Fofinho

Forget Bossa Nova, Tropicália, Samba, and Afoxé, my first two musical experiences here have defied my stereotypes about Brazilian culture. Last Sunday I witnessed Brazilian hip hop at Casa das Caldeiras, last night I experienced old school Brazilian rock n' roll at Fofinho.

My Brazilian friend G. invited me to join her and her boyfriend at Fofinho Rock Club, headquarters of the Sao Paulo rock scene of the 1970s and 1980s, to hear Made in Brazil, one of Brazil’s first rock bands.

The concert was scheduled to start at 10 pm, but at 10:30, when we arrived, people had just started to form a line outside the door. We found most of the fans at the bar next door, singing along to the Led Zeplin playing on the juke box. The median age: 45. The look: lots of leather and lots of hair. Nostalgia ran thick. Made in Brazil was releasing their first album since 2001, “Rock de Verdade” (True Rock), and people were excited.

Sadly, I didn’t get to rock out to Made in Brazil. We only made it through three of the four opening acts by 1:30 am. But I got a good introduction to Brazilian rock classics and enjoyed a few lively renditions of American and British rock anthems (“I like smoke and lighting, heavy metal tunder!”). Hair flew, air guitars wailed, and good times were had by all, even if I did catch a few yawns from the old rockers, struggling to keep up with memories of their younger selves. 

 

 

Feira livre

My first week's adventures involved a trip to the neighborhood open air market or feira livre. Every Thursday, until about 2 in the afternoon, vendors of just about everything you could imagine eating line three blocks here in Jardims. 

My first stop at the market was at the pastel stand. Pastels are rectangular pockets of fried dough filled with an item of your choosing. I chose meet per the young salesgirl's recommendation and did not regret it. Each stand was surrounded by business people on their lunch breaks munching these savory tarts. My host here told me they were the descendants of Sao Paulo's first Asian immigrants and I the dough did bear a resemblance to an egg roll wrapper.

Without any grocery list, I took my piping hot pastel and strolled down the market aisles. Right and left the vendors called out, "buy these limes," "over here little pretty one," "mangos!," "do I have a deal for you little white girl!" I stopped at a fruit stand and was immediately surrounded by two scheming vendors, quick to realize my foreignness. I told them I wanted to try some fruit. Right and left they cut me pieces of the strangest and most delicious sorts of tropical fruit--fuschia-hued pitaya, tart, seedy maracuja, which I ate with a spoon fashioned from a piece of the fruit's own peel, red-organge caqui, and the most bizarre specimen of fruit, dark maroon shell on the outside with white, garlic-clove shaped flesh on the inside. 

This last fruit, whose name I immediately forgot, was pushed on me by the box-full by my attentive salesmen (it was the most expensive, of course). The men had a nice a good cop/bad cop routine going where the gruffer of the pair pushed fruit on me and the younger, cuter one assured me seductively that he'd give me a real deal. I had to stretch my Portuguese to its limits to walk away from with just the two bags of fruit I could afford and not the entire stand!

The fruits were by far the highlight of my visit. I also bought literally an armful of broccoli rabe for about a dollar, two bundles of fresh herbs, a bag of fragrant limes, and some plain old tomatoes. Unfortunately, I had neglected to bring along a wheeled, metal basket to transport my goods back home--another clear indicator of my tourist status. Next time, I'll be ready.

(image shows pitaya, also known as dragon fruit)

Beleza!

Beleza is Portuguese for beauty. It's also, as I've learned in class, an expression for all things good:

You correctly utilize an impersonal pronoun in Portuguese class--Beleza!

You cut into a perfectly ripe papaya--Beleza!

You cross the intersection without being run over by a speeding motorbike--Beleza!

You successfully order lunch at the lanchonete--Beleza!

These were today's triumphs. Beleza!