Wine - A Pleasant Surprise

I was never a big fan of wine.  I had mostly tried white wine, usually finding it alright, though not always to my taste.  A couple of tastes of red wine left me rather unimpressed so I came to the conclusion that wine was not my drink – stick to beer.  Move forward a few years and I was working at a hotel bar discussing wine with a regular who was the manager of another hotel in town.  He told me that I shouldn’t say I don’t like wine, I just don’t like the wines I had tried.  It made sense to me so, after my shift had finished, I decided to out this to the test and tried a glass of his suggestion, a pinotage from South Africa.  It was a revelation: tasty and very easy to drink and instantly proved his point.   Based on this, I tried other wines, learned what I liked, what I didn’t like and was able to give better information to customers (classic excuse: not just having a drink, I’m doing research!) 

I now very much enjoy a glass of red wine (occasionally a white), although I am far from an expert.  My palate may not be the most refined, although I know what I like, which is the most important thing.  So what’s all this got to do with Brazil?

I had heard that wine is produced in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state in Brazil which was heavily populated by Italian immigrants.  No one that I had spoken to had much to say about Brazilian wine, either positive or negative – it appeared to simply not exist and was shunned in favour of more expensive wines from Argentina and Chile, as well as Europe, Australasia, South Africa and California.  Never-the-less I decided to try a bottle from Serra Gaúcha (this was about 7 or 8 years ago.)  It wasn’t bad, but not the greatest wine I’d ever tried.  

I even tried vinho colonial, a young, countryside wine.  The colour of vinho colonial was what struck me first, a pinkish purple closer to a bright flower than any red wine I’d ever seen.  The wine itself has quite a strong flavour which is quite sour.  It is drinkable, but not really my thing.  I resigned myself to the idea that any wine I drink here would be imported and have a price tag to match, save for occasional trips across the border to Argentina where I am told wine is cheaper.  Once I have my RNE (ID card for foreigners – I need this card to re-enter the country as a resident) I’ll take a trip across to find out.

But in the spirit of trying new things which had got me into wine in the first place, I didn’t give up.  We had a visit from my wife’s great uncle and his family and we went to the supermarket to stock up.  We decided to buy a couple of bottles of wine so I browsed the shelves in the supermarket, trying to decide on a Chilean or Argentinian red.  A bottle of pinotage caught my eye – that variety that got me into wines in the first place – which came from the Marcus James winery in Serra Gaúcha.  I picked it up, along with a pinot noir from the same vineyard, and brought them home to try. 

Marcus James Pinotage from Serra
Gaúcha in Rio Grande do Sul

And the results were good!  I’m not going to go into notes of summer fruits and smokey finish and all that stuff, but I found it to be a very tasty and very drinkable wine.  Everyone at the table enjoyed the pinotage so it was only a matter of time before the pinot noir was opened and polished off to much the same results.  I later tried a cabernet sauvignon from the same vineyard and a merlot from Saint Germain, both of which were very good.  If there are any wine experts reading that are disappointed by my descriptions, I invite you to track down these wines and let me know what you think!  As I said before, I’m not an expert on wines, I just know what I like. 

I don’t know whether the wine industry in Brazil has improved over the last few years or whether the quality was always there and I didn’t find it, but there are good Brazilian wines out there.  A recent article on the magazine program “Globo Reporter” about the health benefits of wine and pure grape juice may be increasing the popularity of local wines, and a soap opera set around vineyards in Rio Grande do Sul, “Além do Tempo,” has probably helped too.

The Little Things

“You can’t argue with the little things, it’s the little things that make up life,” a line from the Simpsons but very true.  There are a lot of little things that make me happy living in Brazil, whether it’s the smell of the air after the rain or the array of fresh fruits in a supermarket, going to a football match or having a barbecue with friends.  Some of these things might not be everyone’s cup of tea, some may be just me, but they make me happy!

Fresh Fruit

It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that supermarkets in Brazil have a good selection of fresh fruit, but what strikes me is the smell.   As you approach the fruit section, the air is filled with the intoxicating aroma of fresh fruit, to the extent I’ve never experienced in Britain or the US.  Then you go to a dedicated fruit shop or market…

Churrasco

Barbecue (churrasco in Portuguese) is very popular in Brazil, especially in the South.  The format varies by region, with some areas preferring steaks and smaller skewers, while others prefer large pieces of meat, cooked over several hours and sliced at the table.  This is often accompanied by rice, farofa (a crunchy accompaniment made with cassava flour and various other ingredients, such as bacon, olives, egg etc), maionaise (Brazilian potato salad) and salad.  In my wife’s family at least, this is a typical Sunday lunch.

Rain

If you told me 5 years ago that I’d be glad of rain, I’d say you were mad.  Growing up in Britain, you take rain for granted, in fact you generally spend your time praying for a dry day!  After 4 and a half years in California, I found myself longing for some airborne moisture and Brazil (at least Paraná) does not disappoint!  When it gets really hot and humid, usually a nice cooling shower is on the way!

Coffee

Oh the coffee!  Brazil is the biggest coffee producer in the world, supplying about one third of the global production and it’s good!  It also plays a large part in the culture: breakfast is called “café de manha” (literally morning coffee) and meals are often followed by a little cafezinho.  If you go to a bank, restaurant or rest area by the motorway, you may well see a thermos of free coffee (although this is often already sweetened – my preference of unsweetened coffee is seen as a bit weird here!) 

Football

It will come as no surprise that the only country to have won the World Cup five times is mad about football.  The year starts off slowly with the state competitions, and then moves on to the Campeonato Brasileiro, the national league.  Everyone appears to have a favourite team, even people that aren't that keen on football and the atmosphere inside the stadium can't be beaten.

Arena da Baixada, the stadium of Atlético Paranaense

Green Things

It might seem silly, but it feels really good to drive through the countryside and see so much green!  After the greyish brown of California, the green grass, plants and trees make the country seem so alive.  Even in big cities like Curitiba, there is so much green, whether it’s trees by the side of the road, or the many parks and it’s all natural – not imported from other regions and sustained by constant sprinklers.

Woods near Pato Branco with pinheiros standing out on the horizon

Pinheiros

Yes, more green stuff.  These trees are only found in the South of Brazil and are the state tree of the Paraná.  Their unique look lends them a kind of charisma and seeing a stand of Pinheiros is like a welcome to the South.

Guaraná

It comes in a green can!  This is a very Brazilian soft drink, made from the guaraná fruit and is a more natural energy drink!  Living in Britain and the US, it was always a rare treat to find guaraná, here it is obviously widely available, so I’m being careful to not get carried away!  But it’s so good…

Coxinhas with Guaraná

Snack Foods

Brazil has many salgadinhos – little savoury snacks – such as pasteis, coxinhas, pão de queijo etc…  I’ll write about them some other time, for now all you need to know is that they’re bloody good!  

Sweets

I know I’m taking this post down a foodie cul-de-sac, but I can’t help it!  The variety of chocolates and sweets on offer here is great.  And that’s before you get into popular homemade sweets like brigadeiro (a chocolaty treat made with condensed milk and cocoa powder.)  I’m getting hungry… 

Holidays

Brazil has loads of public holidays and the best part is that when they land on a Tuesday, most employers allow employees to take the Monday off, and the same with Fridays when the holiday is on a Thursday.  The downside is that if a holiday falls on a weekend, there is no day off in lieu.  Although with the extra days off, there will always be plenty of holidays.

Comfortable Coaches

Brazil is a big country and one of the easiest ways of getting around is by coach.  There are various levels, including conventional, executive and the more luxurious leito.  Taking an overnight leito coach is an easy way to get where you need to be and get some sleep along the way.

 Hotel Breakfast

Yes, I’m back on to food.  Most hotels have a very good spread for breakfast, including; juices, coffee, fresh fruits, various breads and other baked goods, eggs and yoghurts.  If you leave feeling hungry, you’re not doing it right! 

Rodizio Restauarants

This a type of restaurant where waiters continually bring around food, rather than ordering a la carte.  Most Brazilian restaurants abroad are barbecue rodizio restaurants, where the meat is brought around on large skewers and sliced off upon request, but there are other types, including pasta and pizza, which are both very good.  The obvious advantage is that you can have as much or little as you like, and have the opportunity to try dishes that you might otherwise not order.  Not to mention that it is always freshly cooked when it reaches you.

Blackout Curtains

When I sleep, I like the room to be as dark as possible, especially if I have the chance to sleep in in the morning.  What better than an impenetrable blackout curtain to keep out that intrusive morning sunlight?

Sunlight

And now, I’ll contradict myself.  Much as I like to sleep in a nice dark room, it’s nice to have a well lit room when I’m not sleeping.  The apartments I had in the US all seemed rather dark, it’s nice to be somewhere where the sun can shine in and light up the room.  (I know this is very subjective and depends on where you live, but it’s just another reason why I’m happy to be here!)

It’s Summer Again!

I know it won’t last, but it’s nice to have summer, a few weeks of winter, then summer again!  Now I need to somehow escape to Europe in August!

Shipping, Airports and Bureaucracy - part 2

I’ve already told the story of the big move so I’ll fast-forward a week.  I had just arrived in Curitiba after a quick trip to São Paulo for work.  We had hired an estate car (or station wagon, for North Americans) which we hoped would be big enough to take our belongings back to Pato Branco.  It was Thursday 17^th December, the day that we had requested delivery of our belongings but there had still been no mention of a delivery or the promised details of the flight one which it would be sent.  I called BraBox to find out what was going on and they told me that the shipment had passed inspection and was ready to ship – their flights from Miami to Curitiba were on Thursdays and Sundays, so they could send the three boxes (phone call: there are FOUR boxes!) on Sunday 20^th with arrival on the Monday.  This was no good for us with me working and Christmas fast approaching so they offered to hold the shipment in their warehouse (at no extra cost) until we were ready in mid-January, giving us time to plan.

We discovered a branch of Localiza in Pato Branco, a Brazilian car hire company, and enquired about hiring a car big enough for our shipment.  Every time we thought about them, the boxes got bigger and bigger in our minds, to the point we reserved an SUV (Renault Duster) but continued to wonder whether there would be enough room.

On Tuesday 5^th January, I requested the shipment to arrive on Monday 11^th and was told it would arrive at 12:04 that day.  I then promptly received an automatic e-mail to tell me that my order has shipped and would arrive on 7^th January.  Cue a quick flurry of e-mails and the shipment was rescheduled for the 11^th, although it would now arrive at 13:33 (I didn’t question it, life’s too short.) 

I was told to contact one of BraBox’s agents at their contact e-mail address for details on how to collect the shipment, but for the first time since my initial contact with the company, they failed to reply.  Eventually, on the day we went to collect our shipment, I sent another request for information and I was called back.  They had called my mother-in-law (as it was her phone number we used for the Brazilian contact) and she told them that we had gone to the airport.  The subtlety that BraBrox didn’t get was that we had left on the 6-hour drive and hotel stay to get to Curitiba airport.  Anyway, she proceeded to read out the address of the airport and told us to go to the airline first to get the papers and then we could collect the box, simple. We don’t need to go to a cargo facility?  You just go to the airline.  Ok…

So we arrived at the airport and went to the airline.  By which I mean we went to the ticketing desk, at least they should know where we should go.  After explaining that we were picking up a shipment that was carried by TAM (we were told LAN, but they’re all one airline, so I’ll just say TAM) from Miami, we were directed to the TAM cargo facility (I knew it!) which was directly behind the Infraero building.  So, back to the car and around the airport only to find there were two Infraero buildings, although one had a red building (TAM colours) behind it which sure enough proved to be the TAM cargo centre.  It was a corrugated metal building, like a small warehouse, we took a number and waited for our turn.

And this is when we were told we were in the wrong place again.  We should go to the big Infraero building, which was the import centre and housed customs and various cargo offices.  At the reception, we were directed to a small room where we could get information about our shipment.  Good news!  It has arrived!  But it won’t be released until approximately 5pm, by which time it would be too late to do all the paperwork, load up the car and drive to Pato Branco, so we checked back into our hotel with plans to come back the next day.  On the bright side, it enabled to see our friend’s band performing in Curitiba, so we were pretty upbeat about the situation.

The next day, ears still ringing from standing by the stage at the gig, we arrived at the airport at about 11am.  This time, we went straight to the import centre and found the TAM office.  We gave them some forms and R$140 ($35) for holding the shipment a day, and they gave us the original air waybill.  We took this to the customs office, but the agent responsible had already gone out for lunch (it was 11:30) and wouldn’t be back until 2pm.  The woman at the desk gave us a form to complete then left the form and waybill on the agent’s desk. 

More red tape...

I had a teleconference for work which passed an hour, and we had a modest lunch of random-junk-food-snacks-we-had-picked-up-on-the-journey (mmm nutritious!) and returned to the customs office at 2pm.  To our relief, 2pm is just the opening time for the afternoon; the agent had stamped, signed and done whatever else was necessary to authorise the forms.  Next we had to go to the payment office to pay the R$35 ($9) fee. 

This should be simple.  We had debit cards, credit cards and plenty cash to cover the fee, but no, it could only be paid at a bank.  Do you have an online banking app on your phone?  You could pay it there?  Umm, we don’t have any accounts in Brazil, let alone an app.  It turned out there was a guy in one of the cargo companies that could make the payment online for us and we could give him the cash.  Ok, done, can we have our things now please?

Now we went to the first office we had visited the day before where we registered our car and my driving licence to bring it into the cargo facility (first on paper, then we had to enter everything into computer – why we couldn’t skip the paper and do it on the computer, I don’t know and didn’t dare to ask.  We were told to take the car to the loading bay in the facility where we would be called by car number plate to receive our goods.

We sat and waited while goods were delivered to other people – mostly packages of varying sizes being collected by a courier – and awaiting our turn.  After a while, everyone else has left and no more packages were appearing.  Growing apprehensive, we waited in the car for news and eventually, at about 2:40pm, a man came over to us.  My wife got out to talk to him and I tried to read the body language: the man was clearly an official with something important to say, my wife was clearly not too happy.  Our boxes had been shipped on a wooden pallet (remember the helpful guy that picked up the boxes?) and it didn’t have a certificate from the department of agriculture and we would have to go back to the bureaucracy centre to sort it out before we could collect our goods.

Of course this left us fuming.  How the hell could a company like BraBox allow a shipment with a wooden pallet that was not declared?  What exactly did they inspect when they inspected our shipment?  Any wood entering Brazil requires a stamp on it to show that it has been treated to avoid bringing insects into the country.  If tests show that the wood contained insects or hadn’t been treated, we would have to pay a fine of R$300 ($75) and wait any extra day until the wood could be treated as we would have to take it away with us.  As I said, we were fuming.

But this is where we had some luck.  The man that came and spoke to my wife came with us to help out.  It turns out that he was the manager of the loading area and it was not his job to help us, but he did so anyway.  As we passed the afternoon filling out forms, giving my wife’s various national ID numbers (CPF, RG, passport, take your pick), taking photocopies, etc, we met several people who all gradually came to hear our story.  One dispatcher told us he was dealing with a similar case and that US shippers had a tendency to just send anything and to hell with the consequences (I don’t know whether he was exaggerating, but he wasn’t happy about it!) and he offered to help in any way he could.  Various other despatchers also offered to help and by the time we left, we had the feeling that the entire building new our story!

Eventually, we had gathered all the documents and paperwork and just needed to wait for the wood to be inspected.  After some time, we were told that that they wanted to inspect the contents as well, to ensure there wasn’t anything else that could be a problem.  They wanted to know the contents of the box and it became apparent that the detailed list I had given to BraBox hadn’t been included in the shipment.  They didn’t even have the copy of the Atestado de Residência that we had sent BraBox.  We were given a visitors pass and taken through a metal detector to witness the boxes being unpacked and checked.  While this was going on, all we could think about was the effort that went into packing the boxes, the small amount of effort required to remove things from the boxes and how the hell they would manage to repack them.  On the bright side, we had moments of relief as we saw items that we thought we had missed being removed: my squash racquets, various books some shoes…

Eventually, the official from the Ministry of Agriculture was satisfied with our shipment and agreed to release it to us.  My wife went with her to complete the paperwork while I remained to watch the boxes being repacked.  Three of the boxes were repacked ok, but the fourth ended up a couple of inches taller with extra cardboard needed to close it.  Finally, the boxes were loaded onto the pallet and taken off to the loading bay while I went to re-register my car and driving licence.

By the time our boxes were finally brought out to the car, it was 5:30 – we had spent almost three hours dealing with bureaucracy over that wooden pallet, all because someone had tried to be helpful in California and BraBox hadn’t done their job in inspecting the cargo.  In addition to this, we had wasted an extra day because we hadn’t been fully informed of all the steps needed to release our shipment.  In the end, it turns out it should have been simpler, if the Atestado de Residência had been sent, as it should have been.

I have some advice for anyone that finds themselves in this situation, specifically anyone moving to Brazil.

1. For Brazilians, as soon as you leave Brazil, ensure that you have something in your name which can be used as proof of residency if you move back to Brazil.  Phone bills, electricity bills etc should suffice.  Otherwise you may end up paying taxes on whatever you bring back.
2.  Unless you have enough possessions to fill a container, don’t bother shipping your belongings, all the bureaucracy and hassle you have to go through means that it isn’t worth it. 
3. If you do ship anything, shop around.  BraBox seemed very good up until the point when the boxes left Miami, after that they seemed to just wash their hands of it.
4. Look carefully at the cost of shipping.  It might work out cheaper (or at least similar) to pay for an extra suitcase instead of shipping a smaller box of clothes
5. If you can’t sell all your furniture, it is worth donating it to the Salvation Army.  As well as being able to do some good, it counts as a tax deductible charitable donation (at least in the US.)  What’s more, they’re bring a truck to your house and cart it all away for you.

Finally, a message for any Brazilians that complain about their country: how the people are corrupt and no one helps each other.  I’ve never understood how such people can have so negative a view of their country.  While the bureaucracy involved in collecting our boxes was stifling and constricting, this was no worse than in any other country – I’ve had to deal with international shipping at work and it is always a minefield, without fail.  The difference here was that people were able and willing to help.  The manager of the loading area didn’t need to help with our paperwork.  The other people from his department didn’t need to help with photocopying, identifying the regulations, finding who we needed to talk to etc.  I’ve been in similar situations elsewhere where nobody helps, “sorry mate, more than my job’s worth.” 

Then there are the dispatchers that heard our story and offered to help if they could. 

Then there are the numerous officials that we had to talk to who were friendly, courteous and helpful – unlike in the US where you are made to feel in the wrong or treated like a criminal if you want to do anything so heinous as to enter the country! 

Then there’s the guy that took our pallet for us.  We were told that we had to take the pallet with us, they couldn’t keep it (though they could break it up for us to make it more manageable.)  This guy had been around the cargo centre most of the day too and had heard our story and offered to take it in his truck.  Not only that, he also took away the packaging when we opened the boxes to shove stuff in the car.

This whole experience was long, confusing and tiring, but it could have been a hell of a lot worse if it hadn’t been for all these people selflessly going out of their way to help us.  If nothing else, this experienced served to reinforce the reasons why I love Brazil.

Shipping, Airports and Bureaucracy - part 1

Back in November, my wife and I were facing the big move to Brazil and had to decide how much of our possessions to take with us and what we would need to sell.  Globo Internacional, the Brazilian TV channel transmitted in North America, was awash with adverts for removal companies specialising in shipping to and from Brazil.  We had decided not to go with sea freight as we did not have enough furniture to fill a container and had heard horror stories where a shipment has been stuck in customs due to problems with another person’s belongings in a shared container, accruing daily charges.  I contacted several of companies to see what they had to offer and settled on BraBox, being about the only one that offered airfreight only options. 

This made part of the decision for us, but still left a lot to decide: how much to ship?  How much to take on the plane?  Should we pay for extra cases on the flight?  How much should we sell?  I wish I could say there is a magic formula, but there isn’t.  After weeks of deliberating, packing, unpacking, re-packing, loading boxes, we ended up with an extra suitcase each to travel with (luckily flights to Brazil still allow two bags at 32Kg each, so we ended up with three each) and three boxes to ship.  Everything else was either sold on Craiglist, donated to the Salvation Army or given away to some mad woman that lived a few doors from us that seemed to want all of our old and useless stuff.

Preparing the shipment was a long and time-consuming task.  Aside from deciding what to ship, it had to be packed efficiently to maximise the space.  On top of this, a detailed list of contents was required with approximate valuations for insurance purposes.  This was easy enough for things like the computer or bread maker, but became a bit more awkward when it came to clothes, bedding, books etc.  Eventually everything was packed in the boxes, the list sent to BraBox and all we had to do was start packing the suitcases.

Packed and ready to go

I’m sure the eagle-eyed read spotted my mistake: foolishly using the word “only.”  We packed, weighed, unpacked, repacked and repeated ad nauseam until we reached the conclusion that we would need either another box or two more suitcases.  So off we went to Home Depot, bought another box and proceeded to fill it with bags, clothes, books, shoes and a pair of squash racquets that had not been used since well before I moved to the US, so easily more than five years gathering dust.  Maybe I’ll find a squash court in Brazil.  Once that was over, the changes had to be communicated to BraBox (who said it was no problem) which led to countless e-mails back and forth explaining at each point of the shipment to explain the complex concept of 3 + 1 = 4.  (Please take a moment to let this high-level thanks sink in.)

While all this was going on, we were trying to obtain an “Atestado de Residência” a certificate to prove that my wife had lived outside of Brazil for the past 12 months at least.  This allows a Brazilian to bring all their personal belongings into Brazil without having to pay tax, if they have lived abroad for at least a year.  Given that Brazilian taxes can be quite high, this was obviously an important document to have and a requirement to use BraBox’s “Fast Moving” service.  For this, we needed to gather documents in my wife’s name that covered the past 12 months, examples being Comcast bill, phone bill etc.  Bank statements did not count for some reason, nor did such official documents as Visas to live in the US, passport stamps and Employment Authorisation Documents.  A housing lease was acceptable, but needed additional documentation.  As my wife’s US visa was depended on my work visa, and I earned more, it had seemed only natural that I would pay the bills in my name, why not?  Even my wife’s mobile phone was in my name, because the company required credit history to start a phone contract, which I had as I had been paying the rent, car and credit card bills.  But no one will tell you that, until you’ve been to the consulate and they’ve told you to come back with more documents.  Luckily they accepted the insurance certificates for the car and apartment, which named both of us.  So I have some important advice to Brazilians moving abroad, whether or not they expect to return to Brazil: make sure you have something in your name, especially if you are not the primary earner.

Due to the delay in getting documents, we were cutting it very fine and we were told to collect the Atestado de Residência on Monday 7^th Dec, two days before our flight and two days after we had booked collection of our shipment.  Fortunately BraBox were flexible and willing to work with us, we scheduled a collection for the afternoon of the 7^th, giving a morning to make the hour and a half drive to San Francisco, get to as close as the front of the queue as possible, wait through whatever delays may present themselves (it’s a consulate after all.  Help people?  Umm, I’ll get back to you on that one) drive back to San Jose continue packing cases and wait for the collection.  In the end, we only spent about 10 minutes in the consulate (not taking back what I said though!) so we had plenty of time.

He meant well...

The truck was very punctual and was driven by the Filipino Forrest Gump.  He was a very nice and friendly guy, but my god could he talk!  He told us how he used to be an engineer when he first left the Philippines to come to the US, then sent for his childhood sweetheart, married her, brought her to the country and bought a house.  He told us about his sons who are doctors and lawyers, how her sent money to his family after the Typhoon that hit the Philippines and how he competed in a poker tournament in Las Vegas and beat the world champion.  There was a lot more too, but I can’t remember the details, my lunch was rapidly cooling down and he was still talking!  When he gave me the paperwork, it immediately caught my eye that there were only 3 boxes scheduled for collection (remember that high-level maths from a few paragraphs back?)  We corrected the form and not for the first time and certainly not the last, I contacted BraBox to point out that there were four boxes, not three.  Later that day, the driver sent me a picture message to show that he has put the boxes together on a pallet and wrapped them securely in plastic.  Nice guy!

With that lot gone, all we had to do was repack (and maybe repack again) the suitcases, load up the car with Salvation Army donations and clean the apartment.  Oops, I used the work “all” again.  If you’ve ever moved house, you probably already know the horrors, and this was no less horrifying.  By the time we were done, we were ready to drop dead.  Or perhaps load up the car, hand in the keys and go to our hotel at San Francisco Airport.

Click here for the exciting conclusion!

The Best Burger in the World

Madero Container - roadside restaurants made from converted
shipping containers.  Surprisingly comfortable inside!

I saw it in a shopping centre in Curitiba, a fancy looking restaurant called “Madero” proudly proclaiming (in English) to be the makers of the “Best Burger in the World.”  Hmmm, I thought, starting to feel hungry.  But it was about 10am, nowhere near lunchtime.  Next time I saw it, we were on our way to meet friends for lunch elsewhere.  I heard people talk about it, people asked if I had been then told me to go.  I even saw signs advertising branches at motorway rest areas/ petrol stations (Madero Container, made from converted shipping containers), but alas, still nowhere near lunch time, not to mention too close to the start of our journey (6 hours, from Curitiba to Pato Branco.)

But then I saw it again; just inside the entrance of a shopping centre in Cascavel, Madero and the “Best Burger in the World.”  It was 11:30am, but I’d been up since 5am and damn it, I was hungry.  So finally, I would satisfy my curiosity, I was ready!

But they weren’t, opening at midday – DAMN! Never mind, kill a bit of time, look in some shops, wait expectantly by the door…

A typical 'por kilo' restaurant

The culture of food is a bit different in Brazil to what I’m more used to in Britain (and to some extent America – where food is similar but bigger.)  A type of restaurant very popular is the 'por kilo' ( per kilo) restaurant, a hot and cold buffet where you pay for as much or as little as you want, by weight.  Unlike in Britain, where buffet restaurants tend to be an underwhelming affair, these restaurants usually have good quality, tasty and fresh food.  Don’t get me wrong, you may well find a cheap by-the-kilo restaurant that’s not so great, but you can also find up-market restaurants with high quality food and prices to match, everyone is accommodated for.

Fast food also has its place in Brazilian cuisine, but again the rules seem different.  Take McDonalds in Britain or America, the food is cheap making it a quick and easy way to eat, to the point where I’ve seen many homeless people going there as a dollar will go a bit further.  In Brazil, I’m told (I haven’t been to McDonalds here and it’s not exactly high on my to-do list,) it’s considered more of an up-market affair.  It isn’t the cheap option and going is more of an occasion.

Which takes me back to Madero, billed as a steak house, but obviously very proud of its burgers.  The restaurant is nicely decorated and the wide selection of food and drink available in the menu show that this isn’t just a fast food joint.  The first pages offered some healthy options, but I skipped that and sought out this “Best Burger in the World” I’d been hearing so much about.  I’ll have the bacon cheese burger please, no tomatoes. 

Madero "Bacon Cheese" with no tomatoes (see flag)
with a bottle of Guarana to wash it down

The burger arrives partially in paper (Brazilians generally don’t like touching their food with their hands) in a crunchy bread roll (works for me!) and not too many chips (or French fries, if you must…)  I must say it’s nice to eat out without being faced by an insurmountable mountain of food, I prefer quality over quantity any day.

So was it the “Best Burger in the World”?  I don’t know exactly, but it’s definitely up there with the best of them (by which I mean burgers that contain actual meat) with extra points for including thick bacon that tastes like bacon and hasn’t been incinerated.  I suppose I’ll have to go again to make my mind up.

Note: This post was NOT sponsored by Madero!  But if they want to give me a free burger, I wouldn't say no!