Will Smith and My World View (The Wednesday Files)

There are a lot of fun things about marrying somebody from a different country -- the travel (because having to spend a few weeks in Brazil isn't all that bad!), the sexy accent (as it can make even the most boring word sound exotic and fun), and the many festas and futebol games that brought into your life.  But by far, one of my favorites is being able to share important cultural gems with my man.

Things like why I said, "We were gettin' jiggy wit it out there!"

"Gettig' jiggy wit it?  They never taught me that in my language school..."

Nope, they did not.  And it is a shame.  Because you missed an important part of the American heritage.

This is where YouTube has come in really handy. I just share this and instantly he understands...

Imagine the days before YouTube.  I mean, obviously I remember them.  In fact, I remember them quite well.  The first time I ever saw something on YouTube must have been around 2006 when a friend wanted to show us all the Ikea commercials that were banned in the USA.  But not in Europe!  And so we had sat and we watched and we laughed, and then we watched some more and laughed some more until our sides hurt. What an incredible waste of time, right? But -- oh! -- it was so funny!  Today it is just a part of our lives, and one that I am grateful for.  I mean, how else could I have explained to my husband tonight why I started singing, "Well, this is the story // all about how // my life got flipped // turned upside down..." when he put his hat on sideways and started dancing around?

If a picture speaks a thousand words, a video clip must speak well over a million.

Noticing a theme?

Yeah. Will Smith and I apparently go way back, and he has shaped the way I see the world.

I am not so sure that is a good thing, but it sure isn't a bad thing.  And now, thanks to the technology we have today, he can help shape the world of a Brazilian boy trying to understand this American way of life, one catch phrase or quick jingle at a time.


** Yes, I recognize that these are actually Vimeo videos, not YouTube.  They just embed nicer into the post.  But YouTube is my standard, go-to for important things like this ;)

// other posts on dual-cultural life //

The Brazilian Invasion (Wednesday Files)

Beans are on the stove cooking right now.  The smell is good... very good.  And it always makes me feel a little more in touch with the Brazilian side of our life.  Because when beans come, so does the rice, the salada, the Portuguese.

I was just scrolling through some pictures from this summer... not the ones from my crazy 24 day whirlwind on the East Coast, but from the other whirlwind that came through: The Brazilian Invasion.

Not only did we have seven people live with us this summer for a whole month (people as in family and friends), but we embarked on a ten-day road trip with them all.  Two cars, fifteen hundred miles, plenty of pit stops.  Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles... with a visit to Mickey in there, of course.  Too bad I forgot my camera that day.

Venice Beach is always interesting, and this time proved to be no different.

Hollywood?  The stars are still there in the sidewalk, right where I left them last time I visited.  But San Diego?  San Diego always impresses me.

Of course, our favorite moments were not caught on film.  Unexpected street fairs.  Finding ice cream in unlikely places, like the Los Angeles Union Station.  A good game of soccer in the middle of a parking lot while we wait for traffic to subside...

But some great things were captured.  Like this shot.  I guess this shows how kids really feel about Las Vegas ;)

Apparently, though, it wasn't all bad, as we can see below.  And the car ride?  Not so bad either.  Lots of singing, plenty of jokes, some napping... not a single DVD or iPad in sight.  For hours upon hours.  Because when the Brazilians invade, they make the most of it.  And I am grateful to have been along for the ride.

(A 'Wednesday Files' post)

Real Life: Bife a Role (Steak Rolls)

I don't know if I have mentioned this or not, but we had a house full this summer.  FULL.  Seven people came from Brazil, a combination of family and friends... for a month.

Yes, we might be a bit crazy.  Maybe.  But it's what you do when half of your world is, well, half-a-world away.  You maximize the time you have together.

Meaning, you blow up lots and lots of air mattresses and know that your home is not your home for the next 30 days, but just home.  Home to many, but home nonetheless.

This, of course, throws off your schedule greatly.  As in, the word 'schedule' is probably not a part of your daily vocabulary, in English or ever-progressing-Portuguese.  And your normal habits and preferences? They are replaced with field trips to Ross and then quick runs made to Target.  Because every Brazilian loves Ross, and every American loves Target.  You gotta keep it balanced.

Of course, bigger things happen.  Road trips around California; going camping with people who have never done it before; laughter ringing out from the table that usually seats two but can seat four, yet somehow manages to seat nine when you are really trying...

In the midst of all this, life continues to move forward. Some people head off to work while others head to the pool and bills are hopefully remembered and paid on time.  But at the end of the day (and a couple times before then), everyone needs to eat. A few gather in the kitchen to chop and dice, saute' and grill. You quickly figure out that feeding nine on a daily basis is a much bigger task than feeding two, while cleaning up sure does go faster when you have so many helping hands.

This goes on in the kitchen --

-- while Skip Bo is taking place in the living room with pillows falling off the couch, and a guitar is being played somewhere else while a few others sit around a computer watching a film clip in Portuguese --

-- and you realize that it's OK that you have Robitussin in the background of your food pictures and everything doesn't look so perfect.  Because this is real life.  And real life does not look like our food blog pictures.

It looks like this... perfectly imperfect.

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(No, I don't have any finished pictures for you.  After all, this was real life, so we sat, ate, and enjoyed each other's company.  If you would like to see what it it looks like, you can click here to be taken to a Google search.)

BIFE A ROLE (STEAK ROLLS)

From my mother-in-law’s kitchen

SERVES 5  •  PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES  •  TOTAL TIME: 50 MINUTES

special items you will need:

• a pressure cooker
• toothpicks

ingredients

• 10 thin slices of Silverside beef, about 5 inches wide and 10 inches long
• 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 5 bacon slices, cut in half (I prefer beef bacon as I don't eat pork bacon, but you can use whatever you like)
• 1 tomato
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 bell pepper
• 1 carrot
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

directions

1. In a dish, season the meat with the juice of the lime and the salt, using your fingers to rub it into the meat.  Set aside.
2. Chop the tomato, onion, bell pepper, and carrot into 5 inch-long slivers -- ten of each vegetable.
3. Taking one piece of meat at a time, place one piece of bacon and one of each of the vegetable pieces.  Roll like a burrito, tightly wrapping it so each end is covered and nothing can fall out.  Secure with toothpicks (2 to 3). 
4. Add the oil to the bottom of the pressure cooker.  Place the beef rolls inside.  Cook in the pressure cooker on medium-high heat for about 20 minutes after the pressure builds up.  When it is finished, be careful to let the pressure die down before you open the lid.

 COST: $16.70     COST PER SERVING (5): $3.34

(Serve with beans and rice to make a complete meal, coming in under $4 per serving.)

Apologies + Tomato Salad

Dear Friends Who Leave Me Voicemails,
I am sorry I never reply to you.  Actually, I am sorry I never even check your messages but just delete them and call you back when I have time.  I would like to say I have some good excuse, but I don't, other than I simply don't like checking my voice mail.  Sorry.

Dear Other Drivers on the Road,
I am sorry for all the times I wished the CHP upon you when you ticked me off.  I wouldn't like it if you did the same in return... oh wait, I am pretty sure you do do it in return.  Oh well.

Dear Friends Who Invite Me Over,
I am sorry for all the times I brought lame, store bought food to potluck dinners.  I know that you expect more from a woman with a food blog, but it's just so easy to hit up Safeway on the way over...

Dear Digestive Track,
I am sorry for all the times I fed you cheese or popcorn, knowing full well that it would make you miserable, and therefore make me miserable. I apologize for thinking more about the taste buds than I think about you.

Dear College Roommate,
I am sorry that I showed up to your wedding in the wrong colored bridesmaid's dress. You said 'blackberry' and I wrote down 'black', only to find out the day of your wedding that 'blackberry' was code for 'dark purple'.  Oops.  (And thank you for still being my friend, despite that.)

Dear Husband,
I am sorry for all the times I made you sit through The Bachelor with me. I know you have about 1,287,658 things you would rather be doing, but you power through so I can have someone to comment to.  You are a trooper!

And, Meu Amor, while I am at at, I am sorry that I never feed you Brazilian food anymore.  You have given up your country and your language and all the people you knew, and I don't want you to have to give up your food, as well.  I hope this tomato salad can help put us back on the half-American-half-Brazilian track again.  Besides, with fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lime juice it is delicious and there is no reason not to have this on our plate, regularly.  Kind of like pico de gallo as a side dish...  Yum.

Whew!  It was good to get that all off my chest ;)

// Day 13 of Blog Every Day in May //

BRAZILIAN TOMATO SALAD

SERVES 4  •  PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES  •  TOTAL TIME: 5 MINUTES

ingredients

• 3-4 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
• ½ onion, very thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• juice from 1-2 limes or ½ lemon
• salt, to taste

directions

1.      Mix tomatoes and onions together.  Add cilantro and lime/lemon juice with salt.  Enjoy!

 COST: $3.14       COST PER SERVING (4): $0.79 

Farmers Market Friday: Rio de Janeiro

Rachel (of Rachel's Rantings in Rio) and I go way back... well, kind of.  See, before I even had this blog, back when I was a blog stalker and not a participator, I found Rachel's blog.  Writing in my private blog from the time, I shared these thoughts of her:  I am following a blog called "Rachel's Rantings in Rio", which as you might have guessed is a woman (American, married to a Brazilian) in Rio, ranting. Well, not always ranting, but sharing thoughts mostly. It is like an online, ever developing ethnography. She is witty, crass, sweet, brutally honest, and overall happy. I love it.  Enjoy Rachel's view of the feira, and if you are looking for an American's view of all things Rio (witty, crass, and sweet included), stop by her blog and say hello to her.  

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The vegetable guy and I had a wonderful relationship at first. I suppose it is normal for some relationships to not make the long haul, nonetheless it can make things awkward.

You see, I used to buy already selected baggies of veggies from my guy. I always went to him and he was always a great help. He would even separate out the best bags of my favorite vegetables and I would buy them. We’d chat. I even introduced him to my children.

But sadly, we couldn’t keep that level of feira love. He started asking too much from me, quite literally and in the form of money. His prices kept going up, the size of the veggies in the bag kept going down and the crap he put aside for me was just that, crap.

So I broke up with him. I broke up with my vegetable guy. Life is too short to spend it eating overpriced tiny green pepper!

Of course I am not afraid of a little confrontation so I talked to him about it. After all, relationships are all about communication. I told him that his stuff was getting too expensive and the quality was going way down. He blamed the rain, the feira, and the other vegetable men.

I’m sorry but this girl has standards when it comes to her relationships: Own up or ship out.

Initially it was quite awkward. He would call me over and I would say thanks, not today. Then he started noticing that I was carrying someone else’s vegetables. It wasn’t a good feeling for either of us. I felt like a vegetable whore and he felt rejected.

But not all feira relationships are meant to be forever. Now we are on good terms, still waving hello to each other each week. He has found other feira loves and I have 2 different vegetable men. I suppose I am a bit of a vegetable whore after all, and fruit... Don’t even ask about my loyalty when it comes to looking for mushrooms.

Of course there are some feira relationships that can go the distance. I’ve been seeing my fish guy for 7 years now. It’s getting quite serious.  

Find Rachel on the web:

BLOG // TWITTER // FACEBOOK

And then tell us, how are your farmers market relationships going these days?

(Words by Rachel, Photos by Tiffany.  I think we make a great team.)

Farmer's Market Friday: Ribeirao Preto, Brazil

What a week.

First off, let me say my heart is broken.  For those in Boston, for those in Texas, for those trying to figure out how to go on from here.  We as a nation are strong, that I know.  But individual families are hurting right now, and for them, and all of us, we pray for strength and comfort.

Personally, it was a good week, but a tiring one.  Bachelorette weekend in Napa, camping with 24 children and 13 of their parents -- most of whom had never camped before -- in the rain, hours upon hours of parent teacher conferences... all since the last time I posted one week ago.  I know I promised you Rio de Janeiro this weekend, but my friend in Rio had a week of taking care of sickies and other things that pop up in life, postponing Rio until another day.  And so I bring you the farmers' market in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil!

Remember last week when I said that I initially fell in love with farmers' markets while in Brazil?  This is the one, folks... the one that opened my eyes.

Ribeirao Preto, or Black Stream, is a city of around 600,000+ inhabitants, yet is not considered to be a large city at all. With Sao Paulo coming in at over 11 million and Rio de Janeiro at a little more than 6 million, you can see how a measly 600,000 is in comparison.  If I were to compare it with an American city in size and number of stores/etc, I would say it matches a 70,000 person city here.  Which is to say not a big city, but not a small city either... something in the middle.  Unlike most tourist destinations in Brazil, it is not found along the coastline.  Instead, it is in the 'interior' of Sao Paulo state, about four hours to the nearest beach.  Despite the lack of beach, it is commonly referred to as the "Brazilian California" because it has an economy based off of agriculture and technology, as well as having a high number of wealthy people and sunny days.

As all cities, Ribeirao Preto is broken up into bairros or neighborhoods, most of which having their own feira livre.  This feira livre (or 'free market') serves the bairro my in-laws live in.  A collection of fresh fruit and vegetables line the street as people walk up and down inspecting the produce, looking for a bargain on something fresher than fresh.

And this is great. That's why we go to farmers' markets, right?  Well... in Brazil there is another reason to go to the feira livre.  That reason?

A late morning snack with friends, made up of pastel and caldo de cano.

THIS is why I came to the feira livre week after week.  Fresh produce?  Nice.  Pastel and sugarcane juice?  Even better.

Pastel, a deep fried pastry with assorted fillings such as cheese or meat or even pizza flavors, is a Brazilian street food that I am sure everybody loves.  Maybe not everybody eats it every time as deep-fried-anything is not always the healthiest, but I am sure life has taught you that deep-fried-everything is a little tastier than the norm.  Pastel is that and even more.

Caldo de cano, or sugar cane juice, is another big hit at the farmers' markets in Brazil.  Squeezed straight out of the sugar cane, it is naturally sweet.  Add a bit of lime and you are in Juice Heaven.

This is why I fell in love with the feira livre!

All of that produce isn't that bad, either ;)

So, what can you get for $10 in Ribeirao Preto?  Well, a friend of mine visited a farmers' market near there recently.  For $6 she got six carrots, a large bag of oranges, two cloves of garlic, ginger, three limes, and half a dozen eggs.  Not bad at all!  Looks like with the extra four bucks we could add some of those potatoes and a pineapple.  I'm telling you... quality meets quantity at the farmers' market.  Time to get yourself out there!

// via farmersmarket.com on facebook //

I have a few links for you this week that I am sure you will like.

Find your local farmers' market here, and then be sure to like them on Facebook so you can stay in-the-know with all things farmers' market related!

Head over to Cost Plus World Market to get some great Farmers' Market necessities, like cute bags to tote your stuff and cookbooks that tell you what to do with all of your great finds.

Make sure you are storing your fab finds correctly so they stay fresh.

See you next week, with a glimpse into a Florida market :)

The OTHER Expats

Guest posting today at Rachel in Rio's blog!  Talking expats and the many flavors they come in.  FYI -- my husband is the 'balanced' kind, which means he is practically perfect in every way ;)

Happy Wednesday, Friends!

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Living in a Dual-Cultural World: Belonging

Belonging.  It's a feeling we all strive for.  And in a 'normal' situation (if ever a thing existed) it is hard enough.  But you add a different culture to the mix and it makes it a little more tricky.

A fellow North-American-wife-of-a-Brazilian mentioned this in the comments when I put up the original post.  "Sometimes it can be bittersweet as you don't feel you fully fit in on either side."  Yes, this is a true aspect of it that I didn't talk about/think about last time.  The truth is it is easier for me.  I live in my country, around my family, speak my language, and eat my food.  I dabble my toes in the Brazilian life for a couple minutes here or a couple of months there.  And yes, there are times when I realize I do not belong.

Like when I try to communicate with someone at the store and it comes out "cute", when really I want to be able to fully express myself and taken seriously.  Or even here in the States at a Brazilian get-together and they laugh at jokes that make no sense to me yet do not understand my reference to Gilligan... (hey, Dude was wearing a red polo and a sailor hat, what was I supposed to say?).  Mostly simple things, but things that remind you that the people you are surrounded by do not have the same understanding as you.

It can be something as basic as mentioning  how much I love brownies or chocolate chip cookies -- and I am met with blank stares.

Yet I have the easy side of it.  I just pull out some ingredients and show what these 'cookie-things' are all about.  And then I step back into my world one month later/ten minutes later, and chalk it up to a fun cultural experience.

Making cookies with the family.  And yes, I visited Costco before we traveled ;)

My husband, on the other hand, lives in this constantly.  Sure, he speaks English and likes the food here, and yes, I do make him beans and rice every once in awhile. But there is more to it than that.  When you have spent the first 27 years of your life in one world and then change it in for another there is bound to be complications along the way.

I asked him about this the other day.  "It's hard," he said, "because my friends today cannot understand my past, or what makes me me.  And yet my family and friends that I have had my entire life cannot understand my life today and what I am living.  So I don't fully fit in in either place anymore."  As far as I can tell, this is the truth for any ex-pat.  It was true for me while living in Palau and Ebeye, it is true for Americans living in Brazil, it is true for a Brit living in Hong Kong. And it can be a hard truth.

Brazilian man and American grandpa enjoying checkers at the Cracker Barrel

However, it doesn't mean it is a bad truth.  He is happy where he is today.  And he works to build the bridge between the two worlds he inhabits, while I work hard along beside him to help make that happen.  Skype is well used in this house.  Plane tickets are purchased for us to go there or for them (those who can) to come here. Friendships are made based off of common interests today instead of what happened yesterday. Some of his closest friends today are American; some of my best girlfriends are Brazilian.  Trips are made the market in town that sells Guarana Antartica and then we head out for In n' Out.  We keep our mind open to new things. And in the end we remember this: we don't need to always belong out there, as long as we belong in here.   Because here, in our little family of two, we both fully belong.

Really, isn't that what marriage is all about anway?

(Original post for Living in a Dual Cultural World)

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Living in a Dual-Cultural World

We fly two flags at our home. Not literally, we don't actually have a flag outside our front door, but in essence, we fly two flags.

My heart bleeds red, white, and blue.  But it also bleeds green and yellow, and yes, a deeper shade of blue.

Although you just see little glimpses of this here and there, mostly in regards to food, you would probably never really know this by reading my blog.  I write mostly about food, and we eat mostly American food because, well, I do the cooking. And he does the eating -- of whatever it is I put in front of him.

But if you were to see us live our lives in the day to day, things would appear a bit more multi-cultural.

Conversations are about futebol and football, personal independence and strong family ties, of living the 'American Dream' while enjoying life like a Brazilian...

Passports are filled with visas both ways, and travel plans are made around the need to spend time in Brazil with family.


Things that just make sense to me don't also make sense to him (you really should wear more than flip flops outside in December!) and vice versa (showers are for night time, always).

"I love you" is pronounced chee-ah-moo (Te amo) and we go through a nightly liturgy of sweet dreams and boa noite's, back and forth, each of needing to speak the language of our heart for it to really count.

The truth is, we are not an American family.  Nor are we a Brazilian one.  We are mixed.  And that is wonderful.

Before we got married, people told us two things: (1) Marriage is hard, and (2) marrying someone from another culture, especially one who moved to the states only when we got married, is even harder.

We listened to them, and we took their words to heart.  But then we sat down, talked it over, and walked up to that alter knowing that the odds were not against us, because we knew something they didn't know: We did not have to choose a culture, we could create our own.  It didn't have to be hard; it could be whatever we decided to make it be.

So that is what we set out to do.  Take the good from both, throw out (as much as possible) the bad.  We all know by now (or should!) that there is no perfect culture, no perfect country, but there are great cultures, great ideas, and when you take that greatness from both and mix them together, you really do live that cliche': You get the best of both worlds.  Beans and rice with mashed potatoes.  And it tastes so good...

The Wednesday Files (Ain't no Corinthianos in this casa!)

As you know, soccer is a big deal in Brazil.  A BIG deal.  Like, my husband wouldn't buy a certain cellphone because that brand sponsored his team's rival.

Seriously.

And it isn't just my man.  Talk to any Brazilian who follows futebol (wait -- are there any that don't?!) and you feel the intensity they have for the game.  My last roommate (also Brazilian) warned me one day that if my then-boyfriend-now-husband would ever be asked to choose between me and soccer, he would pick soccer.  She was dead serious.

What can I say?  Brazilians are passionate about everything.  Why would their favorite past time be any different?

And so the battle began...

We invited some friends (also-Brazilian) over for dinner.  They came bearing gifts: drinks, cookies, and this lovely cake (which is -- WOW -- our favorite dessert.  Lucky for you I have the recipe HERE).  But there was one more 'gift' present that night: A Corinthians shirt.

Let's back up 2007.  I was in Brazil for the very first time, exploring the country of beauty and love with a hot man by my side, when I was welcomed into the family.  It went something like this --

"If any body asks you what the best team is, the answer is ALWAYS São Paulo.  Got it?"
"Ok..."
"And if anybody asks you the worst team, the answer is ALWAYS Corinthians. São Paulo, good.  Corinthians, bad."
"Yeah, sure..."
"No no no!  Not just sure!  You have to really mean it!  Try it with me."

And so we practiced.  It became one of the first conversations I could carry on in Portuguese.

Back to present day... (this is starting to feel a bit like LOST, isn't it?)
This dude walks into our house wearing a Corinthians shirt...

It's a good thing he brought cake.

When the time came to take a picture for proof of our get-together, my husband jumped up, ran into the other room, and came back waving a yellow shirt in his hand.  "You cannot take a picture in my house with that shirt on.  Here!"  In his defense, he did not ask our friend to put a São Paulo shirt on, just show a little Brazilian pride.  But the fact remains, a Corinthians shirt was in our house, and he was having none of that.

It took a little coaxing, and some sneakiness, but after several tries we finally got the picture the way it is supposed to be -- no promotion of the "other" team, happy smiles on most faces.

Poor Rodrigo.

Now, everybody, repeat after me: "São Paulo, GOOD!  Corinthians, BAD!"

Alright, you are free to come visit us :)

100 Brazilian Foods You Must Try

I love lists.  To-do lists, bucket lists (or in my case reverse bucket lists), lists of top 10 whatever.  And Shelley, an American figuring out how to live life in Brazil, found the most awesome list... 100 Brazilian Foods You Must Try.  So let's see how I am doing...

100 Brazilian dishes to try

1. Doce de batata doce (sweet potato purée/jam/jelly)
2. Churrasco (Brazilian-style BBQ)
3. Bala de banana Oliveira ou similares (not sure what this is...)
4. Tapioca 
5. Pizza assado no forno à lenha (Brazilian style pizza)
6. Feijão tropeiro (a variation of the feijão or beans)
7. Arroz carreteiro (a rice dish)
8. Açaí na tijela (Acai bowl with fruit and honey)
9. Paçoca de amendoim (peanut candy)
10. Pato no tucupi (some sort of duck dish)
11. Maniçoba (???)
12. Baião de dois (Dish from Northeast)
13. Acarajé (Street food from Bahia)
14. Pamonha (sweet corn paste wrapped in corn leaf and boiled)
15. Dobradinha (tripe stew)
16. Rapadura (a sweet)
17. Farofa de içá
18. Barreado
19. Pastel de feira (my FAVORITE street food!)
20. Couve refogada com alho (cooked kale with garlic)
21. Sanduíche de pernil (a pork sandwich, pernil is the pork leg)
22. Palmito (palm hearts)
23. Umbu em natura (a fruit)
24. Pacu (a type of fish)
25. Camarão na moranga (a shrimp stew served in a pumpkin)
26. Doce de abóbora (pumpkin jam/sweet)
27. Feijoada (the classic Brazilian dish, based on beans and varied meats served with rice, orange and couve, a sort of cabbage)
28. Galinhada com pequi (a chicken stew)
29. Peixe na telha (a fish dish)
30. Biscoito de polvilho (very Brazilian, and irresistible little biscuits)
31. Galinha à cabidela
32. Pão de mel com doce de leite (literally honey bread, very nice)
33. Any fish baked in folha de bananeira (banana tree leaf)
34. Queijo na brasa (grilled cheese sticks on beach)
35. Curau (juice from corn)
36. Torta de liquidicador (homemade biscuits with vegetables)
37. Café coado no filtro de pano (coffee passed through a cloth filter)
38. Caldo de cana (sugar-cane juice usually served with ice and lemon. LOVE IT.)
39. Arroz, feijão, bife e batata frita (rice, beans, steak and fries... typical Brazilian plate)
40. Buchada de bode (mutton dish)
41. Bolo de rolo (a rolled, sweet bread)
42. Furrundum
43. Chá mate gelado (chilled mate tea)
44. Rabada (oxtail stew)
45. Vaca atolada (beef stew with yucca)
46. Pitanga (a fruit)
47. Quibebe (pumpkin dish)
48. Pintando na brasa (BBQ fish)
49. Cuscuz paulista (corn-based dish)
50. Quebra queixo (hard sugar-based sweet)
51. Pingado de padaria (a must-have, served in Brazilian diners, hot milk with a little of coffee)
52. Quindim (egg-yolk-based sweet)
53. Cajuzinho (cashew-nut sweet)
54. Sorvete de milho (sweet corn ice cream)
55. Sarapatel (very common in Bahia)
56. Bolinho de chuva 
57. Caruru (a type of stew, also common in Bahia)
58. Frango com quiabo (chicken with okra)
59. Leitão à pururuca (pork dish)
60. Canjica doce (sweet corn pudding)
61. Pinhão (type of pine nut, usually baked, common in the South)
62. Vinho quente (hot wine)
63. Cachaça artesanal de qualidade (artisan quality cachaça)
64. Pão de queijo (cheese bread)
65. Caldeirada de tucunaré 
66. Moqueca (very common in Bahia, a fish stew with lobster and shrimp, coconut milk and other goodies)
67. Mandioca frita (fried yucca)
68. Broa de fubá (a sort of pastry made from corn flour)
69. Jaca (you have to know how to eat this fruit, but it´s worth it. Very nutritious. Ask a native to serve it)
70. Sonho de padaria (a type of doughnut)
71. Anything made with cupuaçu (a fruit)
72. Requeijão cremoso (the Brazilian version of cream cheese)
73. A whole cumari pepper (hot)
74. Churrasco grego (literally Greek BBQ, no idea what it is)
75. Queijo de Minas fresco (fresh cheese from Minas Gerais, sold in other parts of Brazil)
76. Misto quente (amazing stuff, grilled ham and cheese sandwich that somehow tastes better in Brazil)
77. Caldo de piranha (pirana broth)
78. Doce de leite mineiro (doce de leite from Minas Gerais)
79. Brigadeiro (the all-Brazilian sweet, chocolate with granules… Brazilian birthday candy)
80. Acerola (a small berry-like fruit, similar to pitanga, with lots of vitamin C. Usually in juices or ice-cream)
81. Bobó de camarão (a shrimp stew, or similar)
82. Pudim de leite condensado (condensed milk pudding, like a flan but more consistent and sweeter)
83. Manjar de coco (a very sweet coconut pudding)
84. Refrigerante de guaraná (guaraná soft drink)
85. Coxinha (street/fast food, with chicken filling in potato and bread crumbs and fried)
86. Caldo de mocotó (mocotó is the marrow from the hoof of a cow, calf, ox, used to make a broth)
87. Romeu e Julieta (a slice of goiabada, guava jelly, and cheese served as a dessert)
88. Chimarrão (like the Argentinian mate)
89. Virado à Paulista 
90. Jaboticaba no pé (a fruit picked from the tree)
91. Bala de coco de festa de aniversário (birthday coconut sweets, very typical, with the brigadeiro)
92. Bolinho de bacalhau (cod croquette)
93. Beirute (a very nice meat sandwich)
94. Caldinho de feijão (bean broth)
95. Melão produzido em Mossoró-RN (melon from Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, in the North)
96. Milho assado (baked corn on the cob, tough to eat if you ask me)
97. Batata doce assada (baked sweet potato)
98. Caipirinha (made with cachaça)
99. Geléia de mocotó
100. Caju (the fruit, not nut -- I have had the juice)
     
     
     40/100? Not too bad!  Guess I need to get to the Northeast so I can check some more off my list ;)