Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 28oC, hot and sunny.
It is Saturday, and today will be a full house. Yasmin’s aunts, Nalva’s sisters, and one of Yasmin’s cousins, Caio, will be coming to commemorate her birthday. I got up at 7 am and worked out for about an hour and a half at the park.
On the way back, I had two coffees at the Portuguese bakers and wrote an entry in my journal before going home. Nalva was working in the morning, so I tidied up the flat before her sisters arrived. Yasmin got up at about 11 am, and I automatically told her to make her bed. The first act of discipline in a day is making your bed, and there are so many positive ramifications from that one act.
Maria, Nalva’s younger sister, arrived about midday and then shortly after Nalva. Then Cico, another of Nalva’s sisters, arrived, bringing Yasmin’s cousin Caio with her, and now the flat was beginning to hum with people. Caio is a boy who is a little younger than Yasmin. He prefers to stay quiet and use electronic devices like cell phones or laptops.
As a result, he is relatively absent in the midst of noisy and hysterical Baianan women. These women, who are from the state of Bahia, speak loudly and sometimes shout while listening and talking to each other simultaneously. The original plan was to have a barbecue using an electric grill. Although it may not be the ideal method, it still works.
When I was married to Nalva, and we, with Yasmin, regularly went to visit Nalva’s sisters, at that time, they all lived together in the same house in Nova Iguaçu, a neighbouring town not far from Rio. They would do barbecues regularly and for all sorts of reasons: birthdays, get-togethers, bank holidays, a heatwave etc. And what impressed me was the quantity of food they would prepare and cook.
If there were a maximum of ten to twelve people for a barbecue, they would prepare enough food for at least double. There would always be an incredible amount of excess food. I saw this as a kind of compensation for them for being lower class or poor, something related to their self-esteem. When they were together, nothing in terms of food and drink would be missing; they are and were always extremely hospitable towards themselves and others.
And Saturday was no different; for a maximum of ten people, there was enough food to feed at least thirty: red meat, linguiça(Brazilian sausage), chicken wings and hearts, potato salad, garlic bread, rice and black beans, a simple green salad, and the list goes on!
The importance of food and drink at a party is undeniable. Still, at a poor or lower-class family event, the quality and amount of food and drink are almost obsessive but understandable to a certain degree in some ways, showing the social and economic level of the host and his or her family.
When we go to a rich person’s party, barbecue, etc., everything is there, but not with anything exaggerated in terms of the quantity in your face; they are probably rich, and everybody knows it, so there is nothing to prove. It is said that the French people’s eating habits are based on quality and not quantity, whereas Americans are the opposite.
So, Nalva and Cico had to go to the supermarket to buy even more food before they started cooking; of course, they already had a ton of food, but a little more would make a difference. At 4 pm, the final of the Champions League between Manchester City and Inter de Milan will be held. Of course, I am supporting Manchester City, the favourite to win with probably the best team and football coach in the history of football, Pep Guardiola.
So now it is two in the afternoon; I volunteered to take Perola for a walk, knowing that I would pass by the food truck with the circus tarpaulins in the square near to where we live to have a couple of chopps before the kickoff. I took Perola for a walk, and we stopped by the food truck.
Perola was an instant success there. She is a medium-sized white and black mongrel dog that Nalva adopted from a person. She is a charming, beautiful dog with a slight natural Mohican haircut on the top of her head and a large black patch of fur over one eye.
Unfortunately, she has skin allergies, which are common in white-skinned fur dogs. We have spent a fortune on medicine, and before I went to live with them, the vet had prescribed Corticoids, which has caused her to be overweight.
I arrived at the food truck, found a high table and chair and ordered a chopp. Suddenly, all the young waitresses, at least five of them, swooned over to be with Perola and to take photos with her. I drank a couple of chopps, talked to a few people who wanted to know, and stroke Perola whilst always keeping my eye on the time for the match. Sitting alone with Perola, drinking a chopp at a beautiful outdoor spot and appreciating how good life is very sublime.
I paid the bill and arrived home just in time to watch the kickoff. Yes, Manchester City won, adding another title to Pep Guardiola’s curriculum. Later, two more of Yasmin’s aunts arrived, Alda and Sinha. We cracked open a couple of bottles of wine, and for the rest of the night, we ate, drank, and talked loudly. Nobody talks quietly in a Baiano house, but as always, it was enjoyable and great fun.
At a certain time in the evening, we had to take Maria to the bus stop so she could catch the bus back to the north zone of Rio. When we returned, we organised places where everybody could sleep in such a small flat with so many bodies.
It was a special day for Yasmin because her mother’s family was present. They are very special people, and everyone had a great time!
In bed by midnight.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
