Expat Perspective - Chris in Freiburg - Sao Paolo
Welcome to the latest instalment of Expat Perspective, a new series of posts by guest writers who come from X but are living long term in Y. Here's the latest post from Chris Mavergames, an American librarian who's recently settled into family life in Southern Germany.
I just spent 9 days in the monstrosity that is Sao Paulo, Brazil. Witha metropolitan population of over 20 million inhabitants, Sao Paulo is currently the 4th largest city in the world, 3rd if you count the vast expanses of the metropolitan area. The taxi ride from the airport to the city centre gives one the sense of this expanse and the poverty that leads you to the towering skyscrapers at the heart of this very modern, very wealthy metropolis.
I was there attending a work conference, so I honestly did not have much time for leisure. Having said that, there were the evenings, and I spent them having some of the best meals of my life. The food in Sao Paulo, and I suspect in many places in Brazil/South America generally,is excellent. The tastiest meats, salad bars with plentiful vegetables from both the Brazilian influence as well as the rich Italian immigrant history of the city (think yucca next to buffalo mozzarella next to marinaded shitake mushrooms!) and incredible red wines fromneighboring Chile and Argentina make it a foodies' dream. I can highly recommend the restaurant Rodeio. Also, the churrascaria restaurant (the Portuguese name for a special kind of Brazilian steakhouse), Fogo da Chao, which is actually a chain with locations in the USA, was also a fantastic experience. See www.fogodachao.com for more information.
Ultimately, I needed much more time than I had available to navigate the smog-filled mayhem that is Sao Paulo. The city can be dangerous and intimidating, but even if you go there only to eat and drink caipirinhas, you won't be disappointed!
I just spent 9 days in the monstrosity that is Sao Paulo, Brazil. Witha metropolitan population of over 20 million inhabitants, Sao Paulo is currently the 4th largest city in the world, 3rd if you count the vast expanses of the metropolitan area. The taxi ride from the airport to the city centre gives one the sense of this expanse and the poverty that leads you to the towering skyscrapers at the heart of this very modern, very wealthy metropolis.
I was there attending a work conference, so I honestly did not have much time for leisure. Having said that, there were the evenings, and I spent them having some of the best meals of my life. The food in Sao Paulo, and I suspect in many places in Brazil/South America generally,is excellent. The tastiest meats, salad bars with plentiful vegetables from both the Brazilian influence as well as the rich Italian immigrant history of the city (think yucca next to buffalo mozzarella next to marinaded shitake mushrooms!) and incredible red wines fromneighboring Chile and Argentina make it a foodies' dream. I can highly recommend the restaurant Rodeio. Also, the churrascaria restaurant (the Portuguese name for a special kind of Brazilian steakhouse), Fogo da Chao, which is actually a chain with locations in the USA, was also a fantastic experience. See www.fogodachao.com for more information.
Ultimately, I needed much more time than I had available to navigate the smog-filled mayhem that is Sao Paulo. The city can be dangerous and intimidating, but even if you go there only to eat and drink caipirinhas, you won't be disappointed!
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