In honor of the occasion I've taken the time to compose a list of somethings that makes the People of São Paulo, well "Paulistas:"
- Putting salt on everything. I've heard this is more common in hot countries because we sweat more and don't get me wrong, salt is a magical thing that makes french fries irresistible and broccoli bearable... but... on salad? Really?? Now that's just excessive.
2. Cake... For Breakfast. To us Gringas who are raised with cake smothered in frosting for birthdays and only other festive occasions, cake seems really out of place on the breakfast table. (But as one Brazilian pointed out to me, how different is it than eating donuts with our coffee )
3. Cat-Calling. So I know this is a problem in virtually every-city in the western world, but that doesn't make it any less crazy, and makes me wildly uncomfortable daily.
4. "Tudo Bem? Tudo Bem: " the most common greeting here in São Paulo. It means literally "Everything good?" to which you're expected to reply," Everything good." First of all, it sounds funny to repeat what someone just said as a greeting. And secondly, Everything is a really big word to be trowing around all the time. Especially when claiming that everything is "good," that there's not a problem in the world.
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| It's certainly optimistic. |
5. Arriving Late on Time. When someone says let's meet at 16:00, they probably mean at the earliest 16:30. I'm starting to "relaxe" and enjoy a less punctual life-style: at least if I want to spend an extra five minutes doing my hair, they'll understand. But it can be frustrating to arrive somewhere and not know when your buddies will show up. *
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* A couple of Brazilians I know are punctual, I feel sorry for them as they must look like this cat much of their lives.
6. Kisses/ Beijos: On any one day of my life here in São Paulo I'm not surprised to be kissed more times than I ever was before moving here.
My first day of music school here in SP, I was very tired. One of my classmates greeted me with the customary kiss, and I'm still teased for the horrified expression I responded with. Well I had been warned this would happen, in practice it really shocked me.
Now well it feels nice to be acknowledged so personally by everyone, it inconvenient to have to stop and kiss thirty people before I can go home,
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| And I'm constantly forgetting just how important these little kisses are. |
6. Starting Parties at 0:00. I'm tired before these parties even begin. The first time I got invited to one this late I thought it was a joke or that my new friends were just really strange. Now I realize that most young Brazilians feel ruining ones sleep schedule is a fair price to pay for partying until 5am.
7. 0:00. Every time I look at the clock and it claims "0:00," my first assumption is the clock is broken (We don't have a 24- hour-clock in the United States). Now I can convert it to "midnight" at just a second glance, but the mere concept of a " zero" time leads me to existential questions revolving around what time is, exactly. Like, if one month can go as "fast" as September did for me, are hours and minutes really a practical way of measuring our lives?
Anyway despite and sometimes because of her quirks ,
Because... Well I do.
Pictures:
Salt: www.msgfacts.com
Cake: www.multireceitas.com.br
Balloon girl:
waiting cat: www.flickr.com
Beijos:
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