´you like beans?´, she asks me as she sets down in front of me the lunch i have ordered.
i do not get a chance to answer.
´i like beans. love beans. always when i was in europe i miss beans. aaahhh, i think. beans beans beans. black beans. not european beans. they, well.. different, no? and this is quiabo. qui-a-bo. in the sauce of tomato. you see? vegetable. from africa, but now here.
after meal you can see the restaurant. rafael will show, ok?
i am manager assistent, valentina. enjoy the meal. so i hope you like the beans.´
so do i. and i hope i can now finally enjoy my meal.
nope. not yet.
a friendly looking guy with bambi eyes brings me salt and pepper and 3 bottles of identical looking sauces.
´my name rafael. ok?´
´ok!´
now will you please stop looking at me whilst i eat?
i am having lunch alone, as the boyfriend is away for a few days. he is tying up some loose ends of his life in curitiba. people in curitiba don´t like loose ends. here in rio, keeping loose ends loose is a way of life.
i choose this restuarant because from the outside it looked as if the airconditioning would be working well here. it does. the music system does not work well, which does not stop them from continuously trying, resulting in 5 second snippets of a song, followed by a random interval of silence.
just when normality seemed to have returned, the cook makes his entrance. broad smile. long explanation about the meal i would very much like to eat. very long explanation. in portuguese.
a girl appears behind the cook. not clear if she is working here. she smiles. points at the food.
...and there is rafael again.
´other drink?´
´no thanks´
´coffee now?`
´no, no coffee now.´ maybe friggin´ later if i can finish my meal.
these people circle me like flies trying to settle down on a cow!
some 15 minutes later i have won the battle. i managed to down my meal! i pay what i am due.
now comes the tour. in 3 minutes rafael shows me the rest of the recently renovated place. the 2nd floor is a lounge area. the top floor is reserved for special events - i think...
ah - and the place has a bathroom aswell. perfect.
after my short visit there, it is time to say our goodbyes.
no less than 5 people bring me to the door.
valentina seems to want to kiss me.
´so you like? you come back with friends?´
´sure´
´take this. is reduction next time.´
she gives me a leaflet: picture of the restaurant, address, menu, etc. wow! written in 6 different fonts. desktop publishing has reached brasil.
when i walk away from the restaurant i hear someone behind me. rafael!
did i forget something? no, just more leaflets.
´to share for your friends.´
´thanks and goodbye.´ i turn around and want to walk away.
then i see a different piece of paper in the little pile.
in huge letters and numbers:´RAFAEL TELEPHONE´ and then his number.
also to share with my friends?
i look back. rafael waves and gives me a fantastic smile.
Friday, 30 January 2009
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
water drops, coffee and choque de ordem
an apartment in rio can be found in the newspaper. the sunday edition of o globo is the best newspaper for this purpose. like so many weekend editions of newspapers it comes with more than 10 sections - and somewhere in these sections (but why does it always have to be the last that you check?) are the ads for apartments for rent.
the boyfriend and i like to sit in a café to check out the ads. there are some factors to be considered: the price has to be right, the neighbourhood, number of rooms, the size of the apartment. this complex sudoku of wishes and what is offered narrows down the list to some 10 places we might like to see.
then comes the fun part. calling the phone number mentioned in the ad.
'yes, hello this is renate here. ah, the apartment! yes! please call back after 3 and ask for reinaldhino. he has the phone number of frança. she probably still has the key. i am not sure she works today though. or tomorrow. her mother is very ill, you know?'
'thank you, renate...'
in between the phone calls we sip large quantities of coffee. and as the boyfriend is making all the calls (so far his portuguese is still a little better than mine; also i think his patience with all the bullshit you have to put up with coming from the other end of the line will always be bigger than mine) i read the other sections of the newspaper. some international news, interviews with carnaval dancers, letters to the editor.
here´s an interesting letter. what you should know: recently rodrigo bethlem got elected as the new mayor of rio. his main agenda was the promise of ´choque de ordem´ - something like bringing law and order back to the city. this letter addresses an urgent problem that mr. bethlem needs to tackle.
'... for years now i have fought against the problem in my building of air conditioning dripping water onto the pavement. i have taken this serious problem up with my neighbours, but to no avail. with the election of the new mayor i have new hopes.´
thus spoke lydia de aguiar moraes correia.
funny, there´s even a word for the specific problem that lydia fights against so passionately: ´gotejamento´ - something like drop-forming.
here i was thinking that the choque de ordem was aimed at problems like the many many homeless people on the street. on the one hand they deserve housing. on the other hand they create a mess, they commit petty crimes, they piss and puke and shit on the streets and in the parks (well, if the street is your house, some part of that street is bound to be your bathroom, no?). mainly the children living on the street i think should urgently be taken care of: give them a home, schooling, health care.
or what about the littering of the city? people leave their rubbish where ever they desire. in small piles, medium size piles or in huge piles.
squatting: another problem that needs choque de ordem. beautiful mansions crumble in front of your eyes as they are turned into miniature favela´s.
ah, yes. then ofcourse there are the favela´s. large chunks of the city are run by drug gangs. not entirely lawless, but just, you know, with a law of their own...
don´t these problems need choque de ordem?
not according to lydia.
as i finish reading the letter and turn my attention to the boyfriend who has just ended another bizar phone call, he asks me if i want more coffee.
not here in this café, actually. coffee here is bad.
because contrary to what one might think, most of the coffee made in brasil is awful. once they even tried to serve us an instant cappuccino. brr.
so we up and leave. let´s go to that nice café in the bookshop? yes, but the airco does not work well there. and outside there is that terrible stench all the time.
so the quest for a good coffee place continues.
we have no house, no job, we live on our savings which will not last forever, i am not sure if i will get my visa. i do not speak the language. but what i worry about most right now is finding a decent café.
lydia is right after all. is it surprising that in a city with such huge problems, like unemployment, pollution, crime, homelessness, dirt, favela´s and drugs, you should worry about the small things?
perhaps if you can not manage the big problems in life, one should focus on the small problems.
´dear mr. rodrigo bethlem. we strongly agree with your agenda of choque de ordem in this city. the coffees served in most bars is APPALLING. this is unworthy of this beautiful country of BRASIL. where is the pride in serving good quality of our national drink? please deal with this problem URGENTLY.
furthermore, fix the airconditioning in the coffeeshop in the bookshop on praça floriano, get rid of the smell there. oh and is it too much to ask for the waitresses to smile every now and then.
this city has been in dire need of ordem for too long.
our hope now lies entirely in your hands. do not disappoint us.
sincerely yours, eric and the boyfriend´
the boyfriend and i like to sit in a café to check out the ads. there are some factors to be considered: the price has to be right, the neighbourhood, number of rooms, the size of the apartment. this complex sudoku of wishes and what is offered narrows down the list to some 10 places we might like to see.
then comes the fun part. calling the phone number mentioned in the ad.
'yes, hello this is renate here. ah, the apartment! yes! please call back after 3 and ask for reinaldhino. he has the phone number of frança. she probably still has the key. i am not sure she works today though. or tomorrow. her mother is very ill, you know?'
'thank you, renate...'
in between the phone calls we sip large quantities of coffee. and as the boyfriend is making all the calls (so far his portuguese is still a little better than mine; also i think his patience with all the bullshit you have to put up with coming from the other end of the line will always be bigger than mine) i read the other sections of the newspaper. some international news, interviews with carnaval dancers, letters to the editor.
here´s an interesting letter. what you should know: recently rodrigo bethlem got elected as the new mayor of rio. his main agenda was the promise of ´choque de ordem´ - something like bringing law and order back to the city. this letter addresses an urgent problem that mr. bethlem needs to tackle.
'... for years now i have fought against the problem in my building of air conditioning dripping water onto the pavement. i have taken this serious problem up with my neighbours, but to no avail. with the election of the new mayor i have new hopes.´
thus spoke lydia de aguiar moraes correia.
funny, there´s even a word for the specific problem that lydia fights against so passionately: ´gotejamento´ - something like drop-forming.
here i was thinking that the choque de ordem was aimed at problems like the many many homeless people on the street. on the one hand they deserve housing. on the other hand they create a mess, they commit petty crimes, they piss and puke and shit on the streets and in the parks (well, if the street is your house, some part of that street is bound to be your bathroom, no?). mainly the children living on the street i think should urgently be taken care of: give them a home, schooling, health care.
or what about the littering of the city? people leave their rubbish where ever they desire. in small piles, medium size piles or in huge piles.
squatting: another problem that needs choque de ordem. beautiful mansions crumble in front of your eyes as they are turned into miniature favela´s.
ah, yes. then ofcourse there are the favela´s. large chunks of the city are run by drug gangs. not entirely lawless, but just, you know, with a law of their own...
don´t these problems need choque de ordem?
not according to lydia.
as i finish reading the letter and turn my attention to the boyfriend who has just ended another bizar phone call, he asks me if i want more coffee.
not here in this café, actually. coffee here is bad.
because contrary to what one might think, most of the coffee made in brasil is awful. once they even tried to serve us an instant cappuccino. brr.
so we up and leave. let´s go to that nice café in the bookshop? yes, but the airco does not work well there. and outside there is that terrible stench all the time.
so the quest for a good coffee place continues.
we have no house, no job, we live on our savings which will not last forever, i am not sure if i will get my visa. i do not speak the language. but what i worry about most right now is finding a decent café.
lydia is right after all. is it surprising that in a city with such huge problems, like unemployment, pollution, crime, homelessness, dirt, favela´s and drugs, you should worry about the small things?
perhaps if you can not manage the big problems in life, one should focus on the small problems.
´dear mr. rodrigo bethlem. we strongly agree with your agenda of choque de ordem in this city. the coffees served in most bars is APPALLING. this is unworthy of this beautiful country of BRASIL. where is the pride in serving good quality of our national drink? please deal with this problem URGENTLY.
furthermore, fix the airconditioning in the coffeeshop in the bookshop on praça floriano, get rid of the smell there. oh and is it too much to ask for the waitresses to smile every now and then.
this city has been in dire need of ordem for too long.
our hope now lies entirely in your hands. do not disappoint us.
sincerely yours, eric and the boyfriend´
Sunday, 25 January 2009
ave maria
so the boyfriend and i decide to go out. it is saturday night after all.
café galeria it will be. (http://www.galeriacafe.com.br/)
in ipanema.
damn it is cold! airco.
dark in here.
not many kind faces, not many friendly looks. big bodies, flashy clothes.
we meet some guys. an old friend of mine. a new friend of the boyfrend.
we drink beer.
another beer.
a last beer.
another last beer.
and we get offered our final last beer.
the boyfriend is talking, with this fine argentinian he pointed out before.
he is talking and talking - all too intimitately.
hey, those are only my drunken feelings. (drunk? i am not drunk!)
where are the boyfriends hands? why are his eyes shining?
i introduce myself, pompous. (rude?)
the argentinian scatters off.
"nothing strange is happening here", he says.
"so why say it?", i wonder...
the boyfriend and i argue.
we leave the club.
we argue some more and calm eachother down - because the other needs it.
i involve my old friend in our loud discussion. could be benificial.
true - he agrees with me. ok, then he agrees with the boyfriend.
(never liked the old friend much anyhow. tsk.)
we go home.
the bus.
more arguing. boyfriend does not want to sit next to me even.
we each get off at a different bus stop. i want to get a coke. cafeine to the brain. sugar. wake up and calm down.
the boyfriend finds me - angry.
"where were you? i called the police"
i was away, briefly. just like i wanted to be.
he yells. i yell.
we yell.
he slams the door and begs me to come to bed.
we stop yelling. we lay together in the small, hard bed.
side by side. everyting unresolved. drama. end of the relationship in sight - announced even by the boyfriend.
i close my eyes and try to sleep.
it is not easy. many thoughts cross my mind. and i am angry. how could he? why did he? how could he not understand? and and and.
and the city comes to life.
it is after all just another day.
a sunday. but big cities don´t ´do´ sunday anymore.
cars, busses, trucks hurry to form their usual chaos. police car is trying to make its way through the traffic. sounds as if the siren is annoyed. "get out of my fucking way"
ah - there´s a 'loudspeaker car'. just what we needed...
-- RESTAUrante nova rePU-blica!!!
a meal, 2 persons for 30R$ (10 euros)
"not bad", i think.
-- CHURRASCO (=bbq) com TODOS os tipos de CARNE
"wow", i think. "all kinds of meat?"
and i imagine myself placing the order:
"can i have one spare ribs of cat and one filet mignon of lama for my friend here, please?"
oh yes, the city is awake.
the mind goes back to the argentinian, to insults exchanged, to questions unanwered, to stupidities said.
and then - i hear the sound of sunday morning after all.
churchbells. quite nearby. not loud, but discreet. not just any other sound in the awakenings of this giant city. and as the church bells die away after some time, i hear the chimes.
hestitantly at first. but stronger with every sound. ah yes, now i recognise the melody. it is schubert´s ave maria. in the middle of the noise of trucks, busses, cars, people trying to make their way to... well, to where? - i hear schubert. effective melody - ofcourse. ave-fucking-maria.
it calms my mind, at last.
and i think everyting is fine.
what? did i see the light? do i believe in god suddenly?
oh, wouldn´t these catholics want me to? wouldn´t they rejoice after all my years in sin?
well, i am sorry. no i do not believe in god.
but i realise i believe.
i believe in the boyfriend.
in my love for the boyfriend.
in his love for me.
in our adventure together.
take away all the sound and noise and fury and what is left is good and pure.
take away the traffic and schubert is left.
oh, there will be issues to resolve once we wake up. there will be apoligies and explanations and understanding. there will be some shame and guilt. but once the alcohol has evaporated, so will most of the drama and indignation and self righteousness.
now i can sleep, i think...
-- RESTAUrante nova rePU-blica!!!
damn. that car again!
"i would like to order one mixed grill of rodents. and my boyfriend here was wondering if you could recommend the badger sausage to him?"
i doze off.
[after thought: if all the israelis and palestinians would get drunk together one night and would yell at eachother and scream all their contorted truths at eachother at the top of their lungs, would their problems seem a lot smaller the day after? when they wake up with a slight hangover? would they then realise that if you take away the selfishness and drama that the real problem can be solved within minutes?
- hm, no... bad idea. 1) muslims don´t drink 2) they woud blame eachother for their hangover 3) andandand a 1000 other reasons going back across the ages all the way back to king david and the olive trees of unknown, but much beloved greatgreatgrandmothers]
café galeria it will be. (http://www.galeriacafe.com.br/)
in ipanema.
damn it is cold! airco.
dark in here.
not many kind faces, not many friendly looks. big bodies, flashy clothes.
we meet some guys. an old friend of mine. a new friend of the boyfrend.
we drink beer.
another beer.
a last beer.
another last beer.
and we get offered our final last beer.
the boyfriend is talking, with this fine argentinian he pointed out before.
he is talking and talking - all too intimitately.
hey, those are only my drunken feelings. (drunk? i am not drunk!)
where are the boyfriends hands? why are his eyes shining?
i introduce myself, pompous. (rude?)
the argentinian scatters off.
"nothing strange is happening here", he says.
"so why say it?", i wonder...
the boyfriend and i argue.
we leave the club.
we argue some more and calm eachother down - because the other needs it.
i involve my old friend in our loud discussion. could be benificial.
true - he agrees with me. ok, then he agrees with the boyfriend.
(never liked the old friend much anyhow. tsk.)
we go home.
the bus.
more arguing. boyfriend does not want to sit next to me even.
we each get off at a different bus stop. i want to get a coke. cafeine to the brain. sugar. wake up and calm down.
the boyfriend finds me - angry.
"where were you? i called the police"
i was away, briefly. just like i wanted to be.
he yells. i yell.
we yell.
he slams the door and begs me to come to bed.
we stop yelling. we lay together in the small, hard bed.
side by side. everyting unresolved. drama. end of the relationship in sight - announced even by the boyfriend.
i close my eyes and try to sleep.
it is not easy. many thoughts cross my mind. and i am angry. how could he? why did he? how could he not understand? and and and.
and the city comes to life.
it is after all just another day.
a sunday. but big cities don´t ´do´ sunday anymore.
cars, busses, trucks hurry to form their usual chaos. police car is trying to make its way through the traffic. sounds as if the siren is annoyed. "get out of my fucking way"
ah - there´s a 'loudspeaker car'. just what we needed...
-- RESTAUrante nova rePU-blica!!!
a meal, 2 persons for 30R$ (10 euros)
"not bad", i think.
-- CHURRASCO (=bbq) com TODOS os tipos de CARNE
"wow", i think. "all kinds of meat?"
and i imagine myself placing the order:
"can i have one spare ribs of cat and one filet mignon of lama for my friend here, please?"
oh yes, the city is awake.
the mind goes back to the argentinian, to insults exchanged, to questions unanwered, to stupidities said.
and then - i hear the sound of sunday morning after all.
churchbells. quite nearby. not loud, but discreet. not just any other sound in the awakenings of this giant city. and as the church bells die away after some time, i hear the chimes.
hestitantly at first. but stronger with every sound. ah yes, now i recognise the melody. it is schubert´s ave maria. in the middle of the noise of trucks, busses, cars, people trying to make their way to... well, to where? - i hear schubert. effective melody - ofcourse. ave-fucking-maria.
it calms my mind, at last.
and i think everyting is fine.
what? did i see the light? do i believe in god suddenly?
oh, wouldn´t these catholics want me to? wouldn´t they rejoice after all my years in sin?
well, i am sorry. no i do not believe in god.
but i realise i believe.
i believe in the boyfriend.
in my love for the boyfriend.
in his love for me.
in our adventure together.
take away all the sound and noise and fury and what is left is good and pure.
take away the traffic and schubert is left.
oh, there will be issues to resolve once we wake up. there will be apoligies and explanations and understanding. there will be some shame and guilt. but once the alcohol has evaporated, so will most of the drama and indignation and self righteousness.
now i can sleep, i think...
-- RESTAUrante nova rePU-blica!!!
damn. that car again!
"i would like to order one mixed grill of rodents. and my boyfriend here was wondering if you could recommend the badger sausage to him?"
i doze off.
[after thought: if all the israelis and palestinians would get drunk together one night and would yell at eachother and scream all their contorted truths at eachother at the top of their lungs, would their problems seem a lot smaller the day after? when they wake up with a slight hangover? would they then realise that if you take away the selfishness and drama that the real problem can be solved within minutes?
- hm, no... bad idea. 1) muslims don´t drink 2) they woud blame eachother for their hangover 3) andandand a 1000 other reasons going back across the ages all the way back to king david and the olive trees of unknown, but much beloved greatgreatgrandmothers]
Saturday, 24 January 2009
circle of life
consider your life to be a circle. the circle is full and wide; friends are in it, your partner and family. but also your house, your car, your work, the bar where you go, hell - even the buggaboo of your youngest is in it.
stuff, people, activities. things to rely on, things to keep you busy and safe.
now if you move city or even country, like i have just done, all over sudden your circle will be incredible small. not a bad thing at all. exciting. like planting an unknown seed. what tree or flower will grow out off it? an oak, a cactus (do they begin their lifes as a seed?), a dandelion, a triffod?
my circle now contains the following:
1 a boyfriend
2 the apartment of a friend
3 some stuff i brought from amsterdam
4 a non functioning cell phone
5 creditcard
the boyfriend and i decided to expand our circle a little bit by buying some stuff at the supermarket. coffee, beers, pizza´s; the usual groceries.
the supermarket is an easy 5 minute stroll away from the apartment. and 5 minutes back ofcourse.
in these 10 minutes walking -and the 10 minutes we spend in the supermarket- the boyfriend managed to lose the keys to the apartment.
i had left my non functioning cell phone at ´home´, next to my creditcard, which i was not going to use in the supermarket anyway.
now my circle was as big as 1 boyfriend, 2 bags of groceries and 15 R$ (5 euros).
next to us were 2 homeless people. they had improvised a house for themselves on the sidewalk. they had gathered around them a pile of old clothes, a recordplayer (you never know when it might come in handy after all), a plant (how homey!) and several other unidentifiable items of varying sizes. their circle was considerable bigger than ours.
in the end we managed to call a locksmith.
it took him 50 minutes to reach our place.
then it took him 5 minutes to open the door.
back into our slightly bigger circle.
lessons learned:
take your creditcard
take a plant where ever you go
do not trust your boyfriend with the key
stuff, people, activities. things to rely on, things to keep you busy and safe.
now if you move city or even country, like i have just done, all over sudden your circle will be incredible small. not a bad thing at all. exciting. like planting an unknown seed. what tree or flower will grow out off it? an oak, a cactus (do they begin their lifes as a seed?), a dandelion, a triffod?
my circle now contains the following:
1 a boyfriend
2 the apartment of a friend
3 some stuff i brought from amsterdam
4 a non functioning cell phone
5 creditcard
the boyfriend and i decided to expand our circle a little bit by buying some stuff at the supermarket. coffee, beers, pizza´s; the usual groceries.
the supermarket is an easy 5 minute stroll away from the apartment. and 5 minutes back ofcourse.
in these 10 minutes walking -and the 10 minutes we spend in the supermarket- the boyfriend managed to lose the keys to the apartment.
i had left my non functioning cell phone at ´home´, next to my creditcard, which i was not going to use in the supermarket anyway.
now my circle was as big as 1 boyfriend, 2 bags of groceries and 15 R$ (5 euros).
next to us were 2 homeless people. they had improvised a house for themselves on the sidewalk. they had gathered around them a pile of old clothes, a recordplayer (you never know when it might come in handy after all), a plant (how homey!) and several other unidentifiable items of varying sizes. their circle was considerable bigger than ours.
in the end we managed to call a locksmith.
it took him 50 minutes to reach our place.
then it took him 5 minutes to open the door.
back into our slightly bigger circle.
lessons learned:
take your creditcard
take a plant where ever you go
do not trust your boyfriend with the key
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