"Best Parts for Barbecue"

I was going through some old papers, and came across a "cow-map" from our favorite Churrascaria in SJC. This particular card is a bit beat-up, since I must've folded it up a few times and stuck in my pocket for safekeeping. There is a name and phone number of company VP on the back which I wanted to save. I remember this particular dinner. There was a VP leadership team in town, and of course, that meant they stopped by our plant for a tour. Afterwards, we all went out to dinner at the Villa D'aldeia since it was our customary place to bring the out-of-towners. It was a great "networking" event for me, and I'm still in touch with some of them today. Being a tour guide for visiting company dignitaries was a fringe benefit of my time in Brazil.

Anyway, as I've probably explained before about Churrascarias, there is a bewildering variety of meats to choose from, and this user-friendly guide helps you to choose which part of the beast you'd like to try. This one had the English translations, which was helpful when we first got there. I enjoyed most of the types listed on the front, except Cupim. What's Cupim, you say? Check out the map.

The Man of the Year who Copied

Another couple movie recommendations this week from FLFB. I'm getting some serious mileage out of my gift Netflix account. And, sticking to my Brazilian theme, here they are:

1. "The Man of the Year".

No not "Man of the Year" (Robin Williams, 2006), this is "O Homem do Ano" (The Man of the Year). The story of a guy who does his community a favor, of sorts, and becomes a local hero. It's kind of what you might get if Tarantino directed Goodfellas on the mean streets of Rio de Janeiro. Action packed, certainly, but no Mr. Wolf. For me, it reminded me of why my boss in Brazil was so worried when we went to Rio by ourselves. One of the central themes of the movie is just how scared the ordinary Cariocas (as citizens of Rio are called) are day-to-day and how commonplace robberies, assaults, and outright murder are there. It's ironic that the more fences, bars, guards, and video cameras you have to protect your home; the more likely the crimminals will target you for a robbing. If you liked Goodfellas, and can handle that level of brutality, rent it.

2. "The Man Who Copied"
A more light-hearted, yet still a bit violent, portrayal of life in Brazil. In a way, it's a classic boy sees girl, boy becomes infatuated with girl, boy finally gets his chance type movie ala John Hughes, but without any memorable one-liners. I guess the most notable part for me was the realization of the sense of nostaglia for just ordinary life in Brazil that I've developed. The main character was a Copier-Boy, an actual profession in Brazil. I remember there being copier places all over the cities, even the malls. There are a ton of legal documents that Brazilians have to deal with, and most of them need to be notorized, in triplicate, at these special shops where people stand around for seemingly hours for their chance to get their copies. And every page needs at least 1 or 2 official stamps. The places are awash with brief flashes from the copier, then the STOMP-STOMP-STOMP of high-speed, manual, ink-and-rubber stamping. Kinda charming, really. There would usually be a little snack cart somewhere nearby to pass the time at, eating coxinhas, drinking a cerverja, and chatting it up with the locals. As for the movie, worth a peek if you want to get a glimpse of everyday life there.

In about a week or so, it'll be 1 year since I left Brazil. I can't believe it.