I was looking at the calendar today – and I realised two things. One, we have been in Brazil for exactly 2 months today and secondly in exactly a months time, C and I will be on our way to Singapore (via Abu Dhabi for a few days) to celebrate Christmas.
Knowing how quickly time goes by, I thought I would start posting some really good Swedish Christmas recipes. Or at least the recipes that we prepare in my family every Christmas. Last year, C and I celebrated Christmas in Mexico City, and we put together a dinner for 15 people – it was such a success and everyone loved the food! Here you can read about my planning for that dinner and what we served Swedish Christmas in Mexico City Keep Reading
Probably the most famous type of Brazilian restaurant outside of Brazil is the churrascaria, a type of Brazilian steak house. However, what sets them apart from other types of steak houses is their ‘rodizio’ style service, whereby you pay a fix price and the waiters bring different types and cuts of meat to your table, usually on a large skewer or knife throughout the meal until the customer has signalled that they have had enough.
Not surprisingly the Brazilian churrascaria has proven to be hugely popular throughout the world and today you will find churrascarias in most major international cities. One of the better known restaurants outside of Brazil, is Fogo de Chão, as they have several restaurants throughout the US.
They also have a restaurant here in Brasilia and after two month of living in Brazil, C and I decided that it was almost scandalous that we had yet to go. So on Friday, C and I went for a steak night…um, I mean date night!
Over the last few months, C and I have realised the benefit of meal planning! By planning the meals you want to cook the following week and planning the days you won’t be cooking, we have realised a few things:
Weekly meal planning takes the stress away from the dreaded question ‘what should we make for dinner tonight’.
Allows you to cook meals that fit into you diet plans (for us, that is LCHF) and not just randomly throwing things together.
Cuts down (almost 90%) food waste.
(and my favourite point) You save money.
Seriously – why has it taken me so long to figure this out?
One of the most memorable trips that I have ever made with C, was when we went up to this tiny Andean village where C’s nanny comes from. It was an unforgettable trip and definitely one that made a huge impression on me.
C’s nanny, Magna took C up to her village a few times throughout his childhood to visit her family. When C grew up, he continued making the journey visiting her family, and usually bringing with him donations and toys, and in return they lavish him with food and love.
We were shown this old photo of Conrad circa 1982 on one of his visits – isn’t he a cutie?
As I am sure is the case with most home cooks – I LOVE one tray or one pot cooking. The ease of throwing everything together, bunging it into the oven or on top of the stove and letting it look after itself for a while is wonderful! Not to mention cutting down the washing time (we have no dishwasher in our new apartment…and I feel as though I’m doing the dishes all day long!) Keep Reading
When I was living in Mexico City, I was lucky enough to get a pretty good job working as a locally employed staff in the U.S. Embassy’s HR office. Although my actual duties were rather administrative and dull, I immensely enjoyed my time there. Not only did I get to learn about the inner workings of an embassy, but I also got a direct exposure to the working culture of Mexico. Some of which really took me by surprise and were completely different to the work environment I had experienced before. Keep Reading
This is an incredibly easy and tasty way of making salmon! I adapted and updated this recipe from my all time favourite British cook Delia Smith in order to make it completely LCHF friendly and I was very impressed with the outcome.
In Delia’s original recipe she uses individual salmon fillets, however I bought an entire side and decided to keep it whole. She also uses breadcrumbs (click here if you would like to see the original recipe), however I used finely chopped walnuts instead, and you know what? I think I prefer this version. The nuts gave the dish a lovely nutty taste as well as a crunchy texture. Keep Reading
You know that feeling when you walk into a place and you are automatically in love? Everything from the decor, to the ambiance to the smell all seems to come together so harmoniously that you know you have found something special?
Well that happened to me today! I went to a coffee morning that the American Embassy organised (look at me being all lady of leisurely and going to coffee mornings!). We met at a cafe in Asa Sul (the south of the city) called Ernesto’s Cafe Especias. Keep Reading
For those of you living in Brazil and South America I thought I would let you know about my experience with booking a flight with Emirates, so that you if you decide to do so, you will not be as surprised as I was with their rather inconvenient policies!
The Background:
C and I are planning a trip to Singapore for Christmas. As you can imagine that is not exactly an easy or cheap destination from Brasilia! However, my brother lives in Abu Dhabi and I know that Emirates flies directly to Dubai from both Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. So we thought we would fly with Emirates to Dubai, visit him for a few days and continue on with our journey from there. We will then fly back home to Brasilia separately, as I will stay on in Singapore longer and C has to come back and work (well someone has to right?). Rather straight forward I thought….oh how I was mistaken!
Issue Number One (more of an annoyance really)
Booking my ticket directly with Emirates was a nightmare. I had done my research online in regards to what the best routes would be from Brasilia. However as C and I were flying back at different times, I wanted to talk to someone in Emirates to help me book the tickets to ensure C and I were on the same flight outbound, as well as help me find a good price. The prices I saw online where reasonable if we were to go directly to Singapore, but when I wanted to include a stop-over for a few days in Dubai, it doubled!
So I called the Emirates Rio office, but was immediately directed to a call centre (judging by the ladies accent) in the Philippines. The call did not start well, when she told me that there was no such place as Brasilia!! After struggling through a 40 minute call, where she kept giving me the wrong information, giving me wrong quotes and neither of us understanding each other, I decided that I would call again. This time I was directed to a call centre in the US. After explaining what I wanted – the woman essentially told me to do it myself and there was no point in her helping me! I have to admit I was lost for words, and after having spent 40 minutes with other lady in the Philippines I just gave up!
In the end, I asked my brother if he could talk to someone in Emirates in Dubai to see if they could help us. What do you know? The next day after my big brother made a few phone calls he had managed to find the perfect flight for us, half the price as quoted to me online and we were all happy! Time to pay for the tickets!
Issue Number Two (a massive issue)
Now armed with my reservation codes for my flights, I phoned up Emirates in Rio again, again I was transferred to a call centre, this time in India. When I wanted to pay for my tickets, I was told I was unable to do so over the phone or online. Apparently it is Emirates policy that if you are buying a ticket to or from South America, you have to do so in person at an Emirates office!! This is a bit of an issue for me, considering Emirates does not have an office in Brasilia! I was then transferred from various call centres around the world (or at least that is what it felt like) and the best advice I got, was from another guy in India who asked me if I had a friend that could go to an Emirates office to pay for my tickets for me!
When I said that wasn’t an option I was transferred to a very helpful Emirates employee in the US, who was trying to figure out how she could help me, and in the end she put me in touch with the Rio office (the same office I had been trying to call for 48 hours). I was given a glimmer of hope here. The Rio office, said that I could fill out a ‘credit card form’, email them the information and they would be able to process the payment! HOWEVER, when she found out, that I do not have a Brazilian credit card, this option was no longer available. It is Brazil’s policy that they cannot accept international credit cards unless in person!
In the end, my only option was to fly to São Paulo and go personally to the Emirates office there and buy my tickets. As luck would have it, C and I had already planned to visit São Paulo for a long weekend. So yesterday first thing in the morning, we took a taxi to the Emirates office and FINALLY we were able to buy our tickets and put this lengthy saga behind us. C and I are now definitely flying to Singapore via Dubai for Christmas :)
I really make a point of not complaining on The Travelling Chopsticks, as I want this forum to be positive and for inspiration, but I felt that this was rather important information to share. Be prepared that if you would like to fly Emirates in South America, that you will have to go to the office in person to buy your tickets, even if it means you have to fly to get there!
I think Calvin pretty much sums up my feelings over this whole situation!
The Travelling Chopsticks 