Food Shopping in Brasil

Padaria; Supermercado; Small Mercado

Don't forget to click on the title for a relevant video clip.

http://www.southernbrasil.blogspot.com/

Until recently, Brasilians did their weekly food shopping at various specialty stores. For meat, they would go to the local Açouger (a-soo-gay), butcher, for meats, the fruteria (froo-ta-ree-ah) for fresh produce, the Padaria (pa-dah-ree-ah) for fresh baked goods, and to the local mercado (mer-cah-doh) for everything else. Some Brasilians still do this. Now, in most cities, though, there are supermarkets or hipermercados, as they are called, which have everything you need in one location.

The hipermercados are as modern and up-to-date as our supermarkets and are mainly fashioned after Wal-Mart Supercenters. In fact, Wal-Mart is busy buying up smaller chains in all parts of Brasil and turning them into either Wal-Mart Supercenters or stores with the B-I-G Brand. Brasilians now have the opportunity to buy their appliances, clothes, housewares, and other dry goods right alongside their groceries.

I found myself going to these hipermercados often, as they helped me adjust to life in Brasil by giving me a feeling of home. However, I also enjoyed visiting the small local stores, such as the padarias (also known as panificadora (pan-ee-fee-ka-door-ah)), for fresh baked pastries and breads, or a quick snack on the run.

At the açouger, we could get fresh meat for our meals, and we had one, in particular, who had very good prices and very good quality meat. In Brasil, especially in the small towns we inhabited, the locals know the best places to buy bread and meat and vegetables. All you need to do is ask, and you’ll tap into the best that that area has to offer.

One other difference in shopping between America and Brasil is that no supermarket has a pharmacy inside. In Brasil, all farmacias (far-mah-cee-ahs) are either free-standing buildings, or they are shops adjacent to the markets in large shopping centers. So when you go to buy a bottle of aspirin, or alcohol, or bandaids, etc., you won’t find those items in the market.

Shopping in Brasil was a lot of fun for me, whether it was in the small individual stores, or big supermarkets. Next, I’ll share some information about products and compare prices between America and Brasil.

Until Then, Ciao!

The Singing Birds of Brasil

1st photo: at competition

2nd photo: trinca ferro

3rd photo: curio
http://www.southernbrasil.blogspot.com/

As always, click on the link above to take you to the blog page and then click on the title of the today's blog to view a short video.

My first encounter with the custom of raising singing birds in Brasil came as my husband and I were on our way out from the home we were renting at Enseada Beach. I saw the most curious thing (the word curious is most appropriate to this story). There was an elderly man walking down the street with a bird cage in his hand, and in that cage was a small bird. Of course, I asked Charles if the man was coo-coo (no pun intended), and he told me about the people who catch birds from the wild and/or raise them from birth for purposes of competing against other bird owners. The birds that sing the longest and the sweetest songs are the champs, and they can fetch a pretty penny for their owners. If the bird is exceptional, it is worth its weight in gold. The most highly prized bird for singing is the curio, a small bird akin to the canary. It has a very sweet song and can fetch upwards of $R30,000! For as long as we lived at the beach house, I would see that man, every day walk his bird. What he was doing was allowing the bird to hear other birds in order to make him sing more. Owners believe giving their birds the opportunity to socialize with other birds will make them the best singers. It’s important to note that most birds are bought for much less money, but it is the daily care and training that turns an ordinary curio or trinca ferro into a champion.

When we moved up on the hill in Jaragua do Sul, we had a builder come and do some work on the house and property we purchased. The first day he was there, he pointed up into the trees and said something to Charles in Portuguese. Charles later told me that the man had heard a black robin in the tree and if he could catch it, it would make him rich. For the duration of his building project, he would do everything in his power to coax that bird out of the tree. He brought special food, whistled, and darn near tried to climb the tree trying to catch the bird with the beautiful voice. It was an obsession for the builder.

It was no surprise to me that the painters we hired to paint the interior of the home we bought in Itajuba brought with them each day their birds in cages. Before setting up to do the painting, their first order of business was to find a lofty spot above the second-story balcony, or in the carport from which to hang their cages. There were two birds, each in its own cage, and we would hear their sweet songs all day long. The owners of those birds would often look up and tweet at them to get them to start singing. It was a real sight to see grown men behave so affectionately toward their feathered friends. But, of course, how could they not? Those birds might some day be their ticket out of poverty.

Ciao!