Monthly Archives: February 2010

NYT’s take on açaí in Belém

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From The Good Blood, I saw an article she posted from the NYT on açaí from Belém. I’m surprised and pleased to say the NYT writer Seth Kugel did a great job on accuracy in the article, especially when he said the following…

“The velvety texture of the thicker varieties is wonderful, but the taste is more — how to put this? — earthy. O.K., it tastes like dirt. Making matters worse, the manioc flour that’s often mixed in to thicken it has the consistency of sand.”

I’m also glad the writer mentioned Cairu ice cream store because that’s the only place that I found great (cough*Rio style*cough) açaí, even if it was a little more pricey for what you get. Cairu also sells a flavor called ‘paraense’ which is açaí with tapioca balls mixed in, which I personally think dilutes the flavor.

On Eyes on Brazil, I’ve talked about açaí a few times already. You can find out what I think here (in general), here (while living in Belém) and even here (on açaí in the US).

Drop by sometime

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There are 4 basic ways to tell someone to ‘drop by sometime’ in Portuguese. I’ll offer a more or less literal translation into English for each one so you have an understanding of each phrase, although keep in mind, they are all just different ways to say “drop by sometime”.

Aparece lá em casa (qualquer dia) – Show up there at my house (one day)

Vê se aparece lá em casa (um dia desses) – See if you show up there at my house (one of these days)

Dá um pulo lá em casa (quando puder) – Hop on over there to my house (when you can)

Pode ir lá em casa (quando quiser) – You can go there to my house (when you wish)

Simply replace lá with aqui if you are already at home when you say the phrase.

Very Common Phrases in Brazil – 2 for 1

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Back when I was living in Brazil in 2005, I heard two phrases all the time, several times a day, it seemed. At first, I had to catch on to what the phrases were and then I tried to understand the situations in which they were used. Not too long after that, I got sick of hearing them. Fast forward a good amount of time, and now I use them! lol.

So what are they?

“Faz o seguinte…” (Do the following…)

and

“O que acontece, é…” (What happens is…)

then there’s the double whammy, “o que acontece é o seguinte…” (What happens is the following…)

One may wonder why I would get sick of these phrases so allow me to explain. Americans are a pretty ‘do-it-yourself’ kind of people, very individualistic, independent, etc…so when I found myself in tough situations and even average everyday situations, I wanted to deal with them myself. Everytime I tried to insert my American ways into the situation, I would get blindsided by everyone around trying to help me out of a jam, and like clockwork, they would spout out these phrases while doing so. Once I understood the cultural context of these phrases, that’s when I stopped getting annoyed.

If there’s one lesson I can instill in anyone traveling to Brazil (or any other country), it’s ‘don’t get mad when things don’t go your way, it doesn’t mean things are worse off than they are in your own country, it just means it’s different.’

Fica a dica & Vira e mexe – 2 for 1

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Here’s two random, but useful phrases for you.

Fica a dica – The closest I can think of would be like “remember this tip”, as “dica” means tip.

Ex. No sabado, tem entrada franca. Fica a dica.
Ex. On Saturday, there’s no cover. Remember that.

Vira e mexe – Although technically it means “twist and turn”, this phrase is understood as “often” or “frequently”.

Ex. Vira e mexe eu esqueço as chaves da minha casa na mesa.
Ex. I often forget my house keys on the table.

Troco vs Trocado – Tricky Verbs & Words

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This one gets a lot of people when they hear there’s two words for (monetary) ‘change’ in Portuguese, even to the point where I often forget which is which. For the record though, let’s take a look at the difference.

Troco- Difference between what you pay and what you are owed in return.

Trocado – Loose/small change.

What that means is if you buy something and ask for your trocado, you’d be incorrect.

Miguxês (Neo-Portuguese) – Curiosities

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In 2007, I was in São Paulo for a month on vacation and it was right about the same time that the Museu da Língua Portuguesa (Portuguese Language Museum) opened at the Estação da Luz train station near the Sá neighborhood of São Paulo. On the second floor, which usually holds interactive exhibits, there was a timeline of the Portuguese language and it ended with a sort of Portuguese shorthand that kids use on the Internet.

However, Internet shorthand isn’t the worst of it, now there’s miguxês (and neo-miguxês), as it’s been deemed. The term comes from the miguxês-ation of the word “amigo”, which in miguxês becomes “migu”. Below, you’ll find all three levels of it, each one worse than the last. Feel free to try out the MiGuXeiToR translation tool.

Miguxês Arcaico (ICQ)
Ex. Isso eh o miguxês!

Miguxês Moderno (MSN)
Ex. Issu eh u miguxês!!

Neo-Miguxês (Orkut, Fotolog)
Ex. IXXu EH u MIGUxXxeIxXx!!!!!

“Beijo se dá, não se pede!” – Observations

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“Beijo se dá, não se pede!”

The phrase above basically means “a kiss isn’t asked for, it’s given!” and throughout my years on the Brazilian ‘dating scene’ (most of my friends are Brazilian so it just happens that way) and during my extended trips to Brazil, I’ve noticed that phrase isn’t just a phrase, but an unwritten philosophy.

Brazilian women are receivers of affection, not takers. The sooner you learn that, the better off you will be if your goal is finding a Brazilian girlfriend. Go to a bar, a club, a park, the beach or the middle of the sertão, and you will find the same thing…machismo, and in a country where there’s an excess of machismo, there will be women who have learned to respond to it.

“But we’re in the 21st century!”

I know, I know. I’m not endorsing it as a lifestyle, but merely as a means to attracting and being attractive to women in Brazil. Men must do all the ‘work’ in Brazil (and in most ‘latin’ countries) and it is a woman’s job to let you know if she’s interested or not. Argue with me on this point if you will, but Brazilian women don’t give signals…period. If you like a woman and want to get to know her, you have to do more than flirt and be affectionate towards her (because many guys will do this). You have to approach her, start a conversation, make sure her reaction isn’t negative and as long as it’s normal or positive, then you can assume you are on the right track. This track might lead to a kiss a little bit later, which you will have to completely initiate (as she will give you no signs she wants one) and it can lead to seeing her another night, etc.

There’s a sentence I recently read (not a popular saying though) that says “Se gostou, pega pela cintura” and that means “if you like it her, take her by the waist”. What that translates to in other terms, is you need to have a certain forwardness about you while in a social setting (bar, club, party) and in proximity to a woman you are interested in, otherwise you are doomed to have very little luck. Unfortunately, I know what I’m talking about.

During most of my 10 months in Brazil in total, I didn’t act accordingly and I got nowhere. No extra-long glances nor smiles that hide something more, no reason to think any woman in any social setting had the least bit interest. I’m no hermit, I’m not super shy nor do I share any similarities with Mr. Bean, I just wasn’t forward enough for the average Brazilian woman. Mind you, I’ve had long-term relationships with brasileiras but I didn’t initially meet them in social places.

So how do I know these things if I’ve never been the macho man, with the forwardness to prove it? Learned it all secondhand. I’ve seen it happen a million times but I’m fairly happy with how I am so this is a lesson for you. Take it or leave it.

Orient translation – Márcio Faraco

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Since I have done a fair amount of translations on Eyes On Brazil, I’ve decided many would serve for Eyes On Portuguese as well. Here’s the first one.

Orient
written by Márcio Faraco
translation by Adam

Eyes of the Orient
blind to our world
they only see the sun and the skies

Burning eyes of love
they are gagged
made prisoners
of the gaze of God

But they see, those blinded eyes
they’re far from dull
eyes closed to seeing
but open to imagination
eyes abandoned even by solitude

Who will take care of these women
silent slaves
sewing a cloak
that will serve as their prison

(Lyrics in Portuguese)

Here’s what Faraco had to say about this song…

“I wrote this one eight years ago; I was impressed by those women in Kabul who lived at home like recluses. I’ve done a lot of work on it; we didn’t record it on the first trip to Rio either, I had to go back just to do this one.” It’s an afoxé, an Afro rhythm from Bahia over a cushioned tempo, a singular option for such a serious subject.”

In Portuguese, the Middle East is called Oriente Médio. When thinking of this song, given the context from Faraco himself, I take it to refer to the East, not specifically the Far East.

Easy as pie – Moleza

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I was perusing the site Proz, which I mentioned in the last post, when I came across these words/phrases as a way to say “all easy street”, or as I would rather put it, easy as pie (or even ‘piece of cake’). One of the words, you should already know! ; )

moleza (weakening) / sopa no mel (soup in the honey*) / mamão com açúcar (papaya with sugar)