São Paulo Series - Food, what food?

I never thought I had enough material to write a short blog on food at São Paulo. Most food at Brazil seem to come laden with butter and cheese. For me, learning the words "no butter, no cheese" in Portuguese has become an important survival skill if I were to eat anything suitable for my palate. In fact it is easier to pass off my dislike for butter and cheese as an allergy rather than appearing as a fussy eater. Another thing about Brazilian food: the high salt content, in fish, in meat, and especially in their national fish the feijoada.

My first introduction to churrascaria was at Fogo de Chão, an upscale Brazilian steakhouse. The price per person was BRL 130 (£43) plus 10% service charge (not optional). It was an overrated experience, since there was absolutely nothing special about the meat. The fun bit was flipping the chip from green to red when I needed more time to chew the rather tough meat. The only saving grace was the salad counter. But one does not visit a steakhouse to enjoy the salad counter. The diners at the next table had a whale of a time: they seemed to have the stomach of a whale and were stuffing themselves full at this all-you-can-eat joint.

Then one day a colleague took us to a local restaurant near the Portuguesa-Tietê station where food was sold by weight, and it changed my view of the Brazilian steakhouse. For a mere 15 BRL (£3), I had a plate of tasty chicken, fish, a few pieces of sausages, and some hot vegetables. My plate was not big enough for the grilled meats so I passed on the opportunity.

A small churrascaria near the office

Brazil of course has her own street food. These are fried bar snacks, to be paired with ice cold beer or in my case, suco de manga. There are pastéis - deep-friend parcels of crisp pastry with melting cheese, or minced beef, or creamy palm heart, or crunchy batons of manioc, bolinhos ("little balls") often made with salt cod. My favourite is the coxinha ("little thigh") with shredded chicken and potato pureed, shaped like a (very voluptuous) thigh and covered in golden breadcrumbs. But unavoidably, some of them came with cheese, which I had to diligently scrape off.

Coxhina

Perhaps, more blessing than curse, the restaurant at the hotel offered some decent fish dishes. After an unpleasant saga with the credit card (being compromised), I became more or less hotel bound while waiting for the issue of a new card to arrive from Spain. So to hotel food I turned, and it was a creditable experience, thank goodness.

Robalo with grilled vegetables

Halibut with couscous and deep fried shredded onions

Salmon with leeks. Salmon is expensive in Brazil

And now to the best local meal I had: a rather expensive meal at a restaurant called Amadeus at the Jardins area. The average age of the diners at this restaurant was at least 50, an indication that this was not the haunt for the hip young generation. The cover charge was BRL19 which included, if you asked for it, a small basket of bread and bread sticks. The service was impeccable.

Fish curry with banana and palm puree

A trio of coconut dessert, Yummy.

Another decent meal I had was at the self service restaurant at the Museum of Art (MASP). There was a good selection of salads, cooked meats, and desserts. This was my lunch, and it included some kind of feijoada (a stew of black beans with beef and pork). The price was BRL44 (£12) for a buffet, very reasonable at the Paulista area. I distinctly remember that the chicken was tender, unlike the rock hard stuff that is usually served at the canteen or some other eateries.

To close this blog, the best meal during this series of travel to Brazil was with the national carrier British airways. It is ironic that when I have become tired of eating food for sustenance that it was the airline that offered something visually pleasing and tasty. Three cheers to BA. 

Sea food salad on board a flight from LHR to GRU

I am not expecting to have more material to write about food in Brazil. Disappointingly for a dessert lover, I have found the Brazilian desserts to be too sugary and have learnt to avoid them.

São Paulo Series - Out and About

It is a pity that I do not have much time to explore São Paulo. In any case, I am concerned for personal safety and this alone restricts my movement.

At the weekend, the Avenida Paulista was packed with tourists, and with them came the street traders who sold mostly from the pavement. There were dozens of these traders selling bracelets, beads, earrings, dream catchers, wool hats, scarves; they were all much the same to me; individuality sorely missing from the merchandise.

Street vendors along Av. Paulista

Underneath the Museum of Art (MASP) along Av. Paulista, every Sunday there is an "antiques" market. I put antiques in parenthesis because a lot of goods sold at these stalls are more flea market items than antiques. I noticed that some merchants have on line credit card machines, which indicate their transaction value. On the day I noticed a merchant selling a collection of ivory carvings of Chinese origin. The carvings have yellowed with age, but of course if it is imitation ivory, then the yellowing could be due to tea stains. Well aware of the controversy surrounding ivory, I gave the beautifully carved ivory pieces a wide berth. There were many stallholders selling jewelry, most of them dainty little items, nothing spectacular.

The Antiques Market at MASP, Av. Paulista

There was a hive of activity along Av. Paulista. Tourists mingled with the locals, little dogs snarling or wagging their tails at other little dogs. Lots of people were out there to make a living.  In the midst of these, spare a thought for those who live rough along this famous avenue lined with modern offices and banks.

Not sure the purpose of the demonstration

A musician at work

Elsewhere, in the residential area of Rua Haddock Lobo where apartments are behind two tiers of security gates, and not too far from the premier shopping Rua Oscar Freire, I saw this upmarket boutique advertising swim wear as "Winter Sale". The irony was lost on me because the seasons seem to be jumbled up in the southern hemisphere.

And now, to something closer to my heart: architecture and street art. The mundane mixed with the less ordinary, the humorous mixed with the charming, and through these the people of São Paulo reveal a part of their soul.

A mural on a building

I call this My Little Princess's Dream

Interesting use of the palette

A small building sitting on a gold mine in this prime residential area

Mural outside a house in the Vila Nova Conceição area

São Paulo series - Ibirapeura Park

Extending over 2 sq. km., the Ibirapeura Park was bustling with people at the weekend: joggers, cyclers, skateboarders, young couples dating, men playing football and basketball, families out for fun, and a lot of young people just sitting around chatting. The park is ~800 metres from the hotel, and I landed at gate #7. The hotel concierge said: remember this gate number, as you will have to find your way back to this gate if you don't plan to take a taxi. 

The first thing I noticed was the number of vendors selling drinks, ice cream and snacks at the park. Almost every vendor was selling coconut water, some directly from the fruit, some from cooling machines. Although it was winter time, temperatures were in the high 20s, so a cooling drink or two was vital in the heat. The Brazilians like their sun - not many were wearing a hat. Some men were already topless, and some did not sport the necessary physique of a well-toned six pack.

Vendors selling drinks and snacks

The crowd funneling through the bridge at the park

São Paulo is famous for her murals. Here at the park, there are a few interesting pieces. Alas, due to my ignorance, I do not know the painters. Somehow I recognize the style of a few. And credit to the locals, the murals have not been defaced. In fact, the park is very well looked after, with practically no litter (unlike UK).

Mural on the toilet block

Mural outside the restaurant next to the modern art museum

Mural at the skateboarding area

A mural depicting animals. The boys were resting from their skateboarding

All around me, I could see that people were enjoying themselves. The area near the lake was relatively quiet; there was even a man doing tattooing standing up, and his price list on a laminated A4 card. I am not sure if his tattoo gun was sterilized, but young girls were willing to take the risk.

Fun time

Some quiet moments by the lake

The gravity defying underpass designed by Oscar Niemeyer

An alien has landed

The main attraction for me was the Biennial at the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion. There were a lot of ballast, but a few pieces of work made me stop to admire the creativity. The good thing was: entrance was free. Again, there was the usual security check and the surrender of bottled water, but there were no cafes or stalls selling drinks inside.

The entrance area with a imaginary map of the world

Attention grabbing sculpture at the entrance to the building

A fascinating exhibit of printers plates

Fantastic video of African rhythm

Virgin Mary and grater. A puzzling concept.

Fair ground funny mirrors on a large scale

And finally, the unique auditorium designed by Oscar Niemeyer. I had high hopes but was frankly underwhelmed. The triangular shape, the simplicity, and the unmistakable red tail fin like structure, coupled with the startling white paint were unusual, but somehow it lacked the grandeur of the traditional concert hall. Maybe I am stuck in the past.

The Auditorium by Oscar Niemeyer

São Paulo Series - Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo

My favourite art museum at São Paulo and it introduced me to Almeida Júnior, regarded as one of the most important Brazilian realist painters in the 19th century. The place was easy to find, located opposite the Luz station. Approaching it though from the warren of exits on the underground, I nearly got lost with my sense of direction (or lack of sense of direction).

The entrance is not particularly impressive. I thought I was entering a provincial art gallery and was not expecting much. But once inside, the space and the light was inviting. There was the usual security check including the surrender of bottled water. I wonder why this rule at São Paulo?

Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo

The walkways built over the courtyard

The exhibits really hit a note with me. Quite unusual for an art gallery, there were few guards watching your every move or waiting eagerly to admonish visitors for stepping over the yellow line. This created the right environment for enjoying the artwork at leisure. On the day, it was not crowded either, making it a most plesant visit.

My favourite painter without any doubt is Almeida Júnior. Such a talented painter. Alas, he was to meet a violent end when his cousin stabbed him to death for his affair with his cousin's wife.

Almedia Junior: Caipira cutting tobacco

Guiomar Fagundes: Street vendor from Bahia

Antonio Ferirgno: Black street vendor

Almeida Junior: Longing, a sublime painting

And now, onto other pieces of work that were equally interesting.

Yearning

A fun piece of sculpture

Next to the building is a large garden with a few interesting pieces of sculpture. There were many locals there walking, exercising, playing, and a Japanese woman practicing walking backwards. 

Rio de Janeiro Series - Sugar Loaf Mountain, Christ the Redeemer, San Teresa

We went to the Sugar Loaf Mountain on a Friday afternoon and caught the beautiful sun set and the evening skyline of Rio de Janeiro. Coming from Hong Kong, I have to say that I have seen one of the best night time illuminations in the world, but Rio de Janeiro does have her own charm.

The unmistakable Sugar Loaf Mountain

It was not cheap to go up the Sugar Loaf Mountain. The cable car cost $R 62. That is quite some money for a cable car ride. To reach the summit, passengers take two cable cars. The first ascends to the shorter Morro da Urac, 220 metres high. The second car ascends to Pão de Açúcar. Once on the summit, visitors have a 360 degrees view of the surrounding areas. When the sun sets, the scenery is breathtaking.

Christ the Redeemer seen from Sugar Loaf Mountain

Night view from Sugar Loaf Mountain

It is inconceivable to visit Rio de Janeiro without setting foot on this iconic mountain. I saw it on paintings and when I finally see it first hand, I am enchanted and captivated by the views. When the hues of the sunset were finally replaced by the glittering lights below, and the statue of Christ the Redeemer sparkled like a bright star in the distance, I knew that it would be a view etched into my memory.

Like all tourists, I also visited Christ the Redeemer statue by taking the tram up the Corvocado Mountain. Once again, the tram was not cheap: $R 55. To avoid the long queues, we purchased the tickets on line and even then had to queue for our turn. The statue is such a legendary landmark that thousands of people flock to see it. In fact the place was so overcrowded and noisy that any serene effect of seeing such a colossal statue was completely destroyed. The place was heaving with tourists, all vying for a spot of photography before the statue. There were women lying on the ground taking photos of their men with their arms stretched out to mimic the statue, and the place was like a circus.

The magnificent Chris the Redeemer statue

Sugar Loaf Mountain from Mount Corvocado

Christ the Redeemer from a vantage point 

There are gift shops on the way to the top but all were peddling cheap tack at some eye watering prices. A small statue of Christ the Redeemer rather badly made was $R150 (~£50). Perhaps two things I will remember about the statue: the nail wounds on both the hands and the very small heart of Jesus Christ.

Back on terra firma, we went to San Teresa for a bite to eat. This is a bohemian area and a bit ramshackle. The place was packed with locals on a Saturday afternoon, queuing up for late lunch. There were street vendors selling clothes, jewelry, and a lot of bracelets that are popularly among metrosexuals. We queued for one hour for the famous black bean stew (feijoada): the stew came with green cabbage, rice, pork scratching with corn meal and orange slices to neutralize the saltiness of the pork. I wonder what the fuss was all about, since I had already eaten the black bean stew at the canteen a few times and decided it was far too salty, just like a lot of Brazilian food.

Mural at San Teresa, Rio de Janeiro

Romeo where art thou?

Home made cakes at San Teresa

People sitting on the pavement, perhaps waiting for lunch, San Teresa

Street vendors selling junk from the pavement, San Teresa

On leaving San Teresa, the taxi took us down hill along narrow streets of cobblestones before emerging to Lapa, the white viaduct and soon the long beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema.