What are you missing in Brazil?

Frank's Hotsauce, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese...Grits, King Crab,King and Red Salmon. Moose ,Blue Cheese and Ranch Dressing, Hot Wings,Spam,Buffalo Burget,Kettle Chips, my Grandkids...Texas Pete, Alaska Winter 😋👌

Alascana wrote:

Frank's Hotsauce, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese...Grits, King Crab,King and Red Salmon. Moose ,Blue Cheese and Ranch Dressing, Hot Wings,Spam,Buffalo Burget,Kettle Chips, my Grandkids...Texas Pete, Alaska Winter 😋👌

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Most of those are pretty good, Kraft Mac and Cheese?  Oh yeah, Spam is a must have, I make great chicken wings anywhere, so I can figure that one out, but I do miss the Frank's hot sauce too.  Yes, Brazil needs Kettle style chips.
How about Rice A Roni?  Beef flavor for me, and when I get back to the states, I dump an entire can of sliced black olives onto my pizza, I HATE Brazilian olives, kkkkk, and I also miss just plain Swiss cheese and regular cheddar cheese.  I've seen the cheeses in Brazil, but rare and far between.  After thirteen years, I have yet to find a good hamburger in Brazil too.  Should we talk about missing good Mexican food when in Brazil?

09/22/21

Alascana wrote:

, Alaska Winter 😋👌

Sorry, Griz,

You're alone on that one.  Twelve Julys a year is just right for me!   

I can always go South to the Andes..and imagine...yet no Moose or Caribou..I miss that Fat Free Carne,then again a piece of shoe leather Brazilian beef takes me home.

Mexican Food,  oh hell yes....Burgers are good Home made..the Artesenal and Texas burger are what they are..have the butcher put together some filet mignon and chuck and custom the burger...found a good burger in SP...long trip for a burger and expensive..now Asian food and a Good Piizza are Rarities and who like Yakosobi..The Cheese here  leaves a lasting impression Mozzarella or Cheddar..I can find Garganzola yet miss the Ranch and Bleu ...Getting ice cream home is a Challenge ..I do miss the 24  hour Restuarants if any exist after covid and Delta..Stouffers stove top..Brasilian Pastry is a Surprise 😮..and French Rolls are Air Puffed lacking Desinty.making Beef Stew tonight..and Salt is King 🤴 in Brazil as well as Fat Calabrese...yuk.Finding a good Hot Dawg daunting task and Finger Foods..Cringe Moment who eats Pizza with a 🔪and fork and mayonnaise, ketchup,corn and there's a pit in that olive....ok so I like martinis...no shortage of 🍺 here in Beautiful Bountiful Brasil much Bunda and Boobs abound..I see some 😆..need that jalapeño popper and add  some Fried Chicken 🍗. ...delicious....rsrs

Sausage! I miss the breakfast style, Brats, and choice of sausages. Pancakes?

It does take time to make a good burger by adding spices here. I have everyone asking how do you make the onion and mushroom topping. They cannot get enough with a slice of cheese. Do as about the things they call hamburger or hot dog buns.
Come on, I like to taste the meat!

All pizzas are just yuck. Here in Foz they do not even use sauce. Have
Have they heard of a deep-dish pizza?? I even went to a pizza place near me with a kg of ground beef and tomato paste and ask to add it to a pizza. They looked lost.

Cheeses it seems it is mozzarella or some little packages of something they call cheddar.

No Mexican food at all. Corn tortillas with chorizo, eggs, cheese, beans, and Mexican rice, please. Oh yeah, Menudo!!!!!!!!! I do make my own Menudo, and guests just love it.

The biggest things are the cuts of meat. They say rib eye, come on, that is not rib eye! Using a ton of salt for tenderizing. no thanks. My heart is beating fast just writing about it.

Oh well, I have to make my own hash browns, pancakes and hope to find a bottle of maple syrup.

All pizzas are just yuck.  Dino's Pizza Juazerio Bahia...Italian guy speaks Ingles...Good Pepperoni made and cooked to order...

Cheeses it seems it is mozzarella or some little packages of something they call cheddar. Nordeste Brasil Quejó Buffalo Cheese varies State and Región,  can find most here in Maranhão, garganzola, gorda,.ñeed some saganaki flambe.Yup or queju buffalo cheese varies Northdeste Brazil. Very Good..



There  Beef in the North Grassfed malnourished shoe leather tough... The Butchers and Meatcutters..uh oh     Fribal grocery and Meat Markets have Choice cuts simular USA  thin cuts afraid to ask for a thicker cuts  for  then comes the noa entendí and the look, i feel your pain. Carne little to no fat..

No Mexican food at all. Corn tortillas with chorizo, eggs, cheese, beans, and Mexican rice, please.
Yup...nuff said..need some Texmex..or maybe Cancun...lol..I even miss Taco Bell....

oh gosh, Id have to say the noises.
In Maryland I live right over top the main railroad yard so I hear freight trains going by all the time and at night they still re-sort freight trains here so there`s all that banging going on.  Lately they run all the coal trains at night too so people forget about how much coal is still being processed.
Then, there's all the helicopters that fly up and down the river, not to mention the big ones whenever Biden is going to or from Camp David.
Then don't forget the police sirens running up and down the street for this and that, not to mention the ambulances, usually for drug overdoses these days, and the fire engines.  Seems like every year someone invents a new, even more obnoxious siren sound.  Our town even has a 4 story hook and ladder even though there arent any buildings over 3 stories high.

Gosh, in Brazil I hear nothing but loud music outside all the time or the occasional rooster .....its hard to sleep at night with all the quiet .....

English cheddar cheese and European cheeses mostly 😂

Cheese seems to be a popular item on the list of things missed here in Brazil. Being from Wisconsin ("America's Dairyland"), land of 600 types of cheese (ever tried Carr Valley Cocoa Cardona? [1]) and where national cheese prices were once dictated based upon distances from Wisconsin production centers. Monroe, once the epicenter of Swiss-style cheese making, is now the epicenter of Wisconsin artesanal cheese making. The World Championship Cheese Contest has been playing out there since 1957.[2]

Hah! There was a time when Wisconsinites had to go across the border to buy colored margarine (was illegal in Wisconsin) and "....[p]ublic schools, jails and hospitals are not permitted to feed ... margarine. Per state law, these groups may not be fed butter substitutes unless the substitution is necessary for their health..."[3]

So, yes, I miss cheese and am not satiated by the few varieties of locally produced cheeses, especially not the queijo de coalho which I find somewhat tasteless and often salty. I do have a fondness for two types of regional goat cheeses:
# Fazenda Carnaúba in Taperoá, PB
# Célia Araujo's goat cheese from Boqueirão, PB
There are a few others here but they are either imported (Dutch), “mineira” or from southern markets.

I "get" Inubia's point - noises are different here and where I live, a mere 150 meters off of the TransAmazonic Hwy which late afternoons is punctuated by wild motorcyclists on their "crotch-rockets" and early morning growling old under-powered Mercedes-Benz L1319 turbo "pipas" climbing the last kilometer into the city. Still, the softer sounds prevail. It might be the chorus of the multitude of birds, a donkey braying across the way, horse clopping down the cobblestone street or ven a peddler making rounds through the neighborhood calling out "pamonha, pamonha pamonha...!"

There are tons of things that I miss about home but that said, if I were there (back home) there would be tons of things that I miss about here. In the mix of advantages and handicaps for the two place I have to say that the balance does not swing one way or the other.

The key is to take advantage of where you are and take in every possible detail. I mostly did that during my 53 years in Wisconsin and try to apply the same here in Brazil.

[1]https://carrvalleycheese.com/product/cocoa-cardona/
[2]https://worldchampioncheese.org/
[3]https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/we-found-weird-laws-about-food-from-every-state/

I seem to have read that there are protection regulations on cheese. I may be incorrect. Try to find swiss, blue, and other types!
About noise. I never have lived where I too hear motorcycles 24-7. That and neighbor builds and fixes VW's. Banging all day, people come and stand and talk which we can hear all the time. Yes to the roosters, but it did make for good fried chicken. 
Do not get me started on the clapping thing. Can't they call and say, "I am outside, may I come in?"
Our dog goes crazy on the clapping.

hum... sounds like it is a all american forum here!! :-)

ok then, i miss french baguette, french croissant, french cheeses, french deli... french food basically...

my, am i really missing the obnoxious french waiters in Paris?? hahaha :-)

serioulsy, the only things i really miss is related to food...

There's no shortage of cheeses or dairy products here, at least where I live.  If you can't find what you need at the local feiras, there are plenty of local feiras de rolo on FB, merchant pages, etc; the local supermercados here carry everything from Minas cheese to Gruyère, Gorgonzola and Gouda.  Some lojas da norte also carry interesting selections of what I'd call “wild cheeses”.

Portuguese and Argentine style pizzas aren't my thing, but considering there's a pizzeria on just about every block, you can find what you're after with a little effort.

As for me, I can't say I miss much.  I can honestly make or approximate anything I need and can't feasibly import.  Churrasqueiras are a bit different, but I'll be putting in a fogão de lenha in the next couple months.

Aside from family and one or two acquaintances, my life is here in BR; I find myself nitpicking and missing lots of things when I go back to visit the US.

09/26/21

13ofClubs and I are coming from the same place. 

As anyone knows who read my post on things to bring to Brazil as an expat, they're all quirky things with a strong bent toward kitchen gadgets, no real lifechangers.  The one thing that really irked me was no drainboards; I finally paid Amazon US exorbitantly (after freight and taxes) to send me one, and all was well.

I love Minas cheeses, especially artesanal ones, probably because I accept them on their own terms, and don't expect them to be exactly like anyone else's, even if they have the same name.  Same with Brazilian beers:  they're light, refreshing,  tasty, and usually just made of malt, hops, yeast, and water.  What more do you need?  Some of the Brazilian artesanals are, uh, adventurous 😉, but some are excellent.

For some unfathomable Brazilian reason,  we have an excellent pizzaria in Manaus.   One.  All the others are like those in the rest in Brazil.   But if you come to Manaus to see the Meeting of the Waters, the Vitória Régia, and the Teatro Amazonas, leave an evening for dinner at Pizzaria Marinara in the Vieralves neighborhood.   You'll be glad you did.

The only thing that I really do miss is the ability to spend time with my big, noisy, rambunctious family.   My in-laws are that way, too, and that helps a lot, but it's lonely being one of two Botafogo supporters in a Flamengo crowd.  Lucky that we're not Vasco!

We're counting the days to Thanksgiving in North Carolina this year, our first time back since 2018.  We'll probably get our fill, and be thrilled to get home to Brazil.

For me when I mentionrd missing cheeses. As a Brit, I am used to having access to a wide variety of European cheeses. Yes you can find a small selection such as Gouda and Edam. Gorgonzola here is nothing like Italian Gorgonzola. I've not tried the ementaal or gruyere here because it's expensive.
I do love minas cheese as well!

well  honestly, I never understood the interest in Minas cheese... not bad fresh, but tasteless, artificial,  not my thing really...
as u mentioned, it is infuriating the way they call blue cheese here "gorgonzola"....
I would say the Italian people would cry!!
well, same thing for gouda  ementhal and other gruyere... horriveis...
anyway... we are just speaking about minor things... but sometimes,  saudade comes!! :-)

Michel Duce wrote:

well  honestly, I never understood the interest in Minas cheese... not bad fresh, but tasteless, artificial,  not my thing really...
as u mentioned, it is infuriating the way they call blue cheese here "gorgonzola"....
I would say the Italian people would cry!!
well, same thing for gouda  ementhal and other gruyere... horriveis...
anyway... we are just speaking about minor things... but sometimes,  saudade comes!! :-)

_______
I so agree

It is a Forum of Expats..no so much North American, we all just chime in..kkk..lol
I miss Moose and Reindeer...Alaska Wild Salmon..King and Sockeye, King Crab for neither available in Beautiful Bountiful Brasil..Cheese here lacks flavor..yet the Braselero Palate is what it is..I miss a good Macaroni Elbow and Freud Catfish with a slice of Valdahia Onion..and a good Lobster tail...

Since Fukushima the Pacific Ocean is literally dying, eating anything from the Pacific Ocean is a Problem...while in Alaska 6 years ago..the fishermen non commercial thought or talked of Fukushima and the years it will arrive, affecting California to Washington State,British Columbia and Alaska..it arrived 2 years ago..No like Farmed Salmon..mostly South America..the Northern Atlantic Salmom & Tuna ok..the Elusive White Salmon...

Sounds to me we would need to open a restaurant with some typical European dishes and American 😂
Once we move there….!
Minas Gerais…

MG maybe full of the Restaurants...getting the ingredients through customs and the food police maybe a bit tricky..
Some of the larger cities tourist based SP,Rio, I have heard carry international foods.in some Supermarkets..Walmart in Macieo had some things like taco shells and a few treats like jiffy peanut butter..yet since selling out to Big Bompeco??? (Sp) no certain..I have one on Sao Luis..have no had the chance to explore the island for International foods. I stopped at a Asian Restaurant and they were  selling Rice Noodles and Kimchee and dried Shittake mushrooms..will shop on day..I need the spice..kkk..lol

I make most from scratch!😉

Scratch that ...lol...if you can find the ingrediants.  There are Websites for food stuffs...Expensive to Ship...as I said most large cities  with Multinational Residents or Visitors/ Tourist one should be in "Alice Restaurant" its about the price...

Texanbrazil wrote:

Sausage! I miss the breakfast style, Brats, and choice of sausages. Pancakes?

It does take time to make a good burger by adding spices here. I have everyone asking how do you make the onion and mushroom topping. They cannot get enough with a slice of cheese. Do as about the things they call hamburger or hot dog buns.
Come on, I like to taste the meat!

All pizzas are just yuck. Here in Foz they do not even use sauce. Have
Have they heard of a deep-dish pizza?? I even went to a pizza place near me with a kg of ground beef and tomato paste and ask to add it to a pizza. They looked lost.

Cheeses it seems it is mozzarella or some little packages of something they call cheddar.

No Mexican food at all. Corn tortillas with chorizo, eggs, cheese, beans, and Mexican rice, please. Oh yeah, Menudo!!!!!!!!! I do make my own Menudo, and guests just love it.

The biggest things are the cuts of meat. They say rib eye, come on, that is not rib eye! Using a ton of salt for tenderizing. no thanks. My heart is beating fast just writing about it.

Oh well, I have to make my own hash browns, pancakes and hope to find a bottle of maple syrup.

CHEESE! YES! The cheese here sucks so bad it's almost sad. I also miss just good sausages. My opinion on Brazilian sausage is that it tastes like soap... I miss UK produce so much when it comes to meats and cheeses.

Also, keep an eye out in those Duty free shops. They are full of crap but I have noticed some maple syrup popping up in them. Shopping China also has some if I remember correctly.

The steak thing, I agree with you, not once have I really bought meat here and thought "damn, looks good". It feels like the art of butchering just isn't a thing in Brazil. When I first moved here, my now wife would look at me like a crazy person if I suggested we asked the "Butcher" to actually cut the meat in a recognisable way. I started to just buy from Master Beef here in Foz, it's the closest to good meat I've found so far for what it's worth, but don't expect butcher quality either. God, I really took a good English butchers for granted haha

Michel Duce wrote:

hum... sounds like it is a all american forum here!! :-)

ok then, i miss french baguette, french croissant, french cheeses, french deli... french food basically...

my, am i really missing the obnoxious french waiters in Paris?? hahaha :-)

serioulsy, the only things i really miss is related to food...

As an Englishman partial to a morning croissant, I've finally found a place where I live that makes a "decent" attempt at them. Still nowhere near the lamination of a proper one, and 7/10 times the middle is a little under baked, but it's by far the closest thing to a croissant I have found here!