Café do Brasil

My final month in Paris (back in 2010!) was spent primarily in the company of a few very fine Brazilian friends in an apartment in the Marais. I'd wake to the bright metallic blue skies of the Parisian summer, slip on a pair of socks, and pack out the grounds of what to me at the time was pure gold into the Italian espresso maker in the kitchen. I'd set the metal device on the stovetop and glance over at it every once in awhile until it began to sputter and bubble. I would then place the espresso maker to the side at what I arbitrarily deemed to be the "right moment" and pour the contents haphazardly into a mis-matched cup from the set that came with the apartment. At that point, I would clutch the cup dreamily to my chest as I imagined what pastry I would purchase that morning.

The golden substance in question was none other than coffee that my friend had carried with her all the way from Brazil. I loved the deep flavor and rich body of the coffee, and the fact that the caffeine content didn't knock me to the floor. When I returned to the states, my friend spooned a good deal of the grounds into a disposable bag and tucked it away in my backpack for good measure.

 On a professional and academic level, my image of Brazilian coffee production has always been of large-scale fields of identical trees with merciless mechanical harvesting equipment scouring overhead. I have yet to visit a farm (although I've passed them on many a bus ride) but I do realize that the diversity of production here is far greater than I had ever imagined prior. As I love the taste of the coffee here, I have since decided to fully embrace the substance for its flavor and absolute necessary place in Brazilian culture.

It seems that even within the span of the last few years coffee culture has ballooned into an industry of cool. The latest single-farm, small batch-roasted varieties line the shelves of hip cafés safely within the confines of their recycled paper packages. The shiny metallic and glass-framed apparatuses designed to reap the best flavor profile out of such coffees stand by, effortlessly gleaming in the streamy café window sunlight.

And there I am... in awe of it all, trying my hardest not to succumb to the trend, but fully immersed in the very culture of the whole thing. For when I have a really good cup of coffee, I fall hard.

 That brings me to São Paulo, a city full of untapped treasures to both the shrewd traveler and the untrained eye. My dear friend Elle and I have been trouncing about discovering the best places to grab a cup of this luxurious joe. Two of which I'd like to highlight below:

1. Santo Grão

Although it boasts many locations, the one which I prefer the most is in the chic Jardims district of the city. We discovered it on a lazy friday spent sipping happily at a french press while reading the paper.  This particular location is reminiscent of a French café, with tiny circular tables, wicker chairs, and a nice breeze magically flowing around the tables. It's worth a visit to taste the hand-selected cafés from Minas Gerais and read the paper with an excellent cappucino at your side.

Santo Grão   
Rua Oscar Freire, 413  
Jardins - São Paulo SP
http://www.santograo.com.br/ 

2. Coffee Lab



Coffee Lab reminded me of a treehouse dedicated to coffee preparation, with a nonchalant atmosphere and an unpretentious staff happy to demonstrate how they roast and prepare coffee for customers. They also offer free classes to those wanting to increase their knowledge about Brazilian coffee!  This photo is courtesy of the wonderful Elle :)

Coffee Lab

Rua Fradique Coutinho, 1340

Vila Madalena - São Paulo/SP

http://raposeiras.com.br/

The Moments When Everything Makes Sense

Dinner: Broccoli with a mustardy vinaigrette

Dessert: Home-popped kettle corn

Conscious Ingestion

I like to think that each person has the first line of his or her particular novel hiding away somewhere, perhaps resting along the soft part of an underarm or tucked behind the pliable back of a right earlobe. I used to have multiple one-liner story starters in mind, and, as my mother once thumbed through a rolodex for contacts, I would shuffle through these beginnings in order to find the appropriate trailhead for a path of unconscious and consciously driven thoughts during a long walk home.

I am currently living in Brazil, which is an enormous change from any place in which I've lived prior! It seems to me that the heat and the adjustment period has dulled the influence of these thoughts.  After all, once must conserve energy when faced with an unforgiving sun and a constant stream of wonderful people.

This space has been all too quiet during the past year. Life took some amazing turns, but left me so busy that my previous prolific writing style dried up like a summertime California creek.  In the meantime, I noticed the world, especially in terms of blogging, began to change.  Blogs have become dynamic, lifestyle-oriented places, filled with tips on fashion, food, life, culture, and a grandiose slew of other items. That's not to say that I'm done here... I'm far from it.  However, I'm constantly in awe of the dynamic nature of life as technology grows with it. Consequently, I was rendered mute as things changed around me. Stagnancy is no state to stay in :)

Today, I was pleased to have a thought about a first liner and I wanted more than anything to share it in this place.  In living in three different countries, I've noticed the importance that each culture seems to place with sharing meals. I want to give this concept a name that sounds a lot more scientific than it really is- conscious ingestion.

It occurred to me that humans are constantly in a state of ingestion and digestion.  In order to live we require vast amounts of oxygen, nutrients, and attention.  It was through yoga that I realized that the air that I breathe was something that I should be conscious of and grateful for. This concept led me to believe that we should be more aware about how we consume- why stop at air?  Food presents a much more interesting terrain.

Brazil has taught me to look at how and why I eat.  My ever-harried Paulista friends take time each Saturday to sit down to an incredibly rich and delicious meal of feijoada or muqueca (both stew-like dishes with meat and vegetables), accompanied by icy beers and capirinhas. They talk, they look at one another in the eyes, they give the sun some time of day, and then they rest before picking up again with their busy schedules.

In California I was more of a conscientious consumer- I could ingest in such a way because I had the luxury to be able to choose between organic and conventional produce, responsibly sourced materials and otherwise, etc.  In foreign countries, this isn't so easy.  So I return to the conscious aspect of the ritual, which I believe every culture, as the Brazilian demonstrated above, has its merits and forms.

So here's to capturing more of these moments, whether here or in another space. I'll keep you posted!

And below is a salad to celebrate- tomatoes are somehow in season here, so I'm using them... but feel free to substitute them with cooked beets, radishes, or other vegetables that come to mind.

Melon and Tomato Salad

Inspired by this

1 medium-sized melon (cantelope is best, but I used a green melon here with success!)

2 persian cucumbers

3 medium-sized tomatoes

2 large limes

olive oil (an improvised amount)

1 bunch parsley with a select amount chopped and set aside

1 bunch mint with a select amount chopped and set aside

a dash of red pepper flakes

Salt to taste

Cube the melon, peel and slice the cucumbers, and chop the tomatoes into recognizable chunks.  Combine in a bowl and mix with the juice of the limes and a glug or two of olive oil.  Add the chopped herbs, salt, pepper flakes, and anything else you can think of to taste. Voilá! You've got yourself a salad.

Bon appetit!