For the last too nights, we dined at two different churrascarias and it was great. You get to a large open dining room with a large salad bar in the middle and you’re greeted/assaulted by men in gaucho outfits (I liken them to Hammer pants). After you visit the salad bar, you sit down and then begins the meaty assault. The “gauchos” come to your table bearing long skeweres with meat, different kinds of meat, different cuts of meat, delicious, dripping, juicy cuts of meat. If you agree to their meat, they begin slicing off a piece at which point you grab the end of your new meat with your tongs and he finishes slicing and the meat is then wholy yours. But alas, before you can begin to carve your slice of heaven, the next one is next to you presenting his offering. Being a polite customer, I don’t refuse.

At this point in the story, it should be noted that you get a green light/red light indicator. At one place, it was for the whole table. Last night, we got a little coaster that you flip over. I don’t think the red side really means anything except that the flow of meat slows down instead of stops. Inevitably, once you get started eating, you’ll find that really salty, soft meat comes back around and you can’t say no, can you? Can you?

Anyway, my mouth is watering again, but tonight we go to sushi. There is a large Japanese population in Brazil, so I’m excited to try it out. I’ll let you know tomorrow if I survive not eating meat tonight.

And tomorrow, I’m off to Salvador da Bahia…

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