The Gaucho

So like Elizabeth said in the last post, Rio Grande do Sul is pretty much like the Texas of Brazil. We've got cowboy ranchers, boots n' leather, steak, and a group of people who consider themselves to be part of their state before they consider themselves part of their country. People from Rio Grande do Sul are Gaucho first and Brazilian second, citing that they have more in common with Argentina and Uruguay than they do with the rest of Brazil, which is very true.

Just like Texas, everything is bigger and better in Porto Alegre too. Their lake is the biggest, their food is the best, their women are the prettiest, and even their sunset is the most beautiful in the world. Just ask them.

The best part is that they even tried to secede from the country in a civil war known as the Farroupilha Revolution (or loosely translated: War of the Ragamuffins). AND...it happened at the same time as the Texas Revolution and the Alamo.

Rio Grande Texas....Rio Grande do Sul. Hmmm.....

Anyway, back to Gauchos. So these men and women are the more traditional pioneers of the area and hold some fun cowboy-western-boot-smacking-accordian-playing-tea-drinking-spur-wearing-meat-eating-bbq traditions that we have been seeing over the last month.

First, we were invited by our school "host family" (our adoptive parent from the school to show us around) to go to a big

international fair outside of town called ExpoInter. It's a big exposition of livestock, farm equipment and other "county fair" products from Brazil and the surrounding region. This is a lot like a big state fair in the states only less of the crappy food and clowns and more of the cowboy stuff and farm machinery.

It was a lot of fun to walk around the livestock pens, seeing the prize animals, watch a cattle auction, eat fantastic steak, and browsing the shops filled with more leather than you can imagine. I also got to have my first sip of chimarrao, the Gaucho's favorite tea that they carry with them everywhere in little thermoses. And it just so happens that our host mom owns a cattle ranch in PA and her family business is breeding and selling beef cattle so we got the inside scoop on the cattle industry in southern Brazil and the region.

Our second round of full-on Gaucho-ness was this last Tuesday as we had a day off for school for Farroupilha Day. For weeks up to the holiday, there is a section of town that hosts a mini fair of everything Gaucho called Acampamento Farroupilha in which a small town of log cabin huts is created to host a variety of events, food, shopping, and everything Gaucho the town has to offer.

It was kind of like one giant tailgate party with a giant open flame bbq pit every 10 feet with entire racks of animals roasting away. Only in log cabins....and no trucks. Or drunk football fans.

There was also all the same stalls that sell all the fair junk food and other events and games and performances and such. This meant that we got our share of some down-home-country cooking and also some chocolate covered strawberries on a stick and a "Suiss Crepe" or chocolate-filled waffle on a stick. Mmmm.

We spent most of the day hanging out in a restaurant with a group of people who all came together from school enjoying some tasty meat and rice cooked up in the kitchen and served in a giant communal cauldron for everyone to enjoy.

The highlight I believe is the sign below that was posted several places in the restaurant that translates "No dancing with a knife in your belt"

Love it.

um abraço

K&E