Hello followers, reader, etc.
So, it's been almost 2 months since I've been with family #2, the Marchiori family. Though definitely different from the ceaseless movement of the berger family, I'm really enjoying life here. My host brother (technically nephew, but it's a little awkward for a 27 year old man to call me Uncle), Rodrigo, and I have been doing all kinds of things, including bakery hopping, shopping, and other forms of frivolity and buffoonery. Yesterday, though was especially awesome.
Yesterday was my host Uncle, Aldo's, birthday. The entire family got together in our apartment and made various culinary delights. We borrowed one of her Italian cookbooks, and went to town. We made risotto, stuffed cherry tomatoes, croscata, a mushroom salad, smoked-ham-wrapped asparagus, and more...and that was just to start :)
This was supposed to be a lunch, but knowing Brazil, I wasn't surprised when we started to leave around 8:00. I wasn't complaining one bit though.
Directly after the innnnnnncredible lunch, me and my friends from Rolândia went to an equally epic event: The Exposição.
The Exposição (Expo Londrina) is a massive event. The Expo is considered by many the largest agro-industrial fair in Latin America. Everything from farming equipment, to cattle is on display. There are all kinds of contests and events like horse jumping, bull riding and other things, all in the whole "Gaucho" or Western theme. Also, to my delight, they have some of those badass cowboy hats on sale for like R$15. Clint Eastwood would have been proud.
On top of all of that, the shows are what really outstanding. Every day famous sertaneja artists like Fernando and Sorocaba come to play at the Expo's massive stage. This year was the 50th anniversary, so Londrina pulled out a lot more than a "lick and a promise", as the Westerners say.
In short, today was Brazil in a nutshell: great food, great people, and beautiful weather.
More posts soon. Amazon trip just a few weeks away!
Full album of photos available via facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2054106&id=1088161372&l=4c75f7f333
