About Brigadeiro

Tomorrow is my last speaking class at Troy’s school. So, we agreed to make a little party. Who can, will bring anything to share, to eat or to drink. I was thinking about what I could make. Anything which is not very difficult and which is authentically Brazilian. Brigadeiro seemed to me a good option. However, I don’t know if it was a good option, because I still don’t know if my brigadeiro is with the right texture. I just made and now is cooling down. Tomorrow I will see and tell to you about the result. Ok, if I’m going to share the Brigadeiro, I thought would be nice talk a little bit about what Brigadeiro is and when this sweet is usually eaten. Thus, that is the result. I wrote the text and used some pictures from internet and I’m sharing with you. What do you think? Do you like brigadeiro? How and when do you usually eat brigadeiro?

Actually this is not a dessert. I mean, you don’t make a Brigadeiro to eat after special lunch or special and posh dinners at home. This is a kind of sweet known as “for children”. We indeed can say this is the most famous sweet for birthdays in Brazil, which is common in all of five regions of the country. When children go to a birthday party they usually are anxious to sing the birthday music. Would be because they want to celebrate theirs friend’s birthday? Not exactly… Truly it happens because after that they can go to the sweet table and eat Brigadeiro, Cajuzinho e Doce de leite ninho, among others delicious sweets and candies. In those parties the brigadeiro is served in traditional way: in small balls covered with chocolate sprinkles.  

Moreover, not only children like this sweet, teenagers and adults also like it. And, even though is the most famous party’s sweet, people don’t eat it only in parties. In some homes they make it, although in this case they usually don’t make it in the traditional way. Making balls of Brigadeiro is too much work, therefore, at home they usually put in a plate. Thus, the people can eat using a spoon when is still hot or when cold down. At home they eat Brigadeiro watching a movie, talking with friends or just by themselves, because they are sad, because they broke up a relationship, because they are happy, or just because they want to eat a Brigadeiro.

Almost everybody likes Brigadeiro, but because of the fact that is known as a childrens sweet. Or also because the sprinkles is made with not high quality chocolate. In weddings, and adult’s birthdays and other parties, people are making Brigadeiro in other ways to look more beautiful, more posh or tastier. Sometimes they change the chocolate sprinkles for black chocolate, or for different kind of chocolate. Also is common find Brigadeiro in weddings served in small glasses to eat with spoon.

Shit's origin

Discovering swear origin: meanings can be culture’s shock.

In old ages, when England have sent ships for long travels around world, they usually carried manure to fertilize the dirt for food grown. They carried manure in boxes on ship’s hold. Because of the movement and the less of free air, these boxes exploded sometimes, because the manure fermented and produced gas. Therefore, they wrote on boxes of manure: “SHIP HIGH IN TRANSIT”, phrase which means: “this boxes should go on the top of the ship to don’t cause any explosion accident. Now, read the initials of the words of that phrase. They use only the initials on boxes to more easy:

Ship High In Transit = SHIT

I knew SHIIT was a “bad word”, but I have no idea about how much it is… I listen in movies, and in Brazil we usually use this word. It’s a “swear” but isn’t very seriousness, grave, like it’s here, in US.

Considering the origin’s explanation, I really can’t understand the seriousness of this “swear”. Last Friday I was in my reading class and we were talking about teenagers. They use a lot of swearing at school, motive why we were discussing about it, we were reading a little young dialogue. My teacher spelled the word “Shit” as forbidden word which  you shouldn’t pronounce… The problem was, I had used this word pronouncing that some minutes before…

Did she spelled to give me an exemple???

Take it easy with swears, you can seem very rude.

How expensive is US… Can I survive here?

I took the airtrain. This train is specific for the airport, so you can imagine how big the JFK airport is. I can’t remember exactly how many stations are in the airport, I think there are eight. The stations are inside of the departures and arrivers rooms. You can take any train, don’t have anyone to control this, only to help you. “Would you like some help?” “ where are you going”. Interesting… we can use the train and we don’t pay for this… really interesting, I thought. Ok. I took the train in the forth station to Jamaica’s train… although I didn’t know what was the difference between one and other train. In the last station of airtrain I understood what was the difference… there are different trains and you have to pay for both. But the difference is… for air train you only pay when you are going out, if you are arriving at NY. So, I paid $5. I think it’s very expensive, but you have to pay…

To take the metro to Manhatan you could pay only one trip or you could buy a card for a day, for a week or for a month. I would stay in NY for five days, then I bought the week card. I could use how many times I want the train in one week, for $29. This is expensive but it’s a nice service, quick transport and many lines. Now I can say: I know a lot about the NY’s downstairs downroads I really used the metrocard.

Now let me explain… the JFK is located in east region near Jamaica Bay. And the hostel where I did my book is located in Harlem (this is Manhattan region), translating, it’s in the west. To go there I spent a long time by metro.

. I took the train A (blue line in the map) in

51^st street

I changed the train taking the number 6 (green line) until

103^rd street

. Easy. Really easy. But when I go out, I sow the snow near me, I sow people walking quickly, I saw people with different style, I was confused. Where I should go naw? I didn’t have a map I new I ought go to 1^st avenue, so I thought when I ask the first person she/he will answer me, considering that streets are organized, everybody will know where is the first avenue. In the metro I asked to an metro’s employed. He didn’t know, so I went out. My friend, Gabrielle, told me that people from US don’t like answering/helping. She recommended me to read and hardly ever ask. But how I’m headstrong, I didn’t do it. When I went out, I asked to a lady, “excuse me where is the 1^st ave?” She doesn’t know but she asked to 6 or 7 people until be sure about the direction. So, my first experience asking for directions wasn’t too bad. I had luck, she was very nice, maybe because I couldn’t speak English. And considering her accent she isn’t from US…This will be my next post in the blog.

Snow or sand? I was thinking…

23^rd of February

Snow or sand? I was thinking…

15 minutes before landing, the pilot announced: “We are arriving at New York blab la bla…”. By the window, sea… sea… more sea. The plane turn left and went down… Then I saw some different landscape for me, was white and dark sand and water or snow and water? I was thinking but I have not asked about it, how stupid would I be… For almost 15 minutes I was deciding if it was sand or snow…

Suddenly the plane landed on the strip and my mind went to other place… immigration. Before I come here of course I read a lot about traveling to US in internet. My generation usually do it. It’s totally normal for us. And in internet people talk about how ignorant the police can be. You need to be prepared for gentle and ignorant people. Because of that I was a little bit nervous. This is my first time in US and I was alone in the airport, I can’t speak English as well as I’d like to do.

I saw some people going with the federal police to other room… to do a private interview? Maybe… When this happened I stayed more nervous than at first minutes in American land. But all my nervousness disappeared when I passed by immigration. In my time to talk to the police I told him “good morning” he naturally answered me “good morning”. Now I will reproduce our long dialogue which endurance was almost 5 minutes :

He: Put your left hand

Me: (only put the hand to take the fingerprint. Could I ask him about his family or haw was his life? Of course not! So…)

He: Right

Me: (I put  my right hand to take the fingerprint)

Then I was in New York. Wasn’t cold… I took the Air Train to Jamaica’s Station… There was cold and I realize that in the landscape was snow! My coat wasn’t adequate. I put my gloves, my hat and come on with me… toward the 104 hostel.