# 55 Three Months in Brazil: Useful and Delightfully Irrelevant Observations
On kindness, cassava, and squishy toilet seats
“Brazil is a land of contradictions,” writes Lilia M. Schwarcz in her biography of the country, and after my three-month stay there, I can confirm that she’s right.
Brazil has vast natural resources and crushing poverty, unspoiled beaches and cartel-infested favelas, nightly samba dancing and daily police violence.
Throughout my time in Brazil, I observed and made notes on the things that surprised me. Today I publish my incomplete report.
Disclaimer: Brazil is huge—all of Europe can fit into it twice—and my travels through Brazil were limited. Because Daniel and I had recently gone to the Amazon basin in Peru, we didn’t go to the Amazon in Brazil. We were in Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Morro de São Paulo, Ilha Boipeba, Ilha Grande, Paraty, São Paulo, and Iguaçu.
On Brazilians
The Brazilians I met are curious, open, and ambitious people. They’re mostly proud of their country yet remain eager to improve it. Keenly aware of their nation’s often dark history, they avoid getting stuck in it and tend to live in the present. When there’s music, they dance—literally—young and old, even if it’s just a subtle shuffle of the feet.
Brazilians are known to be some of the kindest people on the planet, and my experiences only confirm this. Once, when I spotted a couple on a busy terrace in Salvador eating a shared plate that looked appetizing, I asked whether they were enjoying their meal, hoping they would tell me the name of their dish (arrumadinho) so Daniel and I could order it as well. In response, they asked the waiter for a side plate and insisted they share their food with us. Another time, I asked a woman at a ferry stop whether the boat would have toilets, and instead of telling me she didn’t know, she asked others, then went into a juice bar to inquire and came back with an invitation from the manager to use his bathroom. On yet another occasion, a host messaged us about the noise coming from a neighbor’s unexpected repair project and asked whether we would prefer to reschedule or cancel our stay, free of charge.
Another huge plus: Brazilians are not only LGBTQ-friendly; they’re LGBTQ-embracing, offering legal protection and visible public support.
The population is highly diverse. Over 50% identifies as having African ancestry and Brazil is home to large groups of people from Japanese, Lebanese, Italian, or Jewish descent. As a nomad, you rarely stand out.
I felt at home during my stay and often thought: I can live here long-term.
On Brazilian Food
Most restaurant meals disappointed us, which limited the times we ate out. Dishes were overpriced (compared to the cost of food in the stores), skewed toward fried fare, and often tasted rather bland. The best things I tried were a vegan feijoada (black bean stew) and a shrimp stew known as moqueca , a specialty in the Bahia province. Finding fresh fish and vegetables, however, was not too hard, except for in this fishermen’s village, so we enjoyed most meals at home.
The root vegetable cassava plays a big role in Brazil and carries many names. I saw it on the menu as aipim frito (like French fries), purê de mandioca (like mashed potatoes), and most importantly as farofa (a mixture of crispy cassava flour, salt, and other seasonings, sometimes bacon bits, to sprinkle on top of anything). As a gluten-free eater, I was happy to bite into deliciously fluffy pão de queijo, made with cheese and 100% tapioca flour bread, and sweet or savory (and gummy) tapioca pancakes.
My favorite snack was the acarajé: A black-eyed pea fritter stuffed with pepper sauce, dried shrimp, and a vegetable mixture; without the vatapá filling it’s gluten-free. Fried in palm oil, it wasn’t the healthiest option, but I enjoyed it regardless. Gluten-free falafel was easy to find as well yet was also fried.
The biggest treat for me in Brazil were their roasted cashew nuts and fresh fruits. I ate my weight in mangoes, passion fruits, papayas, coconuts, and fresh cacao.
The white cacao flesh is mildly sweet and flowery like lychees. The seeds aren’t as intense as finished chocolate, because they haven’t been fermented and roasted yet. But flesh and seeds together make magical bursts of flavor.
On Brazilian Transport
Rideshares are ubiquitous, reliable, and affordable in the cities; we used them to and from the airports as well.
On the islands, we trusted locally recommended services I couldn’t find online. They were mostly great, but once, we boarded a jeep that took us through a dune landscape still inundated by recent rains, and it was more like an adventure ride than a luxury transfer; I’m glad our backs survived the bumps.
On the public ferry from Provetá to Paraty that leaves once daily at 7am, the captain and his first mate served free store-bought cake with sweetened coffee in tiny plastic cups while young women transformed a bench in the middle into a bed, took out flowery fleece blankets, rolled onto their sides, and returned to sleep.
From Angra dos Reis to Paraty, we took a public bus for the 2-hour journey. The trip was slow on uncomfortable seats, yet I felt safe.
On the next leg, from Paraty to São Paulo, we rode a pre-booked tourist bus that left with a delay, missed a stop, had to return to let people off, and arrived 2 hours later than scheduled at the biggest bus station I’ve ever seen. (It’s in fact the biggest in the Americas.) Every now and then, snack sellers got on board to offer travelers caramel popcorn and sodas.
One time, we rented a little house high up on a hill that was part of a group of homes. There was no foot path to the beach, so the developer built a slow funicular railway he called a private elevator to take people up and down. What should have felt luxurious or decadent ended up feeling like a nuisance. But it’s an experience I’ll never forget.
On Brazilian Bathrooms
Good plumbers seem to be in short supply in Brazil or are expensive: Do-it-yourself solutions are popular to a leaking fault.
Classy bathroom walls may have a niche for the toilet paper roll that comes with a little decorated metal door, as though it’s a shrine.
Most bizarre are the toilet seats made of foam. When you sit down and inevitably squeeze the air out, the seat emits a fart, as though in preparation or protest.
On Brazilian Fashion, Art, and Architecture
The question I’m sure you’re dying to ask is: Do Brazilians actually wear Havaianas? I’m here to tell you that, yes, they do. And they’re more affordable in Brazil than anywhere else I’ve been.
Skimpy bikinis are still fashionable, too, but I also noticed a lot of thonged one piece swimsuits covering the stomach, which made me curious. Some digging led me to a surprising statistic and a possible explanation: More than 50% of Brazilian women have Caesarean sections, the highest rate in the world.
I was disappointed with the famous street art neighborhood in São Paulo, Beco de Batman, which has turned into a tourist hotspot, but there was much to admire elsewhere. The artwork flashing by on the way to and from the airports was amazing.
Work by architect Oscar Niemeyer is most prevalent in Brasilia (where we didn’t go), yet his work can be admired in São Paulo, too, where he designed numerous structures within Ibirapuera Park, including the Biennale Pavilion, where visitors can enjoy hours of free art.
On Brazilian Wild Life
We encountered wildlife wherever we went, even inside the cities. We spied opossums, marmosets, and monkeys, saw a snake coiled on a rock, and watched far more gorgeous birds than I can name.
In the nature reserve around the massive Iguaçu falls, I pointed at a bird with a huge orange beak crossing the water border between Argentina and Brazil and yelled “Toucan, toucan, toucan, toucan!” until everyone around me was looking up and we all shared this small moment of wonder.
The Takeaway
Daniel and I LOVED Brazil and are already looking forward to our return.
I vow to dance more then and try capoeira.
Being in Brazil is good for the soul.
I’m Claire Polders, a writer of fiction and nonfiction. Read about my books and more on my website www.clairepolders.com.
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Desk Journeys aka Reading Recommendations
Brazil, a biography, by Lilia M. Schwarcz is a sweeping and absorbing must-read biography of Brazil, taking you from the sixteenth century to the near present.
Another strong recommendation is to look at photographer Sebastião Salgado’s work who, for example, documented the gold mines in 1986.
Daniel and I also re-watched City of God, the epic crime film directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lundabout, about how a neighborhood that still exists today turns into a drug and violence wrecked hell.
Unfortunately, I didn’t read any novels in English translation by Brazilian authors while I was here. Please leave me a recommendation if you have any.
If you buy a book through a link in this newsletter, you support me and indie bookstores at no extra cost to you. You can browse all the books I recommend here.
Author News
Vestal Review published a lovely review by Lucy Zhang of Woman of the Hour: Fifty Tales of Longing and Rebellion, my debut story collection.
“Reading these stories feels like listening to a quiet scream that slowly embeds itself in your consciousness. An accomplished surgeon is torn between career and family; a woman fends off unwanted advances at a dinner party; a 39-year-old reaches for a love she never knew; a sensual snail enthusiast refuses to compromise her eccentric desires. Whether seasoned or naïve, decorated or overlooked, these narrators resist their molds—sometimes subtly, sometimes defiantly—yet always with a voice that demands attention.”
The book makes an excellent (Christmas) gift to yourself or others.
Other Posts on Brazil
Time to Say Goodbye
Daniel and I have spent two weeks in Buenos Aires, will now travel to Medoza—the wine region—and will return to the Argentine capital for Christmas and New Year’s. I like Buenos Aires, the city has style and many great vintage shops, but I don’t yet love it here. I’'ll try to figure out why.
All my best,
Claire
P.S. Feel free to ask your questions about Brazil in the comments.
So entertaining…the toilet seat had me laughing. The photos were gorgeous. Thanks for this.
Those falls! Oh my. And now I want black bean vegetarian stew.