100 Things to Love About Brazil (Part 8 of 10)

71. Coca-Cola in Glass Bottles

Coke just seems to taste better from a glass bottle.  Since the glass bottles are refillable, customers can only take the bottle if they can exchange it with an empty one.  If not, the to-go version is often a bag with a straw.  Not exactly ideal for the car's cup holder, but at least it gives some mobility.

72. Ordering Pop by the Liter at Restaurants

Sadly, restaurants in Brazil do not provide free filtered water like in the States.  However, many places do offer the option of ordering pop in 1, 1.5, and 2-liter bottles.  Frequently served with small glasses of ice and fresh lemon, ordering pop this way can be fairly economical.

83. Coffee Made with a Reusable Filter

Although it may look like a sock (and a dirty one, once it's used), these reusable filters are essential for making authentic Brazilian coffee.  Boiling water extracts more flavor from the beans, and with a little patience and a little practice, one can make a perfect cup of coffee.  Coffee tends to be more finely ground in Brazil than in the States, so these filters help prevent overflow that can sometimes happen with traditional coffee makers.       

74. Pressure Cookers

Unlike in the States, crock pot slow cookers are very rare in Brazil.  However, pressure cookers are everywhere.  In fact, it would be very difficult to find a Brazilian home without one.  Pinto and black beans are staples in Brazil.  Since canned, precooked beans have not caught on in popularity yet, pressure cookers are used nearly everyday to cook dry beans, and sometimes meat and vegetables, for the noon meal.

 75.  Multipurpose Food Containers

Tomato sauce, jelly, and even some spreadable cheeses in Brazil are commonly sold in small drinking glasses.  The metal lids are vacuumed sealed on, so as to avoid the threading found on traditional glass jars.  Since one can quickly accumulate many of these small glasses, Brazilians will sometimes use a hodgepodge of these cups and forego buying brand new drinking glasses altogether.

One of the best things sold in reusable containers is ice cream.

The plastic containers are a useful size and have a surprisingly tight seal, making them a good alternative to Tupperware.      

76. Eating with a Fork and a Knife

Americans primarily eat with their forks and use their knives only for cutting, whereas Brazilians use both utensils in unison.  Unlike Americans who use their forks to scoop, cut, and stab their food, Brazilians use their knives to push and position their food onto their forks.  Two very different techniques, but both effective.        

77.  Neat Eating

Brazilians tend to be very neat eaters.  It's unusual to see Brazilians touch their food.  Pizza?  Eaten with a fork and knife.  Hamburgers?  Held with a napkin or plastic wrapper.  French fires?  Sometimes eaten with a toothpick.  Even ice cream cones come with a tiny spoon.

78.  Baking and Measuring

Example of three cups of flour

In the States, Americans like to measure with specific measuring cups and spoons and will make sure that the measuring unit is level.  Brazilian measuring, on the other hand, tends to be somewhat less exact.  A cup can mean a medium-size teacup from the cupboard or a tin can.  Rather than level, the standard is heaping.  

Example of a tablespoon of flour

Instead of passing on a written recipe, it's not uncommon for Brazilians to gesture and verbally explain how to make something.  Sometimes, they will even make it with you or ask you to show them.
Some older ovens in Brazil do not have specific temperature settings but only the numbers 1-5.  This apparent inexactness doesn't seem to make much difference, since Brazilians rely on their intuition rather than the recipe, and everything inevitably comes out delicious.
 

79.  Main Meal at Noon

Unlike the States, where the meal of the day is in the evening, Brazilians eat their main meal at noon.  American students eat lunch at school, while Brazilian students only have half days of school, so most are home during the noon hour.  In small towns, many stores and businesses will even close over the lunch hour so that employees can go home for lunch.  In restaurants, lunch is typically more expensive than supper.

80.  Pay-By-Weight Restaurants

Por kilo or by weight restaurants are buffets that offer several typical Brazilian dishes.  However, instead of paying a fixed amount, the price is determined by the weight of the food.  It can be almost an art to find and fill one's plate with foods that weigh less and are thus less expensive.  There are also pay-by-weight ice cream places that offer dozens of unique flavors (such as corn and avocado) and an assortment of toppings.