“Oh, I forgot to warn you about Cachaça!”
Well thanks, buddy, I sort of learned the lesson the hard way, having to wake up the next morning, my head throbbing, no recollection of the previous evening and still managing to make it to the office.
While we Egyptians make “3aseer 2asab” from sugar cane, our famous local juice, Brazilians make cachaça, which is their version of the juice from sugar cane. Fermented that is. It is typically between 38% and 48% alcohol by volume and when it is homemade it can be as strong as the distiller wants (good to know). Up to six grams per liter of sugar may be added.
Figures from 2003 indicate 1.3 billion liters of cachaça are produced each year, although only 1% of this production is exported (mainly to Germany and only Lord knows why). And despite being the prime ingredient for a proper Caipirinha, when drunk straight up, you might just find yourself going face straight down.
So with little knowledge about the local drinking habits, I had no idea what to expect other than the description of the women that men always marveled about, samba music, and the thrill of its dangerous streets.
“But you’re from Cairo! How could you possibly fear the streets of Brazil?”
It’s quite funny how people in Westernized countries view all developing countries to be the same. I tried to explain that in Cairo we do not have that crime rate, I can carry a bag, I can wear a watch… and well, I am a woman, so what I can and cannot do is also very limited.
But then we landed in what looked like the perfect definition of a “concrete jungle”. Sao Paulo is huge, even by Cairo terms. It’s the largest city in South America and the 3rd biggest metropolitan conglomerate in the world, with more than 30 million inhabitants, only behind Tokyo and Jakarta. Somehow, it looked like just the place for multinationals to locate their headquarters.
So as soon as I was off for a project with some colleagues, I already started my own research on what to do in Sao Paulo. I do not know that many Brazilians but I know quite a few to get me started there anyway.
On my first evening, I went for a rodizio dinner at a famous place there named Fogo de Chao (very mainstream, if you ask me and you can find it in the U.S.). People were right about the meat, it was good. I wouldn’t say the best but quite tasty and properly grilled off a spike.
Mind you, food is my primary interest when I visit any new country. Well, that and fashion, shoes in particular. But let’s not dwell now on my love for Havaianas and Melissas and Osklen and… Let’s stick to food because I will be needing yet another suitcase by now and some shoe-shopping therapy.
So about food, I tried everything from cochinhas (some sort of fried chicken croquettes) and a variety of fresh juices made into cocktail drinks. It’s no surprise that Brazil has a great fruit selection and that they love their juice. Tropical weather does have its perks. But my real guilty pleasure, speaking of gastronomy, is SUSHI.
The Japanese culture in Brazil, particularly in Sao Paulo, is outstanding. Sao Paulo has the biggest Japanese town, called Liberdade, outside Japan, as a result of immigrants with Japanese descendants. So I went on a hunt for where to eat the famous sushi of Sao Paulo and ended up selecting Jun Sakamoto as the place to go.
The entire experience was mesmerizing. I took a cab and handed the driver the address. Upon arrival, we stopped at a huge white garage gate with bodyguards. Weirdly enough, there was no restaurant in sight. I stepped out of the vehicle and asked the bodyguard about the restaurant to which he asked if I had a reservation and confirmed so on his walkie talkie.
The garage gates opened to reveal a hideaway, a small passage leading to the restaurant. A VIP setting with a bar and a total of ten tables. Behind the bar, Jun Sakamoto himself was preparing the sushi with the help of a sous chef (if I may call him so) whose sole job was to brush the top of some nigiri.
I had by now heard so much about Sakamoto, who travels to New York regularly and is involved down to the very detail of music selection. The clients surrounding me were of a much older age, very finely dressed, and two Brazilian actors were seated to my right. Your typical entourage in an expensive restaurant, I must add.
I chose the tasting menu and ordered sake by the glass, of course. Sakamoto’s tasting menu is known for being strict; he does not allow people to choose items or to add soy sauce to the delicacies. Each piece is quite unique.
I never imagined it possible to create so many different flavors with a simple piece of raw fish and some rice. From an oyster soup, to green apple ice cream with sake jelly, sea urchins and exquisite butter fish nigiri, I was blown away.
I have not experienced much in the world of sushi other than Kuruma Zushi and Sushi Yasuda in New York and Kiku in London, but I must say Jun Sakamoto is on the top tier of sushi in the world. I so have to go to Tokyo now. Can anyone get me a reservation at Sukyiabashi Jiro? Anyone? No? Oh well…
The clubbing scene was perfect. Again like I said, if you have money in a developing country, you get to experience the best of the best. The class with money needs entertainment, otherwise what would one do?
It’s the same lifestyle most of us try to maintain in Cairo, and if you have enough money, you dine and party with style and go to the best beaches and events. And there is plenty of it in Sao Paulo. Great clubbing, great music, beautiful people. And by now it sounds like Sao Paulo is your must go. But then…
The fear. I’ve reached a point where I cannot live with the fear of being attacked or hurt. I can no longer tolerate being told that I cannot wear something, hold something, or simply walk in a street. And beyond that being a problem in third world countries or particularly in Brazil, as most people kept tormenting me with their warnings, it is a problem we solo women travelers face and I just feel like running far away from it.
And traffic. Traffic is bad. I know that as an Egyptian commuting in Cairo, this should feel normal, but no. It is not normal. Spending three and a half hours in what would otherwise take 20 minutes or less is ridiculous. And somehow, every hour seems to be rush hour. There is simply no escape.
And I did not see the Brazilian booty. Looks like I need to go to Rio, or better yet to L.A.
As my first and brief Brazilian experience I was blown away by the intensity of it. I completely understand the fun, as Brazilians do know how to have fun, and I completely understand how exciting it is to be in a country that is rising so fast.
All I can say now on my way to Berlin is that most likely, I will soon be filled with saudade.
WE SAID THIS: Check out what Jackie had to say about beautiful Boston, her last stop on her journey around the world.