Brazilian hospitality
There is nobody more hospitable than the Brazilians
Within the 13 days I spent in Sao Paulo, I experienced a level of hospitality that is unmatched compared to the rest of the world.
After Lincoln took me into his circle, he also invited me to his birthday event and pretty much every event he was part of that week. Very easily, I expanded my social circle just like that. During the first 5 days in Sao Paulo, I joined all the carnival-related activities, while in the remaining 8 days, I spent hanging out with the friends I made (and continuously made) from these activities. Lincoln also went on a business trip, so I had to make a little extra effort to find things to do for myself, although that was quite easy considering how friendly Brazilians are.
1. From ordering Popeye at the food court to a street party
The dinner before the night I had my sambadrome ticket, I went to the food court to get fried chicken. After I sent in my order, the guy at the counter tried to tell me in Portuguese that my food would take 15 minutes. I said ok and walked to the nearest seat to wait. In this exchange, a middle-aged man decided to help me understand the situation, but he also only spoke Portuguese. Another young man saw this whole exchange and asked me in English whether I needed help. There, we struck up a conversation as I began eating my takeaway Popeye at the food court. His name was Jonathan, and he was traveling alone from Porto Alegre.
The conversation was very good so I began eating my chicken at the food court, and we chatted and chatted for a while. Before long, a group of 20-year-olds sat next to us as more and more people came to the food court for dinner. “OMG I’m so sorry” — a girl spilled her drink next to Jonathan. Turned out, she spoke English perfectly. We ended up including the conversation across the entire group, and before long they invited us to go to a street party where people danced to Kpop and Brazilian Funk. It was outside of the Vergueiro station, where groups of young people brought their speakers, and cheap booze, and just danced in their groups. The whole process fascinated me a lot, from how easy it is to strike up and sustain a conversation, to “I just met you but I want you to join me on my plans”. It’s something I haven’t experienced outside of Brazil, including most of Latin America.
2. Going out with Lincoln’s ex-colleagues
We spent Lincoln’s birthday at a nice rooftop bar. Since he invited a lot of friends, I ended up socializing by myself for much of the evening. I met all of Lincoln’s colleagues and ex-colleagues working in the banks, and naturally, we shared something in common. I ended up getting invited to Henrique and Camila’s home for the weekend, where I met more of their friends as they showed me around the Pinheiro neighborhood. I ended up spending the weekend following carnival with these folks, just hanging around, getting brunch, and drinking coffee. It was just what I needed after consecutively partying for a few days and nights.
From this group, I ended up further getting invited by Amanda and Lucas to meet with their friends for dinner. On the day of my departure, they even showed me the most authentic Chinese restaurant I had been to in the entire continent.
3. Incredibly high-effort homemade ramen night
Luis, the boyfriend of Lincoln’s sister loves cooking. Not just regular cooking, but he loves trying out recipes that take forever to make, and he does them incredibly well. One of the first moments I met him, he told me that I should try his Asian food cooking and give him my opinion. One night in my final week, Ariane and he arranged a ramen night and invited me to their house to try it. I felt super honored and of course, I accepted the invitation.
I showed up at their place. He had already been cooking the broth for a long long time. He made everything in the most authentic yet high-effort way. The eggs and the chashu were being marinated in a pot. He cut the chashu into perfectly even slices and started blowing the surface with a torch. All the ingredients are ready to be compiled, only awaiting the noodles to be made in smaller batches. It was crazy. I had never expected to see anybody make ramen at home, let alone in Brazil by a Brazilian.
Brazilians have a way of making you feel at home, and I was incredibly lucky to have experienced it first-hand. I was invited to everything the locals were planning to do with no questions asked; they made the extra effort to show you their lives and their neighborhood even though they only knew you for 10 minutes. They show you to their houses, cook for you, and do so much to make you feel at home. Moreover, the friends and everybody at the hangouts seemed to genuinely want to get to know you. They ask, they listen, and they share about their lives. Sao Paulo is not usually a city where tourists stay for long, but I was lucky to have found the kindest souls there. If there’s a city I should visit again, Sao Paulo is certainly high on my list for all the wonderful connections that I’ve made during my short visit.
