A freezing and shitty English day again. It has rained all day, and I don’t think it’s going to stop until tomorrow.

I had drunk a couple of glasses of wine and beer the night before, and because of this, I’m feeling the effects. I’m feeling too slow for my liking; it is not a hangover. I’m just slow, taking my time with movement, thinking, and doing everything.

I’m also feeling bloated, alcohol swells you, but overeating does too! Living with my mother is not easy in terms of keeping my figure, my ideal weight, because she is constantly wanting to feed me.

Even though sometimes I tell her that I don’t want to eat anything tonight, she will eventually find a way to feed me something and a little more down the road, and at the same time, she has no problem commenting that I’m getting a belly.

When I was living with Nalva, it was much the same. I would have a decent lunch, having already decided not to have dinner. When Nalva arrived home from work, she would start cooking, and even if I didn’t want to eat, I would eat; the temptation would be too great. Nalva cooks very well. We should know ourselves, and I know that I can go without eating for a long time if there is nothing in front of me.

But if there is, and somebody puts something to eat in front of me, I will eat it. If it happens again, and somebody puts another plate of food in front of me, I will eat it again. If it happens again, I will eat it again. I am sure I have little self-control in this situation, so I need to be able to say no. I can say no in other situations, but in some situations involving food, it’s not easy; it is too much of a temptation.

So, based on my observations with my mother and Nalva, what are some of the rules or behaviours of a woman, such as a wife, girlfriend, or even a mother?

Is it to slowly kill off the husband, the spouse, the boyfriend, etc, through overeating, being overweight and eventually morbid obesity? Slowly dying from obesity, so the spouse leaves a pension, money, property, etc., and can continue living to strike again another day.

No, I want to say that our female partners and relations have this innate sense of care, and that food is a form of comfort and love. They are aware of comforting their loved ones through food, but indirectly and slowly killing them at the same time.

Obesity kills, and doing exercise is not enough to reduce the problem of being overweight. We need to say no, deny, and sometimes look at foods as persona non grata, not our best friend.

The French have the perfect philosophy about food, where they choose carefully with fresh produce, especially from local street markets and fairs, and cook in small amounts. Just enough to sustain you, but not sufficient to have an orgasm. It is difficult to meet a fat French person; it isn’t impossible, but it’s difficult. It is easy to find an English or American and sometimes even an Italian, overweight person.

Here in England, I only eat twice a day, skipping breakfast, like in Brazil, a sandwich for lunch and a typical dinner in the evening, which is killing me before going to bed. In Brazil, it is the opposite: a good lunch and a sandwich or snack for dinner. Just perfect for me.

The act of fasting in general has been practised for thousands of years across various religions, cultures, and tribes. Over the last twenty or so years, intermittent dieting has gained considerable force and popularity, which I have been trying to adhere to since separating from Nalva eight years ago.

For me, to be successful with this, I have to have little food at home or in the fridge, or it will go quickly, and downhill. Having the minimum amount of food at home is a deterrent for me. If I were more disciplined, I would not need to resort to such extreme measures.

However, we need to know ourselves, our flaws, and hope to compensate in some way. I only have a normal amount of food at home, and the fridge is better stocked when Yasmin is with me.

Having the minimum, not just in terms of food, but in many aspects of our lives, is also a deterrent for many other things and a form of discipline, as well as a kind of luxury.

Arnold Schwarzenegger often says that the easy thing in life is to gain weight and be overweight.

Thank you.

Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.

Richard

Photos by Richard George Photography

The post Thursday the 22nd of February 2024: “Food, Eating, Weight and Relationships”!!! first appeared on The Long Gringo.

What an enjoyable Saturday! We went to a new cooperative outdoor food truck.

Since I have been living in Botafogo, Flamengo, I have noticed that at weekends, a food truck with circus tarpaulins is erected in the square at the end of the street, facing Praia de Botafogo and Aterro.

What caught my attention was used for the main circus tent. The tarpaulins were erected high up using the trees and lampposts of the square, with tables and chairs under them, quite a neat and singular arrangement.

The leading food truck faces onto the large open area with tables and chairs in front and tarpaulins suspended over everything. From a distance, it calls a lot of attention.

When you get close, it is a hub of movement, with most tables and chairs taken and a plethora of waitresses in white uniforms running around taking orders and serving at a frenetic pace.

After working out in the morning and arriving home at about 11 a.m. with everybody awake, I told Yasmin and Nalva about this place and suggested we go there for a drink and a bite to eat in the early afternoon. Everybody thought it was a good idea, so at 2 p.m., we went there with most of the tables already full.

A young waitress met and greeted us very well and quickly took us to a high table and chairs in front of the main food truck, a perfect spot.

The young waitress, Isadora, is only fifteen and works in the family business on weekends. I have total respect and admiration for her. The setup involved about forty to fifty people working frenetically together to take and deliver orders quickly.

Curious, I asked Isadora many questions about the whole setup, as, besides being very intriguing, it was also awe-inspiring, and Isadora was happy to comply. She told us that it is a family business and that everyone I see working here today is from the same family in Maranhão, northeast Brazil.

Again, northeasterners are showing Cariocas how to do it.

Only they could do something so creative and unique and be so professional in their service, too. They erect this entire gigantic infrastructure and take it down from Wednesday to Sunday when the sun goes down.

I have often mentioned the people from the northeast of Brazil and how they migrate from the north to the south and work hard to build a future for their families. I have a lot of respect and admiration for them. Isadora and her family are a classic example.

Again, as I said at the beginning, their space from Wednesday to Sunday is endearing, charming, different, and singular. The square where the whole circus food truck is set up has a statue in its middle and is lined with trees around its perimeter, which also helps to give it a singular effect with the tarps.

The ground is covered with classic, beautiful Portuguese stones, all with a view of Praia de Botafogo and the bay from where you are sitting, and with a breeze that sometimes moves the canvases above us, the trees rustling.

What was also very surprising was that there were all diverse kinds and styles of food, and all fresh and to a high standard, food from the northeast, Japanese food, Ceviche, fresh oysters, everything.

There were no limits to what you could order in small portions, and you always had to pay in advance, which is unusual in Brazil. Drinks were typical for Brazil, such as beer, chopp, caipirinha, etc., but they did not have wine, maybe because of the heat. Isadora promised me that next weekend she would have wine.

The food came quickly, efficiently, and fresh. During the two and a half to three hours that we stayed there, we ordered five or six different portions of food. Nalva had drunk a cocktail; Yasmin Matte and I had four or five chopps.

We left happy and content. We are not rich, I could even say that we are poor at this moment in our lives, but I had not been to a good bar or restaurant for quite some time, so it was nice to go out to a quality place; it was thoroughly enjoyable.

I got the impression that the local upper-middle-class residents of Flamengo must go there every weekend, as, again, northeastern people know how to receive people very well.

I also calculated how much the business was making each month. I calculated a conservative monthly turnover of 300,000 to 400,000 Reais, which is good for a small, informal family enterprise.

Besides the excellent food, drink, and service, they provide a unique experience, especially a different one. Sitting in a square, eating and drinking under circus tarps, surrounded by beautiful trees with a stunning view of the bay, what more do we need?

It was a very enjoyable experience!!!

In bed by 10 p.m.

Thank you.

Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.

Richard

Photos by Richard George Photography

The post Circus Tarpaulins | Delicious Food | A Unique Experience in Flamengo first appeared on The Long Gringo.

It is the middle of the last week of the month, and I am broke. I only have R$10.00 left in my account, which is barely enough to buy a quentinha for lunch.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a quentinha is a pre-made takeaway hot lunch commonly sold on the streets of Rio and other major Brazilian cities. It’s a popular option for people looking for an affordable, decent-quality meal they can take away and eat anywhere.

When I was in school, I never ate quentinhas. I always went to per-kilo or à la carte restaurants with special lunchtime menus. Quentinhas, also known as marmitas or packed lunches, are a convenient and affordable option for those who prefer to eat on the go.

I started trying quentinhas in the year leading up to COVID, through a young man who would pass through the gallery where the school was, pushing a shopping trolley that people take to the street markets to buy fruit and veg.

I saw other people from the gallery buying quentinhas from him, so eventually, I decided to try one. It was the perfect meal for me, even though it was not sophisticated. A quentinha comes in a small polystyrene container with a lid. At the bottom is rice and black beans, usually with much more rice than beans. At first, I didn’t like this much, but now I don’t mind.

On top of the rice and beans, there is usually spaghetti, a little salad, and the main protein, such as chicken, pork, sausage, or roast beef. The meal is perfect for me because: 1. It is cheap. 2. The food is delicious, and 3. It is the correct quantity, not too much or too little.

During COVID, while I was stuck in Rocha, in Rio’s North Zone, I lost touch with the quentinha culture in the South Zone.

When I finally came back to live in Copacabana, for the first year or so, I dedicated myself to cooking for Yasmin and me, as my flat had a nice little Kitchen with all the amenities and mod-cons.

I also took enormous pride in cooking for Yasmin, and she appreciated it. However, over the last four or five months, I rediscovered quentinhas. There are three or four sellers of quentinhas within walking distance from where I live, so depending on the day and the time, it is possible to have a decent meal for almost nothing.

I want to talk more about this culture, but I don’t have enough time now. Tomorrow, I will talk more about it and explain why it interests me.

So, I bought my quentinha with my last R$10.00 Reais. It was fried chicken with salad, sweet potatoes, and a lot of rice and beans. It was super tasty and nutritious, and it cost only R$10.00. What more could a person want? I worked for the rest of the afternoon and evening, then went to bed, eating only that one meal that day.

In bed by 10 p.m.

Thank you.

Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.

Richard

Photos by Richard George Photography

The post The Affordable and Convenient Culture of Quentinhas in Brazil first appeared on The Long Gringo.