Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 28 °C, hot, sunny, and slightly cloudy.
It is the middle of the last week of the month, and I am broke. I only have R$10.00 Reais left to my name, which is barely enough to buy a quentinha for lunch.
For those unfamiliar with the term, a quentinha is a pre-made takeaway hot lunch commonly sold on the streets of Rio and other big cities in Brazil. It’s a popular option for people looking for an affordable, decent-quality meal they can take awayand eat anywhere.
When I had the school, I never ate quentinhas. I always went to per-kilo or à la carte restaurants with special lunchtime menus. Quentinhas, also known asmarmitas or packed lunches, are a convenient and affordable option for those who prefer to eat on the go.
I started trying quentinhas the year running up to COVID through a young man who would pass through the gallery where the school was, pushing a shopping trolley that people take to the street markets to put fruit and veg in.
I saw other people from the gallery buying quentinhas from him, so eventually, I decided to try one. It was the perfect meal for me, even though it was not sophisticated. A quentinha comes in a small polystyrene container with a lid. At the bottom, there is rice and black beans, usually a lot more rice than beans. At first, I didn’t like this much, but now I don’t mind.
On top of the rice and beans, there is usually some spaghetti, a little salad, and the main protein or meal, such as chicken, pork, sausage, or roast beef. The meal is perfect for me because: 1. It is cheap. 2. The food is delicious, and 3. It is the correct quantity, not too much or too little.
During Covid, when I was stuck in Rocha, the North Zone of Rio, I had lost contact with the quentinha culture in the South Zone.
When I finally came back to live in Copacabana, for the first year or so, I dedicated myself to cooking for Yasmin and me, as my flat had a nice little Kitchen with all the amenities and mod-cons.
I also took enormous pride in cooking for Yasmin, and she appreciated it. However, over the last four or five months, I rediscovered quentinhas. There are three or four sellers of quentinhas within walking distance from where I live, so depending on the day and the time, it is possible to have a decent meal for almost nothing.
I want to talk more about this culture, but there is not enough time now. Tomorrow, I will talk more about this and explain why it is so interesting to me.
So, I bought my quentinha with my last R$10.00 Reais. It was fried chicken with salad, sweet potatoes, and a lot of rice and beans. It was super tasty and nutritious, and it cost only R$10.00. What more could a person want? I worked for the rest of the afternoon and evening, then went to bed, eating only that one meal that day.
In bed by 10:00 pm.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
