (leitche pronounced lay-chay) and eggs (ovos pronounced ohh-voos).

You won’t find everything here that is just basic in the U.S., like peanut butter, sour cream and cheddar cheese (though Brazil does have a lot of other high-quality cheese to choose from). However, you improvise. There is a ton of hazelnut spread like Nutella. And, if you get a real craving, there are Wal-Marts and Sam’s Club that typically carry all the U.S. goodies. Just beware, our products are considered imports. So, a can of Campbell’s soup is going to run you about $5.

I also don’t advise you go to the grocery store here when you’re in a hurry. Check out takes forever. There is no rush and even the express lines don’t move that fast. There are also lines reserved for the disabled, elderly, pregnant women, and people with small children. You are expected to bag your own groceries, and it’s highly encouraged to bring your own bags.

My favorite activity in Brazil

There’s a scence in one of my favorite movies, “Under the Tuscan Sun” where Diane Lane’s character is writing about an outdoor market in Italy. “I eat a hot grape from the market, and the violet sweetness breaks open in my mouth. It even smells purple,” she writes. This is feira for me.

The weekdays here end in feira (Monday is segunda-feira, Tuesday is terça-feira, etc.), and each day in a different neighborhood there is an outdoor market set up in a blocked-off street. Everything you could possibly want is available in the freshest vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, spices, sweets and cheeses. There are also vendors selling clothes, jewelry and kitchen products. Prices are also usually cheaper than the grocery stores.

The feira in our neighborhood is every Wednesday, and I try to go each week even if I don’t need to buy anything just for a lunch of pastels (something like a Hot Pocket) and sugarcane juice (Brazil has the freshest juices you can find). The feira is so colorful with strawberries, melons, oranges, corn, tomatoes, and so much more. The women are bargaining over the cost of a kilo of beans, old men are sampling the ripest peaches, the vendors are calling out to each shopper walking by about their freshest produce, kids are laughing and tugging at your clothes to buy them candy or pastels, and it’s the most wonderful experience.

A Brazil kitchen

In the U.S. we’re spoiled with convenience. You want apple sauce? Buy a jar. You want a spice? McCormick’s has got it for you. Here? You’re going to work for it. Nutmeg comes in its whole form, shredded cheese is mainly a luxury, and you’ll be making your own apple sauce and other cut-up/mashed-up forms of fruit. You are expected to shred, chop, mash and grind yourself.

Whereas the preservatives we have in food back home keeps stuff in the fridge for days to weeks, there are no preservatives here. That means that if you want to have cucumbers in your salad Friday and it’s Monday, wait to buy them.

What product would you miss the most while living abroad? We’ve really missed peanut butter and sour cream.

-Monica

Meat, meat and more meat

One of our favorite experiences in traveling is trying out the local cuisine. In Brazil, it’s been hit or miss.

Where’s the beef? It’s all in Brazil.

If you’re a meat lover, you’ll love Brazil. From churrascarias that seem to have an endless supply of beef and pork to the national dish of feijoada that uses every last piece of the pig, meat is chief. In a churrascaria, a server with huge slabs of meat comes around and offers it to you hot off the spit. Expect to be offered some form of beef or pork (no chicken here except chicken hearts – you should have seen my expression the first time this was offered to me!) at least 10 times during your meal. In the higher end churrascarias, you have a coin with one side red, one side green. As long as you still want the meat, you leave the coin on the green side. When you’re stuffed, flip it to red to let the server know you’ve had enough.

Meat, meat and more meat — A typical Brazilian burger – go big!

Famous in the U.S. for its steakhouses, most of the meat here is grilled and barbecues are popular. However, barbecues aren’t just hamburgers and hotdogs. You’ve got steaks, roast, pork loin, chicken, fish and every other type of way to serve meat here. Cheese-on-a-stick is also popular at barbecues.

Anything other than meat?

For those like me who aren’t big meat eaters, it’s the national staple of rice and beans. I have come to love this dish. Like we have mashed potatoes, rice is served with almost every meal here, and you can get it with black or red beans. Vegetables, typically, are cooked here without any spices or flavor, so they are quite bland.

Breads are very popular in Brazil, with the most popular pão de queijo, a cheese bread with the cheese inside. You’ll usually find this at breakfast, since this isn’t a big meal in Brazil. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day.

Got a sweet tooth?

Brazilians love their sweets, and a dessert can’t be too rich. From the chocolatey brigadeiro to churros with dolce de leite and chocolate inside you can get a great sugar high here. And if dessert isn’t readily available after dinner, ice cream is everywhere. Even restaurants that don’t offer dessert will have a freezer with ice cream bars like you see in convenience stores in the U.S.

Wet your whistle

Caipirinhas are the national drink of Brazil. Made by muddling a sugar cane rum, sugar and lime together in a glass (kind of like an Old Fashioned). I like mine sweeter while Christopher likes his stronger. There are three main brands of beer that are popular countrywide: Original, Skol and ~~Braums~~ Brahma. The beers are light drafts, but Christopher likes Original best. Every other cocktail imaginable can be made at most bars, but there seems to be a certain affinity toward Johnny Walker Scotch.

Whereas in the U.S. we prefer lemon in our drinks, you’ll be able to get lime here. Lemon is very difficult if not impossible to find. Coffee is strong here and served in small doses. Liquid sweetener and sugar are served with it, but you won’t find creamer too much. Sometimes you can get hot milk for it.

Restaurants and vendors

There are tons of buffets here, but they are pay-by-the-kilo. So, make sure you only get what you can eat. There are very few all-you-can-eat buffets, and even then most of those will charge you an additional fee for whatever you leave on your plate.

Food vendors can be found at major events and everywhere on the beach. We’ve seen roasted corn, churros, cheese-on-a-stick, homemade sweets, and more being sold by these vendors. Unlike India, you’re pretty safe eating off the street here, at least in the southern part of the country. We’ve been told that there are concerns in the Northeast and Amazon region.

That’s our take on Brazilian food. What would you most want to try in Brazil?

-Monica

Category: Food

How did Amsterdam coffee shops start?

What’s so bad about marijuana?

Running the business of Amsterdam coffee shops

Are you up for visiting Amsterdam coffee shops?

What you’ll see, smell, hear and (possibly) taste in a Chinese wet market

Breads and noodles

Dairy and eggs

Vegetables, beans, spices and nuts

Meat

Holiday foods