Vivendo Porto Alegre

My Favorite Things I

noreply@blogger.com (Maris Leivategija) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:45:00 +0000

Lately I’ve been reflecting on my routine here in Porto Alegre and thinking about what things I like most about my life here that I did not used to do back home.

Going to Mercado Publico
I love to go there and spend hours learning about gaucho handicraft and souvenirs. Typical things you will find there are gaucho outfits (look like cowboy outfits), stuff for the kitchen (plastic bag collectors, hand painted towels, all kinds of containers), chimarrão equipment. I've taken a true interest in cuias - the sort of cups where you drink chimarrão (or mate) from.There are no two cuias exactly the same and as I've learned to love the ritual of drinking chimarrão, I've been obsessed with finding the perfect cuia.
Mercado Publico is one of the oldest buildings in Porto Alegre (currently almost 142 years old) and is located in the historical center of Porto Alegre.

(Picture from Coletiva.net)

Sundays at part 'Redenção'
followed by drinking fresh juice at 'Lancharia do Parque'
If it is a sunny Sunday, this park is full of people. There is a handicraft fair happening there every Sunday from morning until late in the afternoon. The place is filled with street musicians, vendedores, and local families walking around. You can try foods from different parts of Brazil and later sit down with friends for a chimarrão. What I love most about this park, compared to for example Parcão, is that Redenção attracts people from all social classes. I am deeply disturbed by such division of people because I had never experienced that before in my life. But on Sunday and in Redenção park they are all there, doing exactly the same things - playing with their kids, walking with their boyfriends/girlfriends/dogs and enjoying chimarrão. Black, white, Indian; poor, rich; gay, straight, confused - everybody!

(Picture by Omar Junior)

Sunset at 'Usina do Gasômetro'
Porto Alegre is famous for its nice sunsets. On a clear evening, the sky gets red, orange, pink and purple. I suspect it has something to do with how polluted is the city, but nevertheless, the view over lake ‘Guaiba’ as the sun goes down is priceless. It was used to produce electricity between 1928 and 1974. Nowadays it is an architectural example and an important cultural center that hosts fairs, exhibitions, and other events. The street that takes you from the center to ‘Gasômetro’ is a very nice walk as well.

(Picture by Anita Corral)

Porto Alegre is very rich in culture so it is impossible for me to list all my favorite things in one single blog post. Stay tuned for when I describe my favorite places to go at night. Maybe you’ve already heard some rumors about the nightlife in Porto Alegre, maybe not… all will be revealed soon.

Chimarrão

noreply@blogger.com (Rodrigo Moraes) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 01:35:00 +0000

Quem vive por Porto Alegre conhece 3 hábitos dos habitantes daqui: Torcer para Grêmio/Inter (mesmo que simpatizante), ir na Redenção e tomar um belo chimarrão. (Ás vezes os 3 juntos!)

O mate (um homônimo do Chimarrão) está presente como um integrante na reunião familiar, numa tertúlia (reunião de amigos) ou até mesmo em uma caminhada pela cidade.
Mesmo sendo uma bebida simples (cuia, bomba, erva-mate e água quente - não fervida!), existe uma postura e uma hierarquia a ser seguida. Quem nunca viu o patrão (quem prepara o mate) tomar a "primeira cuia" ou "reclamar porque não roncou a cuia"? Ele não é grosseiro. Está apenas seguindo exatamente os 10 Mandamentos do Chimarrão!

Criado por Pércio Moraes, os mandamentos se referem ao comportamento durante a mateada. Os destaques como "Não mecha na bomba", "não durma com a cuia na mão" e "Não alteres a ordem em que é servido" são cruciais para o andamento da roda.
Ficou curioso? Então leia os 10 Mandamentos do Chimarrão e não cometas tais pecados!
Abraço!

Traveling

noreply@blogger.com (Virginia) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:04:00 +0000

Lost in translation. Or a literal equivalent that is slightly unsettling, like two clocks ticking out of sync, or a picture hanging crooked on a wall.

As great as POA (Porto Alegre) may be, everyone always seems to want to get away from it, at least for a short time. ‘He’s traveling this week’ or ‘I will be traveling then’—I hear the word in this context on a daily basis.

But for me, ‘traveling’ brings to mind backpacking through Europe, or hiking around South America—something longer, more involved, perhaps even exotic. It’s not a visit to the seaside or a weekend in the country. I anticipate tales of foreign adventure, to find the topic is merely a visit to a relative in Curitiba or a beach house in Torres.

(Of course the pedant will say that ‘traveling’ denotes the act itself, and of course this is true, but you and I both know that is not the spirit behind its use in general conversation.)
Regardless, the weather has turned momentarily glorious, and the winter break is upon us, so we might as well do some traveling. (When in Rome, and all that…).
Up the mountain to Gramado we go. My in-laws have a history here, and I first knew it many years ago, before the expensive shops, restrictive parking and indulgent hotels. I prefer Canela these days; it feels more relaxed, and I’ve always liked the name.

And there’s a Festa Colonial! Who needs overpriced gift stores when there are homemade jams and local products? When there are artisan craftspeople and lively musicians? When you can sample creamy chocolate, cinnamon cachaça, freshly-pressed fruit juices? Where the steaming quentão (a kind of mulled wine) is elegantly-spiced and silky smooth (unlike a sickly-sweet syrupy version I had last month at a Festa Junina).

We had dinner at the festa—there are several caseira restaurants set up in the feira hall itself. Traditional, local, hearty dishes, served with a welcome as warm as the iron pots atop the wood burning stove. We bought jams and juices, chocolate and cachaça, and local wine, so pungent and grapey it was almost unreal.

Traveling? Yes please. I know there’s no place like home, but it is wonderful to get out and about now and then, even if it’s just a quick trip up the mountain.

www.canelaemfesta.com.br

Bureaucracy

noreply@blogger.com (Virginia) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:03:00 +0000

Bureaucracy. Red Tape. The System. Or ‘burro-ocracy’, as I have also heard it called—no one feels it quite like a foreigner in Brazil.

It starts out easy enough. If you come from a country that doesn’t need a visa to enter Brazil, you just turn up at the immigration desk, your passport is stamped, no questions are asked, and no information is given.

But how long can you stay? Are you allowed to work? Can you extend your visit, or what happens if you overstay your welcome? These are the mysteries of the tourist visa.

My situation is different, as I am married to a Brazilian, but I have met many others in this situation. And the answers to the questions above, in case you are wondering, are, in order: 3 months; no; yes—although you cannot be here more than 6 months in 365-day period; and at the very least you will be fined R$ 8 per day of your ‘illegal’ time.

OK, but back to me. I could write an entire novella on my dealings with Brazilian bureaucracy, but I will just share one or two of my favorites so far. Firstly, as we were married in the UK, we knew we had to register the union here in Brazil. We also knew that no one would be too impressed by our ‘foreign’ marriage certificate, so we had it translated—word for word—by a ‘juramentada’.

At the cartório we were told this wasn’t sufficient--the document would need to be returned to London for certification by the Brazilian consulate there. Sigh. Several weeks and more money later, we returned with the marriage certificate, and its shiny new stamp on the back.

The woman looked at the paper suspiciously. She turned it over, and then back again. Where is the translation, she wanted to know. We handed her the one we had. No, she told us, you need a new translation. To include the new stamp. ‘But the stamp is in Portuguese’, my husband cried in disbelief.

And so it goes. A new translation, more money spent, and then the federal police get to do their part. You can work now, the official tells me. Fantastic! And I can finally get a bank account too? He shook his head sadly. Unfortunately, not until the full residency papers are finalized, perhaps 1-2 years. It’s a quirk of the system, apparently. You are allowed to work, but not to open a bank account. And many jobs require you to have a bank account into which they can deposit your pay…

You have to laugh, as they say, or else you cry.

Me voy de shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Lucas) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 05:03:00 +0000

“Porto Alegre tiene muchos shoppings”. La afirmación podría carecer de sentido para alguien que vive en París o Buenos Aires, pero si nos damos cuenta, la expresión sólo queda grande cuando comparamos la capital gaúcha con mega-ciudades.

En La Plata (capital de Buenos Aires), mi ciudad, apenas tenemos uno (lo mismo sucede en otras grandes capitales argentinas). No es que no sea ciudad avanzada o a la gente no le guste salir. Por el contrario, la encuentro bastante parecida. La diferencia es que el boom de los shoppings todavía no ha alcanzado la magnitud que considero tiene hoy Porto Alegre.

Aquí ya conocí 5 shoppings diferentes, el Barra Sul, yendo al sur de la ciudad, el Bourbon que está sobre la Ypiranga, el Iguatemi, el Total, y el Praia de Belas, y me dijeron que hay más aún.La verdad es que no soy muy fanático del shopping, pero parece estar profundamente arraigado en los gaúchos. Es decir, para ir al cine, uno va al shopping, para ir al supermercado, uno va al shopping, para comprar un regalo uno va a al shopping, incluso si uno no tiene que hacer nada, ir al shopping se ofrece como un plan genial en Porto Alegre.

Creo que parte del fenómeno se debe a la seguridad que uno encuentra dentro de cualquiera de ellos, más allá de los artículos y el confort ofrecido por las empresas. También la arquitectura moderna que uno puede apreciar en tamañas construcciones.

Mi preferido – o al que más he ido- es Praia de Belas, sobre la avenida Getulio Vargas e Ypiranga, pero no se confundan, les puedo asegurar que sigo prefiriendo prefiero ir a ver un buen partido de fútbol que salir de shopping.

The World in Porto Alegre

noreply@blogger.com (Maris Leivategija) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:12:00 +0000

This post is for our local readers.

You know, to get to know our precious world, you don’t need to spend a lot of money, quit your job and go live on the other side of the world (like I did). Instead, you can go to places where people like us hang out! We are always glad to make local friends, because this is a way to adapt and dig deeper into the culture.

I am going to share some ideas with you on how to do that:

Facebook group “Estrangeiros / Foreigners in Porto Alegre”
A meeting point for foreigners in Porto Alegre, as it says. I have noticed it’s a more mature group of people. Many of them/us have a career and a family here. The meeting point is an Irish pub called “Shamrock”, mostly on Wednesdays, as I understand. I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting up with this group, but I will go and see what’s up in the near future. I am sure of it.

CouchSurfing.com
Get to know a new country by lending a person your couch! This way, the person gets to see real local life, meet your friends and at the same time tell you everything they have learned about the world. I once did a trip of 3 weeks just using CouchSurfing and I absolutely loved it! There are never too many friends in too many places in the world.

AIESEC
The slogan says it’s an “international platform to discover and develop your leadership potential”. It’s the world’s largest student driven organization with units that cover the whole planet. Besides that part, it has a unique global culture that spreads through its members who are constantly being exchanged between the countries. At any given moment, there are several young global citizens living in Porto Alegre, eager to share their culture and experiences in the wide world. This is the place where my international life got started somewhere back in the beginning of 2007. If you are a student or a college graduate under 30 years old, check http://www.aiesec.org.br/site/escritorio/portoalegre/

Getting to know foreigners is not just something fun. It’s a process of self-development where you get the chance of understanding yourself better than ever before. You will learn who you are as a person, as a citizen of your community and as a citizen of the world.

I still remember vividly my first long conversations about cultures and realizing how small is this planet, how interconnected we all are and how influenced by the same problems and questions in life. It makes one’s heart immeasurably wider and the life incredibly richer!

And if you still have room, how about a Feijoada?

noreply@blogger.com (Virginia) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 22:01:00 +0000

Maris took us through her impressions of the Gaucho churrasco. My introduction to Brazilian cuisine was in London many years ago, when I first met my husband. He is half-English, and he was spending his early 20s in the vibrant UK capital, having a wild time and experiencing life outside of Rio Grande do Sul.

His big sister lived there also, and on Sundays we would make our way across the river for some family time and a feast like I had never seen before. The smell in her flat was incredible. ‘What IS it??’ I cried, when I first opened the pot and saw the velvetly black beans and chunks of meat and sausage. Her English boyfriend proudly told me that it had been cooking all day and I was in for a treat. He was so right.

They explained the ritual. The rice, the greens, the farofa, the oranges. Oranges? Why oranges? Apparently the vitamin C complements the iron…or something like that…but mainly because it just tastes good. I was in heaven. And of course I ate WAY too much… I think I could actually feel each one of those beans expanding in my stomach for the rest of the day!

Churrasco may be the pride of RS, but I think feijoada is the unofficial Brazilian dish. I’ve been told that it was traditionally a slave meal. Random discarded bits of the pig—ears, tail, snout, etc-- were cooked all day to produce the delicious stew, but it also may have originated from the Portuguese cozidos.

I joke that the main reason I agreed to come and live here was for the feijoada alone! When I lived in Australia it was difficult to get black beans, and I went a little crazy having them here in Porto Alegre when I first arrived. But now I skip them when I go to the buffets. I want to make sure that when I have the opportunity to tuck into a real home-cooked feijoada, I am ready to savour every mouthful.

Churrasco – the Gaucho equivalent for Estonian sauna

noreply@blogger.com (Maris Leivategija) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:12:00 +0000

Churrasco is the Portuguese term for barbeque. Here in the south of Brazil, it is deeply traditional. It is not a meal; it is a process and a ritual.

I believe anyone organizing a party, a get together or a welcome/goodbye for someone would first suggest having a churrasco. Just like in Estonia, where we would organize a sauna party (I have to admit, I am from Saaremaa - an island far from the capital). Learn more about the ritual and meaning of sauna before continuing with reading this post. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_sauna (Estonian sauna tradition is 100% the same).

Both sauna and churrasco are the main family event of the week.

So what does a real churrasco look like?

We have to start by looking deep into Gaucho soul and asking ourselves – what is the perfect state of relaxation, understanding of the best spent quality time, and the image of true manliness for Gauchos?

A Gaucho is very proud of Rio Grande do Sul and its traditions. He, like an Estonian man, finds it important to be able to start a fire, which is a lost value in the western world. The highlight of his weekly accomplishments in his true heart is when he serves his dearest people perfectly juicy, just enough salty meat that he made himself, from scratch. Traditionally that would include killing the cow with his own sword, but nowadays, in the city, the tradition mainly starts at the butcher’s by choosing the right kind of pieces of meat.

In the case of sauna, the whole procedure starts with chopping firewood. It is important that the wood comes from the right kind of tree and it is completely dry. Then the man can proceed with chopping the logs, placing them in the sauna oven and setting the whole thing on fire.

The meat (according to the piece) is rolled around and then kept a few minutes up until some tens of minutes in coarse salt. Then it is put in the churrasqueira (kind of like a big fireplace) where it is turned every few minutes. A bit later the chef will use his sword (that he keeps on his belt) to spank the salt off the meat. When it’s ready, he serves the meat on people’s plates right off the metal stick, cutting slices with his manly sword. He is the last one to eat, when everyone else is satisfied.

He serves different pieces of meat, but I find it most important to mention picanha (I believe it is located somewhere on the 'ass' of the cow) and chicken hearts (coração de galinha). The hearts because they were a part of my culture shock and because I’ve learned to think they are absolutely delicious!

Returning to the topic of sauna... The man will spend hours adding firewood, measuring the temperature, setting the hot room ready for visitors. When the temperature is right (depending on taste, between 80 and 110 degrees), he invites his friends and family to join him for a night of sauna.

Both rituals take hours and are not taken lightly. But somehow, they are rituals of relaxation and confirmation that everything is all right – the family is together, the bellies are fed/cleaned and the man of the house is still the man of the house. Complete mental and physical relaxation. Every Sunday (sauna’s case - Saturday) the family becomes closer together. It is something that kids run back home for once they’ve grown up and are leading their modern stressful lives.

My Gaucho friend agreed, he said “I would say churrasco is the reason to survive the week - to wake up, go to school/work, because after a long week - there is the churrasco.”

That is how I feel about sauna.

Just for fun, here is a little comparison between the two:

CHURRASCO	SAUNA
It’s a family-friends event	It’s a family-friends event
It feels completely natural and essential in a weekend	It feels completely natural and essential in a weekend
There is a special place in your house only for that	There is a special place in your house only for that
The ritual revolves around a fireplace	The ritual revolves around a fireplace
It takes the whole morning and noon	It takes the whole evening
Normally on Sunday	Normally on Saturday
It’s on fire	It’s hot
There is a set of special tools	There is a set of special tools
You wear traditional gaucho clothes	You wear traditionally nothing
You enjoy it with beer	You enjoy it with beer

Warm Brazilian embrace

noreply@blogger.com (Maris Leivategija) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:58:00 +0000

I am new to this blog. In fact, this is my first post, so I will start with myself.
My name is Maris. I am 26 years old. My real home is way up north - Estonia! I would describe myself as a very curious person, mainly about people and nature. I guess what I am doing in Porto Alegre is exploring the gaucho (that is how people are called in the state of Rio Grande do Sul) in me and learning about a society, human behavior, and the world in general. In everyday life I work on a big international educational project that works with public schools here in Porto Alegre and in many other places in Latin America. It’s my 4th time in Brazil, 3rd time to live in Porto Alegre. Except, this time I might stay for a while.

Enough about me, I will continue with my very first impression I had when I first landed in Brazil in the beginning of 2009 (and which hasn’t changed ever since).

One thing that amazes me about Brazilians is the warm welcome I receive from anyone I meet or anywhere I go. Porto Alegre is no exception. Gauchos are not used to tourists but, seems, they welcome every newcomer with the most admirable curiosity, respect and warmth.

I have not traveled a lot (a bit less than 20 countries) but I have to admit, here is where I feel the most welcome. Ironically, I include my own culture in the comparison. It feels good here, really warm!

It’s very common that people I’ve just met invite me to their home to meet their family. They prepare the most delicious dinner – a table loaded with an endless number of traditional dishes – and very excitedly wait until I’ve tried and approved each one of them. It’s an easy task because the food here is truly great! They continue with telling me about their football team and Sunday barbeque (a topic so special, I will write a whole post about it) and convincing me to join both of them.

Gauchos are always curious about how I ended up here and what my home country is like. They very genuinely listen to everything I tell them and even search for more information later. By the end of the night I feel like I’ve known those people all my life. They’ve already become a part of me - my family. We kiss several times and hug for minutes before I leave (everyone in the family joins in this event – kids, mother, father, grandparents, sometimes neighbors...). Then I go home, on my way thinking about how my heart is filled by the warm Brazilian embrace.

A chill in the air

noreply@blogger.com (Virginia) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:02:00 +0000

Baby it’s cold outside. Um, actually, it’s cold inside as well. And apparently it’s not just me who thinks so—everywhere I go, inside every shop, office, government building, I see people wearing their coats while they work. Where is the heat?!

Where is the fantastically-efficient gas central heating? The weather-smart insulation? Where are the cozy fireplaces? Where are the winter-warm shopping malls, buses, restaurants?

We live in an old building, and our apartment is pretty small, so it’s easy to keep it at a reasonable temperature. And we are still able to use an old-fashioned gas bottle heater, which, though bulky, is a cheap way to heat a room.

Best of all, when you run out of gas at 8pm, a simple phone call brings adelivery within 30 minutes! You gotta love that kind of service.

In many newer buildings, these gas bottle systems are forbidden, so occupiers must rely on alternative methods. Split air conditioners are becoming more common, but these can be expensive to run, and annoying to sit under, as the heat bears down on you like dragon’s breath. More often than not, I see the ‘splits’ silent and dormant on the wall. And that great apartment with the panoramic view? When winter comes, those glass windows are like sheets of ice.

But why is POA like this? Why are buildings so ill-equipped to deal with colder weather? It’s not as if this scenario were new. Presumably winters have always been chilly in southern Brazil. Regardless, most new constructions I’ve seen are no better set up—worse in many cases—than the older buildings. Are the engineers hoping for some kind of genuinely warmer global future?

As for me, at this point I’m just hoping for an early spring.

Temas delicados

noreply@blogger.com (Betel) — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 18:48:00 +0000

Todo mundo tiene derecho a sentirse orgulloso de la tierra de donde proviene pero que pasa cuando eso significa menospreciar otras para vanagloriarse. Si es un tema que puede ser delicado pero cuando uno viaja, de cierta forma estas expuesto a la crítica de tus tradiciones y todo aquello que forma tu cultura, además de que colateralmente vas adquiriendo ciertos hábitos de los oriundos. Ser de Río Grande do Sul, es todo un bagaje cultural agregado, es ser orgulloso de tu ascendencia alemana, italiana, portuguesa, española y algunas veces con sangre nativa, negra o japonesa. Encontrar una identidad en el mestizaje es la realidad Latinoamérica, pocas personas son los que podrían decir que tienen solo un origen. Eso mismo es lo que motiva a las personas a hacer las cosas de diferente manera y así la obtención de resultados positivos. Caxias do Sul creció exponencialmente el año pasado económicamente y eso hay que reconocerlo, hay una buena cantidad de empresas Gaúchas que cuentas con gran éxito, nacional e internacionalmente.

Hay un dicho que dice así: “Al lugar que fueres haz lo que vieres.” Entonces con esa premisa la ADAPTACIÓN es fundamental para lograr con éxito la inserción en una nueva sociedad. Entonces ser viajero y emigrante creo que no es lo mismo a pesar de ello cuentan con innumerables semejanzas, cabe mencionar que dentro de los viajeros hay distintos tipos. Se puede ser superficial y ser llamado turista, es aquel de admira la belleza de un lugar pero su visión realmente no tiende a una crítica más allá de la primera impresión.

Por otra parte cuando la permanencia se prolonga uno pasa del turista a entender paulatinamente cual es composición de una sociedad. Resalto la importancia de la autocritica en la que las virtudes y flaquezas de nuestra tierra. Ser tolerante? Fundamental ya que a pesar de los estereotipos, cada uno somos individuos y ser prejuicios puede resultar contraproducente. En la actualidad la discriminación es un tópico que ocupa un lugar importante en la cotidianidad por lo que ayudar a la construcción de un mejor lugar donde la convivencia sea agradable tenemos que empezar con una sonrisa y dar la mano.

En fin bajando todo lo dicho anteriormente y relacionándolo con Puerto Alegre, haciendo un recuento de los 5 meses que he estado aquí y un mes más viajando dentro de Brasil, tengo un balance positivo de las aventuras, experiencias y amigos que he encontrado en estas tierras, GRACIAS BRASIL.

Comida, describiendo costumbres

noreply@blogger.com (Betel) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:40:00 +0000

La comida de México es conocida internacionalmente y los que gustan de picante la disfrutan enormemente, acá en Puerto Alegre me gusta muchísimo el Buffet Libre tal cosa no existe en México por tales precios. Además que son muy distintas nuestras horas de comer, por lo demás creo que la diferencia radica en la forma de organizar los alimentos y claro los condimentos. Regresando al Buffet, primero entras con una mesa llena de verdura cosidas o crudas finamente picadas para hacer una deliciosa ensalada casi siempre varios tipos de lechugas, rúcula,, zanahoria, betabel, ensalada de papa, brócoli, pepinos, etc., después depende del restaurante vienen una serie de platillos siempre hay arroz y frijoles negros cosidos como los de las abuelitas, junto mandioca o papa dulce a veces tienen piña o plátano empanizado con canela, pastas y su respectiva salsa junto. Después vienen las carnes que depende también depende del lugar en algunos tienen una parilla con res, pollo y pez u otros tienen guisados más elaborados como estrogonof o carne de puerco con alguna salsa, lomo relleno. Ahora que hace frío no puede faltar la sopa al principio generalmente es de verduras. Para terminar un final espectacular el POSTRE! Donde tenemos flan y pudín de chocolate con galleta casi siempre pero también hay gelatina de diferentes sabores, bolitas de harina en una salsa roja, FRUTA espectacular a veces tienen mi favoritas los caquis, sandía, melón, papaya, guayaba, etc. Hablando de otras delicias es el RODIZIO y tomo la palabra tal cual del portugues ya que no se cual sería su mejor traducción es simplemente sentarse y esperar que te traigan pizzas de muchos sabores hasta que te llenes, las dulces son muy buenas: chocolate con fresas, manzana con canela, banana split, maracayá, chocolate con m&m, etc. Finalizando con el Churrasco, si alguien de nuestros lectores me ayuda diciéndome que parte de la vaca el la PICAÑA se lo agradecería ya que viajando por el continente me he dado cuenta que entrar a la carnicería dice mucho del lugar al que vas, en cada lugar los cortes son diferentes, los nombres, la textura de la carne, etc. Pero que rico es, claro si eres un amante de la carne como yo!

¡Y más postres!

Power in Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Virginia) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:55:00 +0000

Looking for something to do, eat, buy in Porto Alegre? How about going for parrilla in Moinhos or sushi in Cidade Baixa? Or trying a new experience—what about deep tissue massage, a photography course, or a weekend in Gramado? Maybe your car needs servicing, or your poodle needs pampering?

With so much on offer in and around the city, how could you ever afford to do it all? But what if we all got together and asked for a group discount? In these shaky economic times, who’s going to say no to guaranteed business? And buyers have always loved a bargain.

So, enter ‘collective’ or ‘group’ buying. In the past few years, consumer discount sites such as Groupon and Peixe Urbano have burst onto the scene. You can’t open your social network or browser pages without seeing ways to save on activities, restaurants, services. And savvy business owners are cashing in, realizing that this low-cost/low-risk advertising brings huge exposure and overnight increase in trade.

Groupon, in 23 countries worldwide, and one of the largest collective buying sites in the US, boasts that 97% of advertisers ask to be featured again. Here in Porto Alegre, it exists along with Peixe Urbano and others, as a reason many people across the city look forward to opening their emails each day.

Subscribers receive a daily deal, with discounts up to 90% on all kinds of businesses around POA. Each offer only becomes valid once a certain number of buyers is reached, and is only available for a limited time.

As a consumer, it’s a great way to explore new places and try new activities. In the past couple months, I’ve bought vouchers for pizza, cake, beer, bowling, an animal safari and a day spa. I got a new phone, an online DVD membership and a subscription to a magazine.

What kinds of things will you get with your next discount…?

Park it here

noreply@blogger.com (Virginia) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 19:09:00 +0000

It's a busy Monday morning in downtown Porto Alegre, and trying to find a place to park is as difficult as ever. We get lucky as someone is pulling out just in front of us, and even luckier as the 'flanelinha' hands us the departing driver's ticket, with 50 mintues still on it!

As it turns out, we only need half that, which is amazing for a visit to a government office. But as we return to the car, we realize we only have a R$1 coin to give our helpful friend. He is undiscouraged. 'Tá ótimo. Boa semana,' he calls out, smiling, then immediately turns his attention to the next eager recipient of our spot.

I'm fascinated by these guys. I'm bemused by the whole custom of having someone 'assist' you in parking your own car, making a theatrical show of rolling their hands to indicate turning your wheels, or shouting 'Pare, pare' in case you might hit the car behind you. Then they are waiting when you are ready to leave, assuring you that they have been guarding your car with their own lives.

'What do they do?' I asked when I first moved to POA in January. They look after your car, my husband told me. Why? For money, of course. Some of them seem kinda scary, I thought, suddenly appearing at your window in the dark. But they're harmless, people say. Unless you DON'T give them money... (though no one seems to know anyone who actually had a problem with any of them!)

Apparently it's a lot worse in São Paulo, where flanelinhas are very aggressive, and can demand inflated prices or even threaten you if you don't pay. Thankfully here they are generally quite friendly, and they cheerfully accept whatever small donations you give them.

Sometimes my husband tries to avoid paying, mumbling about having no change after the windows are already closed. I tell him he will get bad 'parking guy' karma if he keeps it up, and now I usually try to have some coins ready before we get to the car.

Everybody has to make a living somehow, right?

Callar y contemplar

noreply@blogger.com (Betel) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 04:03:00 +0000

Todas las ciudades tienen un ritmo y la pautas las marcan los habitantes de ellas. Aquí en Porto Alegre aunque siento que el centro es, por decirlo caótico y bullicioso, no lo es así en los alrededores. Es una ciudad grande más de un millón de habitantes y muchas actividades que se pueden hacer. No es preciso manejar mucho o tomar un bus en la central de autobuses para caer en lugares mucho mas tranquilos, donde se aprecia el silencio. Las ciudades no duermen solo se aletargan durante la noche recargándose de energía para el siguiente día. Por lo tanto para poder sentirla invito a nuestros lectores a recorrerla, solos o acompañados pero la única clave sería hacerlo en silencio. ¿Para qué? O ¿Por qué? Yo respondo y…¿Por qué no? Siempre hay una opción y aquí en POA las opciones a no ser la lluvia siempre hay algo allá afuera que nos puede robar una sonrisa. Hoy fui al sur de la ciudad y de cierta forma es la parte rural de la ciudad pero que linda es, la playa de Ipanema, arquitectura vernácula, casas que evocan al descanso. Lo mejor de todo es la distancia a la que nos encontramos de este lugar. Para estos recorridos recomiendo un buen libro, una bitácora o un mp3 con música agradable para cada quien. ¡Sigamos conociéndola!

Cuando un idolo se va...

noreply@blogger.com (Lucas) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:20:00 +0000

El frio me entraba por todos lados, no veia la hora de estar en casa. Encima el modesto Avai se estaba llevando todo del mítico olímpico. Hasta que llego ese gol a los 94, que, post avalancha, me devolvio el alma (y el calor) al cuerpo.Y en ese momento mire hacia el banco de suplentes. Ahi estaba el Idolo. Tanto habia escuchado de el desde mi llegada alla a Poa que me quede mirandolo fijo, absorto, como si estuviera dando una senal de lo que despues pasaria.

Cuando escuchó el silbatazo del juez, cerró los ojos, se mordió los labios con bronca, se le humedeció la vista y un feo escalofrío le recorrió el cuerpo. La última acción lo encontró prácticamente sin energía; se quedó quieto, se llevó las manos a la cintura, insultó al aire y dirigió su mirada hacia el palco, donde sufrían -tanto o más que él- los dirigentes y torcedores. Mil cosas se le cruzaron por la cabeza a Renato, mil. Después de tanto sacrificio, de tanto amor, se cayó, se derrumbó, ya no podía más. Cuando en agosto de 2010 aceptó el desafío de regresar a Gremio para "darle una mano", Renato Gaucho, el ídolo tricolor, conocía que sería una tarea complejísima mantener al equipo en primera. Lo sabía. Sobre todo por los últimos meses de agonia (Gremio se encontraba en zona de descenso) que estaba sufriendo el club. Abandonó la cómoda vida en Rio de Janeiro y se embarcó en la aventura tricolor, arriesgando prestigio.

Sus picardías, su lenguaje corporal y lucidez mental contagiaron a los torcedores, dirigentes y a sus propios jugadores. Pero las graves limitaciones del equipo gremista finalmente le dieron un cachetazo de realidad al ídolo. Así y todo, no se arrepintió. Ayer, disputó su último partido como DT del conjunto gaucho dando la cara en la conferecia (estallo en un llanto), como siempre lo hizo. Desde que llegue a Poa me hablaban del Idolo.Evidentemente el futbol, aqui es demasiado fuerte, se siente y se vive igual que en Argentina, y cuando un ídolo se va, los hombres lloramos.

Clases de Español

noreply@blogger.com (Betel) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:12:00 +0000

Uno tiene su lengua materna y la ocupa de una forma singular, el conocimiento se pasa de generación en generación sólo deformándose con el uso. A la fecha sigo impresionada como es que aprendemos a hablar es casi mágico, pero al aprender un nuevo idioma las cosas son diferentes. Conozco gente que ha aprendido tan bien una nueva lengua que es imposible saber de donde son, su capacidad de adaptación a una nueva cultura como tomar un acento, es fantástica. Soy nueva dando clases de español y muchas veces me siento superada por las preguntas que me hacen mis alumnos, a pesar de ello siento que es una buena forma de entender mi propia cultura y me hace cuestionarme: cómo es que cosas que doy por hecho no son tan lógicas como parecen. Si doy clase a brasileños es fácil toman muy rápido lo que quiero decir y explicar resulta sencillo. Por otra parte al hacerlo con gente de no tiene como origen las lenguas latinas es más complicado o debo tener los conceptos muy claros para transmitirlos correctamente. Si ya sé que la mayoría de la gente piensa que español y el portugués son iguales pero NO. Hay que tener su debido respeto a cada idioma y para hablar superficialmente puede ser sencillo pero ya enfocarse en un lectura o algo más elevado resulta que no se parecen en el fondo tanto como pensamos. Estudié italiano y ahora el portugués los dos me parecen lenguas hechas para la música, para cantar solo o con los amigos, en noches de fiesta o soledad. A pesar de hablar de desamor, lo hacemos, porque también incluyo al español, con ritmos que nos llevar a bailar y algunas veces a reír… extraño puede parecer para otras culturas pero no tengo una explicación racional. Será que la tristeza, los rompimientos, el abandono, la nostalgia, as saudades (br), tienen otro color en Iberoamérica…

You can't get there from here

noreply@blogger.com (Virginia) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:01:00 +0000

My Argentinian co-blogger recently wrote about the transportation system in Porto Alegre. It's interesting that he made comparisons to Buenos Aires; I was there in March, and I felt like I knew my way around that beautiful city better after three days than I did in POA after three months!!

The dearth of useful information available here to the visitor—and resident—baffles me. There are few maps in circulation, and the layout of the city and its bairros seems to have no coherent pattern.

Worse still is the incomprehensible maze of public buses and the complete lack of travel guidance. It's like some sort of secret society, where you have to crack the code to enter. I am always asking 'How am I supposed to know WHICH bus to take to a particular destination?'

The answer is invariably the same. 'You just know.'

But there are no notices at the bus stops. There are no timetables, no destination charts. There is no bus map that makes any sense. The official eptc website is a myriad of confusion. Only if you know the exact bus number you want to look up can you find its route and schedule. And because there are four bus companies that don't seem to have any connection with one another, it's even harder to map out a course.

You can't just walk to the closest bus stop and see where you can go. You could flag down each bus and ask the driver, but what if you don't speak Portuguese? What if the very bus you need is just around the corner and no one tells you? What if you're the sort of person who wants to plan the easiest route ahead of time?

So how is a tourist supposed to navigate the city using public transport?? Many world cities have readily-available and easy-to-understand walking and transportation maps. Many public bus and train systems offer comprehensive guides in print or online, and most stops have detailed route information, including, in some cases, the arrival times of the next one approaching.

And why only a single-journey fare? Why is there no discounted weekly or daily pass, and why must one pay for EACH trip if a change of buses is needed?

Having said all this, once you figure out which bus you need, and where the stop is, and how to negotiate the turnstile and pay the fare, the bus ride itself it quite comfortable and efficient. I'm a huge fan of public transport, and I would like to use it as often as I can. But I think POA has some work to do to get ready for the influx of tourists in 2014.

links: http://www.poabus.com.br http://www.eptc.com.br

phone: 118 for route information (Portuguese only)

Deixando o zoom trabalhar

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Ribeiro) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:53:00 +0000

Porto Alegre acordou em uma bela manhã. Fria, mas bela. Durante o transcorrer do dia a nebulosidade aumentou um pouco, deixando o dia com cores um pouco menos alegres. O sol no início da tarde pareceu amenizar o baixa temperatura. No entanto, junto à beira do Guaíba o frio era intenso.

Restou então fotografar o Guaíba e seus arquipélagos do sexto andar de um edifício no Centro.

Recordando um casal que estava pesquisando modelos de câmeras digitais no Centro de Porto Alegre, resolvi fazer uma sequência de fotos explorando o zoom da Fujifilm Finepix S1800.

Acima, foto apresentando o Cais Mauá, Estação Terminal Mercado da Trensurb e Avenida Mauá. Abaixo, zoom óptico ajustado para 9x.

Fotografia abaixo com zoom óptico ajustado para 18x.

Ver imagem acima no seu tamanho natural.

Imagem acima com zoom máximo (mostrando a perda de foco pelo zoom digital). Todas as imagens foram reduzidas a 12% das fotos originais.

Poa y el sistema urbano de transporte

noreply@blogger.com (Lucas) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 22:47:00 +0000

El transporte en Porto Alegre se puede dividir en 3. Los taxis, de buen nivel y con un precio accesible. Son una buena opción si uno está apurado (desde el aeropuerto salen taxis especiales). El tren, que sale desde el mercado público y va hasta ciudades cercanas pasando por el aeropuerto, es puntual, y en general siempre lo encuentro limpio. Es el transporte más barato de la ciudad (1,70 R$). Y por último el eje del sistema urbano de transporte lo conforman los ómnibus. Aqui me explayaré un poco más. Todas las unidades son confortables, cuentan con aire acondicionado, luces, cesto de basura (un milagro hallar uno en Argentina) y hasta rampa para deficientes. Al subir hay un cobrador sentado en una especie de cabina especial, la mayoría de ellos son muy amables y si uno tiene alguna duda mejor preguntarles a ellos. En general se puede llegar a cualquier punto de la ciudad con un ómnibus; ahora ya hay algunos tuneados para el Mundial, sino su color característico es blanco con amarillo y lineas marrones o azules o rojas segun el destino . El problema es que es caro para turistas, bastante caro para los habitantes de la ciudad, y desorbitante para los estudiantes (2,70 R$). También están los diferenciales, unos ómnibus más pequeños, que son más rápidos, confortables, y por consecuente más caros (4R$).

También existe un proyecto para construir un metro (subte), pero sería recién después de la copa del mundo.

En general el sistema urbano de transporte en Porto Alegre es opuesto al argentino promedio, donde los costos son muy bajos, pero el nivel que presentan tanto ómnibus como trenes en la actualidad es lamentable (N del R: la única ciudad de Argentina que tiene metro es Buenos Aires).

A pesar de todo, a veces reina el caos, y en horas pico o días lluviosos los ómnibus se convierten en viajes infernales. Asi fue que aprendí a caminar por la ciudad.

Quero-quero de pantufas

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Ribeiro) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:59:00 +0000

Porto Alegre, 7h00min: o radialista de uma emissora local informa as condições do tempo. Um ouvinte avisa que no seu bairro não há luz. Logo em seguida, um outro informa ter avistado um quero-quero de pantufas. A brincadeira é uma alusão ao rigoroso início de inverno no Rio Grande do Sul.

Rajadas de ventos de até 87km/h danificaram algumas sinaleiras e out doors, em Porto Alegre. Com o avanço da tarde o vento foi perdendo sua força. Mas o frio, este parece que veio para ficar.

Nas quatro estações

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Ribeiro) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 02:52:00 +0000

O outono, a estação das folhas, se foi. Aos poucos, as folhas deixarão as ruas. Seja pelo processo de decomposição natural da matéria orgânica, seja através da ação de limpeza do Município, ou por iniciativa dos responsáveis pelas suas calçadas. A natureza, aliás, tem sido mais eficaz neste processo.

Rua Santana, no início de junho.

As folhas desaparecem, mas outros corpos permanecem inertes nas ruas, praças, calçadas, e em praticamente todo o espaço de uso comum: são os detritos resultantes da atividade humana. O lixo.

Certo dia conversei com um grupo de estudantes de intercâmbio sul-coreanos. Eles apontaram como o principal ponto negativo da cidade a sujeira nas ruas. Na expressão usada por um deles, a falta de higiene nas ruas. Esta é uma mancha difícil de se tirar da imagem da cidade, porque está relacionada não apenas à prestação de um serviço público - que aliás, tem deixado muito a desejar - mas inclusive por estar associada a um contexto cultural.

A foto acima mostra o trabalho solitário de limpeza de uma praça na região central da Capital. Outro dia uma equipe do DMLU estava realizando a limpeza junto às duas margens do Arroio Dilúvio. Tais ações, no entanto, estão muito aquém das necessidades de uma cidade que produz muitos resíduos e cujos cidadãos não parecem se incomodar com o convívio tão próximo do lixo.

Avenida Ramiro Barcelos, próximo ao Campus Saúde da UFRGS.

Em vários países europeus podemos ver ruas tão limpas quanto se pode imaginar. Talvez o trauma vivido durante a peste bubônica durante a Idade Média tenha contribuído para esta conscientização. Precisaremos viver um trauma semelhante para mudar a nossa postura frente ao lixo que se acumula nas ruas? Em alguns lugares é possível ver ratos em plena luz do dia. Sem mencionar as pombas, que também transmitem doenças e circulam livremente entre os pedestres no Centro de Porto Alegre.

Pombas disputam restos de comida em lixo abandonado na Jacinto Gomes.

As ruas japonesas são outro exemplo a ser seguido. A disciplina e a organização oriental contribuem muito para a intolerância ao lixo nas ruas. Por aqui, a cultura da sacola plástica surpreende negativamente as pessoas que escolhem Porto Alegre para viver.
No entanto, o mais difícil não é conviver com o lixo, mas com a passividade e aceitação das pessoas que dividem o espaço com ele diariamente.

Arte en POA

noreply@blogger.com (Betel) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:17:00 +0000

Hablar de arte suele ser pretencioso de ante mano, a pesar de ello quiero mostrar mi interés. Aquí en Puerto Alegre me gusta la oferta cultural que tiene, además de que me sigue sorprendiendo que es más barato ir a la OSPA que pasar una noche de copas con los amigos. Fue una causalidad o casualidad, como quieran, que cuando fui el mes pasado tocaran a un compositor mexicano: Silvestre Revueltas con una de sus obras maestras Sensemaya, me lleno de alegría.

Por otra parte los museos wow!, la fundación Ibere Camargo y el Santader Cultural me tienen sorprendida, en Ibere solo he visto una exposición y fue la pasada pero en Santander el domingo pasado vi, la tercera en el tiempo que llevo aquí. Hasta ahora la que más me gusto fue la primera sobre arte electrónico, que después algunas de las piezas las vi en la usina del Gasómetro. Los recintos como tal son bellos en general guardan historia y nos hablan de un pasado glorioso, pero que a la fecha sigan siendo lugares que provoquen es impresionante.

Más allá de que si nos gusta lo que vemos o lo que está expuesto me quedo con la estética entendida como la capacidad de provocar un sentimiento o emoción en el espectador, no importando que sea directa o indirecta, buena o mala, o simplemente una reflexión, o una evocación. Por ejemplo las pinturas del artista Ibere Camargo me dejaron pensando en como los mismos hechos de la vida nos marcan y trasforman nuestro ser en lo que somos.

En la calle Duque de Caxias esta otro museo más pequeñito pero que es agradable visitar, se llama Museu Júlio de Castillos, en la parte trasera tiene un patio lindo. Cerca del Santader está el Museo de la Historia Gaucha y junto el Museo de Arte del estado, el primero con una gran cantidad de datos interesantes por lo que recomiendo ir con tiempo sobrado para poder leer más detenidamente, el segundo además de tener exposiciones muy buenas, he visto 2 y las fueron excelentes, vale la pena ir continuamente. Un lugar que nunca pensé estar fue en el sótano de la prefectura de Puerto Alegre, si ahí hay un museo, cuando fui tenían una exposición de los indígenas Guaraníes con tallas de maderas, videos y fotos interesantes.

Esta oferta casi siempre el gratuita y espero que siga siendo asi por mucho tiempo.

The Afiador

noreply@blogger.com (Virginia) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:07:00 +0000

Things had been getting pretty dull around here, and something needed to be done about it. I'd been waiting for the man to come along and put the edge back into things, but I seem to keep missing him. Today, however, I was just sitting down to lunch when I heard the distinctive whistle from the street below. I quickly jumped up and grabbed all the knives I could find. Hurrah! The 'afiador' was in the neighbourhood!

I love a good knife. I've got knives in all shapes and sizes. But, as any chef will tell you, a blunt knife is not only useless, it's also dangerous. And not to put too fine a point on it, but my knives were in serious need of sharpening.

Adevade Augusto dos Santos bought his bike in 1969. He's been honing blades, reviving nail clippers and shaping scissors for 52 years. Sprightly and talkative, he's cheerful and chatty above the whine of the steel against the stone. And how's this for a 'green' energy source—he uses pedal power to turn the grinder and file, and all he has to do is hold the blade against them.

It cost R$ 4,00 per item—a bargain, I say, compared to the value of a decent knife. Adevade moves around; he also goes to the local restaurants and shops, summoning his regulars with his Pied Piper call and getting exercise as he works.

It may not be cutting-edge technology, but it's great to see an old-time tradition still deeply carved into modern life.

Caminando junto al sol

noreply@blogger.com (Lucas) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:13:00 +0000

Ya son casi 5 meses que estoy en Porto Alegre y todavía recuerdo mi primer domingo, ansioso por conocer, decidí ir a uno de los mayores puntos de encuentro de los portoalegrenses: la "Orla do Guaíba". Lo primero que vi al llegar es mucho verde, una larga senda peatonal, y un lugar sobre el rio donde la gente se tira a conversar, tomar chimarrao (mate) y sacar algunas fotos. La puesta del Sol es hermosa, y me acompanará durante todo el recorrido. A la derecha se puede ver la "Usina do Gasometro", reconvertida en Centro Cultural. También se puede dar un paseo en barco para tener otra visión del lugar o alquilar unas bicicletas. Impresionado por la cantidad de gene (los domingos cierran que esta sobre la orla, y se pueden ver familias y ninos jugand también en las calles); continué mi camino y vi sobresalir la mitad de un puente oxidado. Cada 3 metros se pude ver un puesto donde ofrecen panchos, pochoclos y hasta agua caliente para el mate! Todo el camino esta patrocinado por Pepsi, que puso un kilometraje para los atletas y un aparato que tira agua o vapor para repeler a los mosquitos. Más adelante uno se encuentra con unos espacios para hacer gimnasia realmente innovadores, todavía no está desarrollada la idea en Argentina, por lo que encontré muy extrano ver ancianos haciendo ejercicios un domingo cualquiera. A lo largo de todo la senda uno nunca deja de disfrutar de un paisaje impresionante, con el sol bien cerca, como si fuera propio del lugar. Llegando a una rotonda uno ve un gran circo montado sobre la vera del río y a la izquierda parte de lo que es el Centro Administrativo de la ciudad. Al final del camino está el Anfiteatro, un lugar preparado para recitales, eventos y shows.

A lo lejos se ve el estadio de Internacional FC pero prefiero dejarlo para otra caminata, es tarde, el sol parece invitar a la luna, dejando así sin protagonista especial a la "Orla do guaíba".