By the Way

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Cozido!!!

Dora's annual feast--Cozido--was held at her home in Sao Francisco on Saturday. She and her two sisters, Olga and Alice, along with the family cook Adriana, had been shopping and cooking for days; and from what Cecilia told me, we were all in for a special day.

Our hostesses for Cozido were "the three Marias"
(l-r) sisters Maria Alice, Maria Auxiliadora, Maria Olga

Cozido (koo SZEE due) actually means "boiled" if you look up the word on FreeLang. C explained that there would be several different kinds of meats and all manner of vegetables served buffet style on a long table. I thought it sounded a little like a pot-luck dinner at church where everyone brings a casserole, meat, vegetable, salad, dessert, or bread to share with a large gathering. And, in fact, that's what Cozido looked like on the serving table; but the difference was, all the dishes were prepared by the hostesses and all were boiled. The Gringa just arrived in time to enjoy it all.

Dressed casually in that comfy faded denim color and clutching a bright bouquet of red tropical flowers, Dora was standing at the second gate to her home. Warm and happy, she called out greetings to us with lively chatter from her perch to the street. Kisses and hugs were the tickets we received to ascend the hill to the party. Packing Daniel in his car seat, stroller frame, shopping bag stocked with a double recipe of my cornbread and assorted other necessities, Cecilia, Will, cousin (and driver!) Andre, and I arrived just a little breathless at the kitchen door.

By the time I met Adriana and walked out onto the patio, Cecilia--with Daniel in her arms-- was surrounded by cousins, aunts, and friends. They were all standing at a polite distance but craning their necks as far forward as possible to get a look at Cecilia and the little 3 week-old miracle.

C's Tia Alice gets the best view of her new great-nephew.

Cousins Talking

Greetings
BTW: The coat rack on the right is provided for purses,
because one must never put a purse on the ground.
The Brasilian superstition is that if you put your purse on the ground,
all your money will run away and you will be poor.

Tio Carlos offered me a chair at the table where he was sitting with three other grown men--one of his sons, a grandson, and a nephew.

Tio Carlos talks politics with his son Alex and his nephew Tacio.

I scanned the patio to take in the guests. A table at the other end of the open-air space held some folks whom I guessed were not blood relatives, only because they weren't hovering around the newest arrival. The Gringa went over to speak to them--brave, huh!? In my best Rosetta Stone Brazilian Portuguese I said my name is Sandy. I'm from Texas in the United States. Several at the table stared, but one woman decided to bite. She and I had a small conversation, which I appreciated. With a smile, I asked her to speak to me as if I were a 2 year-old. She encouraged me to calm down when I got flustered while trying to find a word or phrase. This lady and her table mates were neighbors that Dora had invited to Cozido.

Between the 'north' neighbors and the 'south' family was a large open patio with plenty of seating for the meal. Several couches invited conversations and relaxed views of the tropical mountainsides and Sao Francisco Bay.

The weather was warm and breezy with a smell of distant rain in the air.

The third time I went back to the kitchen for more water, Adriana and Maria Cecilia were plating all the Cozido onto serving dishes. There was a definite way to place the vegetables in each dish. It was clear across language barriers that Adriana took pride in presentation

The kitchen table was a staging area for all the plating.

The Gringa made certain that I put the right thing on its designated platter, and Adriana sprinkled chopped parsley like Kitchen Fairy dust on several dishes before passing them to the serving table outside.

Dora's shouts and the ring of a brass bell were our cues to line up for Cozido.

Cozido from the starting end of the buffet.

Cozido from the other end of the buffet line.

Not sure how the table held all the food; there were probably 3 or 4 yards of plates, bowls, and platters, and all of it looked delicious. Everything on the table was familiar to the party-goers--except the cornbread! As I stood in line for my turn, I watched four women take one 2"x2" square and cut it into tiny pieces to determine what in the world it was. Acceptable to one, disgusting to another, take-it-or-leave-it to two. Helio, who is a big fan of my cornbread, said that would leave more for him.

Line up for Cozido!

Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, and Green Peppers sprinkled with Parsley

Potatoes and Yams
These are the real thing--yams. Not the sweet potatoes that we sometimes call 'yams.'

Collard Greens, Onions, Chayote Squash, Corn

Beef, Pork, Sausage, Ribs

On my plate were cornbread, collard greens, white beans, carrots, pumpkin, onion, and tastes of beef and pork. Sounds like a good ol' down home Southern meal, doesn't it?! I also tried an unfamiliar green pepper that most guests did not like. In fact, Helio said his mother Dora was the only one who liked it because it was "very bitter." What Helio called "very bitter" was tasty to this Gringa--a little on the mild side, not unlike a regular green bell pepper in taste and consistency. Acceptable to one, disgusting to another, right?

Brasilian food is not spicy at all--at least not the Garcia Maia Brasilian food that we've shared. It's tasty, and there's no shortage of onions and garlic, but there's no heat like one finds in TexMex or Italian or Caribbean cuisine. The "National Dish of Brasil"--black beans or feijoada (fay DJWAH duh)--is really good. It's generally served with rice and a generous sprinkling of farofa (fah ROF ah), which is manioc flour toasted with butter, salt, and bacon. What's not to like, right?

I sat at the table with Will, Cecilia, Helio, and Maria Cecilia. We were pretty much in the middle of the patio, surrounded by what I would guess were 30 or more people.

A great afternoon for eating, drinking, and talking.

Chatting

You know that tag-team eating dance you do with a new baby, where the least hungry or tired adult steps up to walk/rock/sway/jiggle or otherwise entertain the little one? I was up, and grateful for a date with Daniel. Food can wait!

In the house after lunch, Cecilia and Will found a cool, calm spot with a small fan for Little Man to nurse and chill out.

Calming down in a cool room.

The last time these three sat on this couch, Daniel was yet-soon-to-be born.

Friends came in to visit and get a close look at the baby in his "Made in Texas" onesie. Lots of people needed and explanation of the onesie's message. "Wait," they'd say, "wasn't he was born in Brasil?" Yes, but . . .

Daniel--Made in Texas

There were several other children at the party with their parents. All of them were so cute in their diverse ways. Will hatched a plan to amuse three of the older children with a section of gutter material and a big tub of matchbox cars that belonged to now-teen-aged Joao.

At 4 months, he was a little young for matchbox cars.

This little guy stayed busy with hands full of cars and an impromptu ramp
designed by Will.

Some of Joao's Treasures

A Pretty Smile and Angel Hair

The only thing missing to duplicate Brasilian traffic
is beeping motorcycles weaving helter-skelter between lanes.

Joao and two of his friends were down one level below the patio where two of Dora's three dogs were tied up. Instead of playing X Box in the cool room where Daniel was nursing, they were involved with their skateboards and a curved wooden ramp. I'm not sure they even ate anything; but we all heard the occasional wipe-out throughout the afternoon.

A beautiful, huge, fluffy, white layer cake now sat on the table where we had eaten our lunch.

Adriana's Beautiful Cake

Olga, Dora, and Alice were passing around trays of little sweets. One was very similar to a praline, only with peanuts instead of pecans--yes, I'll have another!

C's Tia Olga offers me another delicious sweet.

There was a large tub of sugar cane, fresh from Tio Carlos' yard in Itaipu. Also available were watermelon, pineapple, and a candy that seemed to be stiff tapioca coated with fresh grated coconut.

The older children try to be patient over cake and ice cream delays.

When Dora called everyone together for the cake, it was to celebrate the birthdays of Cecilia, Dora, Helio, and Maria Cecilia. All of these happened from February 24 through March 2! The entire group gathered around, clapping and singing The Birthday Song. Then there were organized cheers, a song of blessing, and other songs that I wasn't familiar with.

Happy Birthday to You! -- Parabens pra Voce!

The quartet of birthday celebrants was duly recognized. The cake was cut and served. Adriana had made this beauty, and it was a delicious, moist, white layer cake with white icing and fresh grated coconut.

Cutting the Cake
Dora (February 27), Cecilia (February 24),
Helio (March 1), Maria Cecilia (March 2)

Close your mouth so you don't drool!

I fed a piece to Will, who was holding Daniel . . .,

. . . then went back for my treat. (Maybe if you're coming in April for the wedding, you'll get to have a piece. Well, not a piece of that specific cake, but another just like it that Adriana might agree to make for the occasion.)

Not long after the cake and ice cream, Will told me that we were leaving. The afternoon was so pleasant, but we needed to exit before any mosquitoes started their hunt for Daniel's tender skinny legs. Besides, both Mommy and Dad could count on both hands the number of hours they had slept in the previous 36 hours. After many good-byes and thank-you's--kisses on one cheek or two, hugs, tchau, 'brigada--we were down the steps with all the Daniel gear, back in Andre's car for the ride home.

I enjoyed my first Cozido very much. Dora and her sisters did a great job of hosting a huge feast for family and friends. I'm glad I was invited!

A Hostess Gift that Dora Received--
the Bloom of a Ginger

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Time?

The Gringa is musing this morning about time in Apartamento #1102 at 291 Praia de Icarai, Niteroi, RJ, Brasil. This is a definite place in time--this three bedroom, two bath apartment--but time is much more ethereal here.

Before you think I've gotten all New Age or come up two tacos short on the Special Plate at Los Brazos, let me explain.

Steve had warned me to turn off the roaming feature on my phone when I got to Brasil in order to avoid exorbitant charges. Done. But the time was stuck in some US zone that was not relavant to either home or Niteroi. Same with my iPad--connected to high speed internet in the apartment, only stuck in a different US time zone than my phone! After 5 weeks of subtracting 3 hours from the time stamp of my smart phone in order to decipher current time, I called on Will, resident Techno Geek, to help synchronize my i's, and was delighted to be able to refer to either when I wanted to know the proper local time.

Yesterday morning I woke up and checked my iPhone clock like I do every morning. It read "Saturday, March 3." Well!! I thought that a little strange, since I was pretty sure it was Friday, March 2. At least, when I went to bed the night before, I was anticipating that it would be Friday when I awakened. Okay, Gringa--check your iPad. It's accurate--after all, this is smart technology, right? Again, "Saturday, March 3."

Now I'm not even interested in the time of day; I just want to know what day it is. Did I sleep through an entire 24 hour period? It's possible, considering the level of sleep deprivation that lays over the three adults here like one of 20 day-old Daniel's gauzy swaddling blankets. But if I did sleep through, then I missed a Skype date with my dear friend Jo, scheduled for Friday evening. I'm feeling a little like Alice in Wonderland, minus the potions.

Posting the date question on FaceBook, I trusted that someone in the 'real world' of cyberspace would be able to re-orient the Gringa. Then I settled in to the morning; whatever the day, our routine is fairly fluid here. It revolves around Little Man, who, as I mentioned, is nearing his 3 week birthday.

In Texas, we have three clocks on the wall in Steve's study. One is set to the current time in Cypress, Texas; a second is set to the current time in Brussels, Belgium, where our niece lives with her husband and two daughters; the third is set to the current time in Niteroi, Brasil. Though we change the times according to the ebb and flow of Daylight Savings here and there, we can always count on our battery-operated clocks to keep us up-to-the-minute.

In Apartamento #1102, the kitchen stove has a clock, which BTW is set to international time, like 0:36 or 23:45. (This presents a minor challenge to the Gringa when it gets to be after noon and I need to translate by subtraction.) However, there have been so many overnight power outages lately, that the stove clock is often flashing and inaccurate. Will and Cecilia's house phone has the time on its face, and because it has a battery back-up, I count on it to be correct. At least, until last week when Daylight Savings ended in Brasil and it was an hour off . . . sigh . . .....

So, I checked back on FaceBook a little later yesterday morning, and Thank Goodness my brother Doug had solved the mystery! He suggested that it had to do with the Leap Year. Also, my friend Robyn had posted a reference to Texas Independence Day as well. Every red-blooded Texan knows it's March 2nd for sure. Now my addled brain was set at ease. It was still Friday, March 2nd, and I hadn't missed my Skype date; and better still, there were still 3 tacos on my Special Plate at Los Brazos.

FYI--We are now 3 hours ahead of US Central Daylight Savings Time. It is Saturday, March 3, 2012. The local International Time is 9:45.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Dora's Birthday Surprise

Monday, February 27th was Dora's birthday. Since Cecilia knew she wouldn't be able to go see her mom, C asked Dora to stop by the apartment so that she could give her a birthday hug. We all had such a nice time at Cecilia's party on Friday, the 24th (did you see that blog post?). Daniel was still getting used to breathing air and nursing and all the other things that 2 week-olds do--except sleep at night; and Cecilia was being wise to postpone a trip to Vovo Dora's house.

About noon on Monday, Joao stopped by after school with backpack and skateboard in hand. In Portuguese, he told me he was planning a surprise for his grandmother. "How sweet," I thought. "He knows Dora is coming by, and wants to be here to surprise her." It didn't occur to me that something may have been lost in translation. So I went about early afternoon laundry duty (as opposed to morning laundry duty or late night laundry duty!) with the phone clipped to my britches, so that I could intercept calls during a rare time that Cecilia was actually able to sleep while Daniel napped. When C woke up, she phoned her mom.

The plan for Dora to stop by for a visit had been modified. (Maybe that's what Joao had told me earlier?) While Cecilia shared that the family was coming by for a birthday celebration, all I could think about was the fact that I had nothing prepared for a party. There was very little in the pantry to pull together anything special to honor Dora. And I had no gift or card to give my new friend. There was also little time to hunt and gather, as it was already after 3PM . . .

Cecilia and I talked about what we could do to make the night special for her mom and the family that was coming. If I walked quickly to Real Market and Beira Mar Bakery, I could get eggs and a couple of other ingredients; and we could pull together two special desserts. That, along with the pizza that Dora was to order, and the beer that someone was bringing, would hopefully make Dora feel celebrated. She is such a giving, loving person.

By the time C finished nursing Daniel and walked into the kitchen, I had recruited Joao to help me get a pan of Banana Bread--complete with chopped walnuts on top--in the oven. Dora really likes this recipe, which was new to her at C's Diaper Shower. I hoped she would feel the love when she saw and enjoyed my gift to her.

The party arrived--Helio, Maria Cecilia, Flora, Philipe, Nelsinho. Dora ordered the pizzas, which were delicious. Someone had chosen to play the DVD of a concert for George Harrison. The living/dining room spun with Eastern Indian sitars and vocalists, and two groups of animated conversation in Brazilian Portuguese. I was not in Kansas anymore, ToTo!

I put the Banana Bread Birthday Cake, decorated with sparkler candles, on the table.

Dora's Banan Bread Birthday

Explaining to Dora that she could do whatever she wanted with her present, she decided to share with everyone, of course. Unlike the sparkler duds that didn't work on C's beautiful cake Friday, this 6 and 0 lit right away.

We sang the Birthday Song more heartily every time Dora blew out the relighting candles.

Make a wish!

Joao helps his Vovo Dora.

"I thought I just blew those out!?"

So we sing again!

Clapping and laughing in celebration of Dora's special day, we surrounded her with a circle of love which included the newest member of the family, 16 day-old Daniel.

Dora with Helio, Flora, Cecilia, and Daniel

Dora gets the first piece of her cake.

Dora with family friend Nelsinho.

Helio and Will give their best impressions of Daniel.
When Baby D is on a shoulder, he sucks on his arm
and stares with his big eyes.

The Concert for George continued. Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, and others sang song after Beatles song that were very familiar to Dora and me. We were both born in 1949, and (though continents apart) shared the Beatles' zenith in our teens. Two old hippies, remembering. "Give me hope, help me cope with this heavy load. Trying to touch and reach you with heart and soul. Please take hold of my hand, that I might understand you."

Parabens, Dora!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

From the Window

I'm sitting at Will's laptop early in the morning, staring out the window. Busy white passenger ferries and heavy-laden cargo ships are already at work; and a fishing trawler is chugging under the weight of dragging nets. It's too early for the sailboats that are docked in a marina tucked at the base of a mountain across Guanabara Bay--toothpick masts await bright white sails and a good breeze. Large, graceful sea birds are the only thing sailing on the wind, at least on their own power. In the distance, Christ the Redeemer seems to be blessing each bright jet plane as it ascends from take-off through the smoggy gray horizon.

This bayfront view is always in motion, even when you can't see the action on the beach at its edge. Over the past 6 weeks I've taken some pictures from the window of apartamento #1102. Want to see?

Something's always happening on the beach.
This Saturday there was a vendor carrying a huge net filled with beach balls.

Reminds me of the movie UP!
Only these are balls, not balloons.

Praia de Icarai is always colorful.

One Saturday Cecilia called me to see the boat party happening out the window.

Perhaps a pre-Carnaval Party

All the watercraft floated in a group
while beach-goers enjoyed the live band onboard.

Daniel and I had a date in the rede yesterday, and while he slept on my chest, I took some pictures of the late afternoon sun playing on the mountain outside our window.