a glimpse at family life in Pernambues
My boss is my across-the-hall neighbor. He got me the apartment for the month, which was quite convenient, uncomplicated, and cheap, at least from my point of view. I should point out that he's really not my boss because I don't really work there, since I'm a volunteer. So at least he can't fire me, if, say, I decide to hammer a poster to the wall (unlikely, but possible) at 2am on a Tuesday. It's a real comfort knowing that.
He always invites me over for dinner. And I always accept, even though I always feel weird doing so, because I have no food, since I have no refrigerator. They eat pretty much the same thing every night, with slight variation: beans with meat and spices mixed in (feijao), rice, sometimes spaghetti with red(dish) sauce, and either chicken or sometimes the frugal side of pig or cow parts. Luckily for me I'll eat just about anything, especially when it's free. If you don't like beans, though, and you live in Bahia, you're sort of out of luck. Luckily I do. One of my Bahian friends doesn't like seafood, which is like saying you're from Italy and don't like pasta. Bummer.
Living in close proximity to my boss/friend and his family provides me with an interesting glimpse on day-to-day life of a Bahian family, which is essentially the same as an American family except none of the men are ever wearing shirts (so it's like Kentucky, I guess). My boss/friend, Ivanildo, has two sons (ages 5 and 10) and a 2-month old daughter. Every night he comes home and dons the same pair of blue oversized Bermuda shorts. He then spends the rest of the night (in his shorts only - no shirt or shoes) yelling and swearing at his sons, and playing with some electronic gadget or trying to get his their toys (Power Rangers, toy trucks, a yo-yo I gave them, etc.)to work. Don't get me wrong, he's a great Dad, but it's one of those households where as long as you're not a kid swearing at an adult, it is acceptable for the adults, and to a lesser degree, the kids, to use profane language. For instance, he taught his son Matheus to say "shit" in 3 different languages: English, Portugues (merde), and German (schise). Education, of course, is always paramount ;).
He always invites me over for dinner. And I always accept, even though I always feel weird doing so, because I have no food, since I have no refrigerator. They eat pretty much the same thing every night, with slight variation: beans with meat and spices mixed in (feijao), rice, sometimes spaghetti with red(dish) sauce, and either chicken or sometimes the frugal side of pig or cow parts. Luckily for me I'll eat just about anything, especially when it's free. If you don't like beans, though, and you live in Bahia, you're sort of out of luck. Luckily I do. One of my Bahian friends doesn't like seafood, which is like saying you're from Italy and don't like pasta. Bummer.
Living in close proximity to my boss/friend and his family provides me with an interesting glimpse on day-to-day life of a Bahian family, which is essentially the same as an American family except none of the men are ever wearing shirts (so it's like Kentucky, I guess). My boss/friend, Ivanildo, has two sons (ages 5 and 10) and a 2-month old daughter. Every night he comes home and dons the same pair of blue oversized Bermuda shorts. He then spends the rest of the night (in his shorts only - no shirt or shoes) yelling and swearing at his sons, and playing with some electronic gadget or trying to get his their toys (Power Rangers, toy trucks, a yo-yo I gave them, etc.)to work. Don't get me wrong, he's a great Dad, but it's one of those households where as long as you're not a kid swearing at an adult, it is acceptable for the adults, and to a lesser degree, the kids, to use profane language. For instance, he taught his son Matheus to say "shit" in 3 different languages: English, Portugues (merde), and German (schise). Education, of course, is always paramount ;).
posted by n10471 at 10:48 AM
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