Of Top 10 Tuesday, salsa lessons and dengue fever
So it's decided. Tomorrow's Top 10 will be foods that were difficult to eat the first time you encountered them (until you got direction from someone else). This is in honor of Gailor, whose original idea it was, and who is now in Rio de Janeiro.
I know, I know. Business school has changed since you got your MBA. The idea is that you bond with your group and also there's a "service component." Which I think in Gailor's mind means helping Brazil's economy by taking salsa lessons. ...
She may be thinking salsa lessons, but I'm thinking dengue fever, or dengue hemorrhagic fever as Wikipedia just informed me. I'm not reading any further.
Apparently there is a dengue fever epidemic in Brazil at the moment, as I learned from her Passport Health instructions. And while you may think that that's an odd thing for me to be talking about on a food blog, if you knew Gailor you would know that this is a food discussion, only she's the food. She never met a mosquito that didn't like her.
Assuming she comes back in one piece, however, I've made her promise to send us photos and to write something for the blog about Brazil's food. She wasn't allowed to take her computer with her so she won't be able to do it from Rio.
(Photo by Vanderlei Almeida/AFP/Getty Images)
Comments
Top 10 Tuesday, salsa lessons and dengue fever
Sounds like an expense report I once tried to get approved.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | August 25, 2008 10:28 AM
Stone Crab claws. Who knew a hammer (as in the kind carpenters use) would be required.
Posted by: Elite Elephant Lover | August 25, 2008 10:41 AM
Once again, I was decades too early (in this instance, in going to grad school.)
There are fates worse than dengue fever, EL. She may embrace the Brazillian culture and decide that beach volleyball is more fun than tennis.
Posted by: Rob't from TBRS | August 25, 2008 11:00 AM
Oh and on-topic... the very first time I encountered them, I thought tamales were far too tough to chew.
Posted by: Rob't from TBRS | August 25, 2008 11:05 AM
I'm jealous. I did my graduate work at UB, and the closest that school would have come to a service component in Rio would be to put us on a bus down to Fogo de Chao to wash dishes.
Posted by: Robert of Cross Keys | August 25, 2008 11:48 AM
Isn't it early spring in Brazil? She might get to try fejoda, which is delicious.
Too bad I can't spell it.
Posted by: Lissa | August 25, 2008 12:13 PM
Seeing Hands by Dengue Fever- one of my fave tunes on the pod. guess that's not the same as what Wikipedia is talking about. Brazil, has a drink that sounds a lot like a mojito but with another name (it could be Kyperenia, but not sure). They are also suppossed to have some rockin good food (unless you are one of the million homeless street kids). Hope I cheered you up.
OT - those beans in the Japanese restaurants that you have to peel first and then can eat. Confusing and way too much work!
Posted by: Anonymous | August 25, 2008 12:23 PM
Tamales were the first thing that I thought of, going on personal experience.
What about Artichokes? A while back my extended family went out to dinner with some visiting relatives and two of my nieces ordered a grilled artichoke as an appetizer. I took little note of its arrival at the table, until I turned and saw them attempting to chew the leaves whole. Perhaps they were expecting artichoke hearts?
Posted by: joel | August 25, 2008 1:04 PM
Caipirinha is the drink. I'm sure it will find her.
http://www.maria-brazil.org/caipirinha.htm
Posted by: Rev'Ed | August 25, 2008 2:09 PM
I thought of hard shelled nuts with no obvious entry path like brazil nuts and hazel nuts; also, softshell crabs (people always question how to eat them the first time they are confronted with one on a plate).
This is such a brilliant suggestion I've just eliminated No. 10 from my list and substituted hazel and brazil nuts. EL
Posted by: Regina | August 25, 2008 2:43 PM
Anonymous, caporeina is how that drink is spelled, I think. Lime and a rum-like local alcohol. I'm told they are awesome (I don't drink).
Gailor should try one.
(The Japanese beans are edame, soy beans.)
Posted by: Lissa | August 25, 2008 2:51 PM
It might be on my mind just because of the picture from the last top 10 post, but please do include escargots. So delicious, but even with the special eyelash curler-tool, so slippery.
Posted by: kitpollard | August 25, 2008 3:30 PM
I was in Rio last fall. She shouldn't be worried and the food there is wonderful!
Posted by: earl | August 25, 2008 3:38 PM