I am presently in Canada and when I tell people that I have been living in Brazil for the past 10 + years the flurry of questions and misconceptions arise. Let me clarify a few things that most people may not know about Brazil.
1. Brazilians speak Portuguese, not Spanish. French was taught as a second language up until the 70's at Brazilian schools. Now the number one second language taught is English, followed by Spanish.
2. Carnaval is once a year for 5 days. No, people do not dance and party in the street the other 360 days of the year.
3. Brazil is the only country who has won the World Cup five times.
4. Brazil was a military dictatorship from the late 60's until the mid 80's.
5. Brazil has HUGE amounts of natural resources ranging from oil, fresh water and bauxite to gold and precious colored stones. It has a strong agricultural infrastructure. Coffee, orange juice,cotton and soyabeans are among some of the commodities from there. It also has the largest number of cattle in the world. The northern state of Ceara has the perfect location and conditions for wind power.
6. The Amazon forest is in the north, not near Rio de Janeiro.
7. The Brazilian Ministry of Health was instumental in breaking the patents on AIDS drugs. This reduced the price of the 'cocktails' from over $10 000/year per patient to less than $1000. This is covered by the national health system and the idea has been 'exported' to countries such as South Africa.
8. Brazilian doctors are amongst the best in the world. Not just the plastic surgeons, but orthopedic and oncologists too.
9. Brazil is very diverse. Originally discovered by the Portuguese, it has influences and immigrants from Holland, France, Germany, Italy, Africa, Japan, Poland and Syria and Lebanon. The aboriginal people of Brazil have been there for centuries, some tribes in the Amazon are yet to be discovered.
10. Not everyone lives in a 'favela' or slum. Unfortunately, favelas have grown fast and furious over the past few decades. What started out as small communities of migrant workers from the poorer Northeast part of Brazil, they have become 'no man's land' in some cases because of rampant crime caused by the drug trade and the 'milicia'. Not all people who live in the 'favela' are criminals. Most are hard working ,honest people who would give their shirt off of their back. Unfortunately, a few ruin it for all.
Showing posts with label coffee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coffee. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, May 29
Coffee/Men..Whats your Brew?
"Lets meet for coffee." It used to be "Lets meet for drinks", but with the stigma attached to alcohol lately,now when one meets someone for the first time , the venue of choice is the coffee shop.
I believe the type of coffee a man drinks is a good indication of the type of guy he is. There are hundreds of types of men, and hundreds of types of coffee, but I will narrow it down to the coffee drinking establishments found in Calgary.
1. Tim Horton Man (Homo Timmus Hortonus). Loves his hockey and usually drives a pickup truck. Will use the drive through. Also tends to be a good man to have around to fix things and help with heavy lifting.Exclusively Canadian.
2. Starbucks Man (Homo starbuckius). Usually has a Blackberry genetically attached to ear and has overdeveloped thumbs from texting. Barks out his order to the clueless barista for a skinny mochaccino between phone calls. Useful for organizing your finances or computer hard drive. Found on almost every corner all over the world.
3. Caffe Artigiano Man( Homo Artigianus). Originally from Vancouver but now has spread to Calgary. Perfectionist. Eye for detail. Demands and expects the best. Dresses in Italian suits and loafers, and has a tendency to engage in body hair removal(and expects you to do the same)Elusive yet romantic.
4. Caffe Beano Man (Homo Caffe Beanus) Artistic, creative. Uses Beano as his office and social apex, usually after his workout. Also known to write poetry and short stories while watching others around him. Found only in Calgary.
5. Second Cup Man (Homo Secondus Cuppus)Direct competition to the Homo Starbuckius. More down to earth yet still enjoys diversity in coffee without the haughty attitude. Found only in Canada.
I believe the type of coffee a man drinks is a good indication of the type of guy he is. There are hundreds of types of men, and hundreds of types of coffee, but I will narrow it down to the coffee drinking establishments found in Calgary.
1. Tim Horton Man (Homo Timmus Hortonus). Loves his hockey and usually drives a pickup truck. Will use the drive through. Also tends to be a good man to have around to fix things and help with heavy lifting.Exclusively Canadian.
2. Starbucks Man (Homo starbuckius). Usually has a Blackberry genetically attached to ear and has overdeveloped thumbs from texting. Barks out his order to the clueless barista for a skinny mochaccino between phone calls. Useful for organizing your finances or computer hard drive. Found on almost every corner all over the world.
3. Caffe Artigiano Man( Homo Artigianus). Originally from Vancouver but now has spread to Calgary. Perfectionist. Eye for detail. Demands and expects the best. Dresses in Italian suits and loafers, and has a tendency to engage in body hair removal(and expects you to do the same)Elusive yet romantic.
4. Caffe Beano Man (Homo Caffe Beanus) Artistic, creative. Uses Beano as his office and social apex, usually after his workout. Also known to write poetry and short stories while watching others around him. Found only in Calgary.
5. Second Cup Man (Homo Secondus Cuppus)Direct competition to the Homo Starbuckius. More down to earth yet still enjoys diversity in coffee without the haughty attitude. Found only in Canada.
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