First
I do miss my family in Rio, I truly wish we could go there every year for at least two weeks, mmm’kay make it twice a year for at least two weeks. (no mom not more than that cause I also miss my dogs and they usually are miserable at the kennel). Happy now?
Apart from people the things I miss are the silly ones, dishes we cannot find here, mostly because the ingredients are so foreign they don’t even have a name in English for them.
Above all things I miss bread. Sure there is bread here. Even very good bread. But, and we all knew there was a but coming; somehow it is almost impossible to find Brazilian bread. The kind we eat in Brasil for breakfast, the kind we call “French” there although it has no real resemblance to a baguette. They are made fresh at least twice a day on every bakery.
True I did not use to eat them that often for breakfast after I grown up, simply cause that would be a no-no in any diet. Every time I go visit my mom I do enjoy it every single morning, knowing too well it will not last forever.
Today I ate Brazilian bread. It would be accurate to call it “American-Brazilian bread” since it was made here, but it had all the goodness from a true Brazilian bread. Thanks to my Brazilian friends, the ones that used to be our neighbors, the “almost impossible” became possible.
There is a town, I would say an hour from here, that has a huge Brazilian population and because of that they have a store that sells stuff from Brazil and even a bakery, now actually it seems there is yet another bakery to cater to the Brazilian need of true bread. Unfortunately we never drive even close to there. We have projects all over but not in that direction and it always seem too much to go there just for my cravings.
Last night our friend came by with a bag with half a dozen breads. I am in heaven. I have to confess it was hard not to have a second bread this morning, only the idea of making it last longer, of having one of those breads every morning this week made me stop.
Second
I never cease to marvel at He-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed abilities.
Yesterday I climbed the stairs from the basement dreading to tell He-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed that our dryer was dead. I just kept repeating inside my head “don’t kill the messenger”. It was not totally dead, as it still produces heat but the drum would not move.
Brazilian way to any dead appliances is “call a guy”. My people is not into DIY, maybe because there is always a “guy”, because labor in Brazil is not expensive like here, and even if usually “ a guy” will make you wait hours to show up one very seldom will try to solve the problem without “a guy”.
I have to say I am glad I have “my guy”. It did not took him long to diagnose the problem, a broken belt. He did some research online and figure the solution. After lunch he went and bought the new belt, I am proud to say I help figuring out how the belt was installed.
I must admit the actual process was not pleasant; He-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed is very good at what he does but not very good about giving directions in a pleasant way, helping him is not always a smooth operation. It did take 3 times (a charm?) to get everything in the proper place but even if not painless it was not a long process.
Having a broken dryer: a pain
Buying a new belt for dryer: $20
Having my own DIY guy: priceless
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