Five little words every traveler should know, don't you think? That interesting phrase was among the first I came upon in the free Brazilian Portuguese flashcard app I downloaded the other day. "I am not single." "I am an extrovert." "I am extremely generous." "Is your house far?" "We are joyful and creative." "I am ready."
There are some more useful ones: "I am on vacation in Brazil." "I am at the beach with friends." "I am thirsty."
"The party is in the backyard" is probably the most useful, so far, since I'll actually be going to a Churrasco a week from Saturday!
winter flowers are life-savers, aren't they?
I made a great dinner last night (if I may say so*) and we bid farewell to my niece Jena, who had been visiting for a couple of days, and my sister Ann and her family after their unplanned visit this holiday from Rio de Janeiro. The sweetest part of that, for me, was saying, "See you next week!" when I gave my good-bye kisses. Hello. I cannot wait!! It was fun to show Annie my swim suit — more fun to actually be OK with the idea of wearing it! I am VERY far from LOVING how I'll look in a swim suit, and I'm sure I'll be the only woman on any beach in Brazil wearing a one-piece (unless you count those possibly wearing one piece) (ha!). The last time I bought swimwear, I successfully avoided the water and returned it to the store on the way home! Anyway, there are certain things/places that Annie's been wanting to do/go that her husband isn't interested in, so it was fun talking about all the things we're going to DO next week! In Brazil!
I love "doing" vacations."
Oh, and that reminds me: Whatever's available and listed in the Make.Do Shop will be up over the weekend, but it'll all come down and the shop will close for a little while. I'll ship any orders on Monday/Tuesday. Things being what they are, priorities have conspired to put dyeing in the back seat of late, but don't worry (or do, it's up to you), I'll be back!
*Roasted Broccoli, Cauliflower & Shrimp
Riffing notes on a favorite recipe from MyRecipes.com
This quantity will feed a crowd (8-10 adults)
4 lbs. shrimp, raw/thawed & peeled
8 c. (roughly) broccoli & cauliflower florets
Fresh lemon juice
Salt & pepper
Heat oven to 425F. Normally I'd maybe use 3-4 Tablespoons of lemon juice; Mom's not tolerating the acidity of citrus very well, so I used barely a Tablespoon. About a teaspoon each of salt and pepper were combined with the lemon juice, then added to the shrimp and it was all tossed very well.
The original recipe calls for blanching the broccoli, but boiling a huge pot of water for one minute of cooking time seems idiotic to me, so I just loaded up my Pampered Chef 2-Qt. Classic Batter Bowl with veggies (do not add water) and put it in the microwave for about 3 minutes on high. When I do this combo again in the future, I'll cook the broccoli alone for 2-3 minutes and then add the cauliflower for 2-3 more — the broc needs just a bit more time than the cauli; it was good, but could be better.
Combine the veggies and the shrimp in a large baking pan (I used the 12×15 +/- that I use for roasting tomatoes). The shrimp were larger than I usually use, so I roasted for about 8-10 minutes, removed the pan and stirred it all around, then roasted for another 8-10, until the shrimp are done!
SO easy. There's lots of room for playing around, too, which I love in a recipe. I've been much more adventurous in the seasoning of foods lately, but some things — like shrimp — are perfect with nothing but salt and pepper. Yum.
I served it with a bowl of simple mashed sweet potatoes and it all made a very pretty plate.
Ok, the number one thing you need to know about Brasil is that EVERYONE wears bathing suits and NO ONE bats an eye. Big, small, thick, thin, young, old, smooth, wrinkled: Everyone enjoys the sun and the water.
The second thing is – you won’t know anyone else on the beach – so ENJOY the anonymity.
The other thing is – Brasilians, at least the ones I knew, seem to be matter of fact when it comes to how they see you – We had two Davids and two Sarahs on our trip. One of each was ‘grande’ the other ‘pequeno’. It wasn’t an insult, it’s just the way they were.
I have a list of things you need to experience too (so I can experience them again through you). I think these things break your dieting rules, though:
Food:
Brasilian pizza
Pao de Queijo
Cafezhino
Guarana (the drink)
Cashew juice
oh, and there’s this amazing fruit salad that they make there with papaya, and bananas and mango with a creamy sauce and it is delicious. *drool*
Experiences:
Kissing cheeks (two for marrieds, three for singles)
Embracing new friends
Dancing
Capoeira (watching, you might not be up for it yet)
Markets
Music
The smell of the alcohol car exhaust (It stays with you.)
Running for your life to cross the street
Speed bumps
Retournos
Stop signs that are really yield signs
OMG – I’m stopping now – can you tell how excited I am for you? Take lots and lots and lots of photos, please, but don’t forget to put down the camera and take photos with your memory and your heart.
Ate lago!
You are going to have an amazing and fantastic trip. WEAR the swimsuit and enjoy yourself!
Hahaha… I think your first comment is the best I ever saw, I love it!
Just wanted to add that my nephew who is a trans music artist and had parties in many parts of the world claims Brasil is THE best place in the world! He is ready to move there tomorrow.
I hope you will have the best vacation ever.
Kudos to you for picking up even a smidgen or Portuguese. Not an easy language. Just remember, a friendly smile covers a lot of language problems. Have fun!
Your trip is coming up SO soon!! And you’re going to have such a fabulous time. I’ll be looking forward to seeing your pictures and hearing all about it. Steph’s advice to take photos with you heart and memory is grand!
Your dinner sounds wonderful. I know where to get shrimp for the weekend!
So excited for you! Have tons of fun in and out of the bathing suit. (that is racier than I meant it to be) I ordered a little Make.Do to tide me over.
Hope you have a fabulous time! The recipe sounds great – I’ll probably try it this weekend… if I can dig out of the snow enough to get to the grocery store.
Have a great trip! Family and new places to explore. Maybe some new fiber to bring home.
Bring a translator app for your phone.
The recipe sounds great, can’t wait to make it.
Throw your arms wide and embrace EVERY minute of your time in Brazil! Can’t wait to hear ALL about it! XOXO
Sounds magnificent, all the way around, and “the party is in the backyard” is now one of my favorite phrases — have to try to learn it in a few languages!!