I just returned from my second trip
to Brazil this year, again to speak at a conference on research integrity, an
area in which the growing Brazilian research community is making an admirable
commitment. To be able to spend several
days with like-minded people is treat enough, but to do so in a beautiful and
friendly city like Rio is doubly satisfying.
My colleague Sonia, the energetic powerhouse
behind the organization of this multi-city, multi-venue conference, invited all
of us presenters into her home for a welcome lunch of traditional Brazilian
food. It was a family affair. Her mother (pictured) made the food; her daughter helped
serve; and her husband, god bless him, took photos and washed all the dishes by
hand in their small kitchen.
We began with what Sonia described as her “famous ginger caipirinha,”
made with honey instead of sugar, and it was both very good and had less cachaça than the ones I had
last year in bars—that’s a good thing, as a caipirinha
is a potentially dangerous drink. After some raw veggies and dips we were
served the national Brazilian dish, feijoada. Feijoada is a complete meal; here, ours
consisted of white rice; farofa (manioc
flour toasted with bacon); fresh pork shoulder; smoked sausage; finely
shredded, lightly cooked collard greens; black beans; and pimiento, a hot
sauce of onion, parsley, and green chile. For dessert we had a fresh fruit
salad and ice cream. All very good, eaten in the open air on Sonia’s balcony.
Here are some photos. We were fed—quite well—at the
conference, so I didn’t get out much this time, although did shoot a few photos
on the street: the ubiquitous suco stands—Brazil is famous for their fresh
juices of papya, coconut, guava, pineapple, mango, and other tropical fruits--;
the churro stands with their ingenious needle-like pumps for injecting your
fresh-fried churro with dulce de leite
or chocolate; a family enjoying a seafood stew served in a roasted pumpkin at
Dark Blue (Azul Marine), a favorite Copacabana spot to watch the surfers at
sunset. Obrigada, Brazil, for another
great visit.
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