Posts

Showing posts from May, 2011

Brazil, the Conclusion

Image
A brief recap for the amnesiacs among us.  Here is Part One  in whole. We already have some rice and shredded kale.  The embassy recommended Feijoada, which is basically a lot of meat plus a little bit of other stuff.  No store remained untoched in my quest for all of the parts.  There is still a... Last time for Brazil, I promise. So what is that meat that I haven't introduced you to yet?  My recipe books calls it out as optional: one pork foot, eat, tail, tongue.  If that is optional, I'm not touching it, right? Except then I saw it at the Commissary.  If it is staring me in the face, can I really walk away?  It is authentic!  Plus then I could write about it!  I would like to introduce to you: the pig's foot. I told Kevin to react appropriately to it. Tesla investigated.  Curie would have none of it. *Shudder* To prove to you what it is. The real problem here is what in the world do I do with it?  The recipe doesn't tell me to cut it up.  It

Brazil

Image
Location : Eastern South America on the Atlantic Ocean Area : Over 8.5 million sq km; 5th largest in the world           Slightly smaller than the US Borders : Argentina , Bolivia , Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela            Borders every South American country except Chile and Ecuador Population : Over 200 million; 5th largest in the world Capital : Brasilia GDP : 8th biggest in the world Airports : Over 4000; 2nd most in the world Source: CIA World Factbook If you want to learn more about the economy of Brazil, I highly recommend listening to "The Lie That Saved Brazil"  from This American Life.  It not only teaches you about how economics worked there, but how money works worldwide.  Craziness. Brazil was going to be exciting, and not just because of the mystery ingredient. Although it helped. It was because I have not given up on my embassy quest (see The Bahamas ).  On the contrary, I e-mail almost every one

Botswana

Image
Location : Southern Africa, north of South Africa Size : Almost 600,000 sq km; 47th largest in the world         Slightly smaller than Texas Geography : Landlocked Population : Over 2 million; 144th largest in the world Migration : 4.82 migrants/1000 population; 19th highest in the world           Large influx from Zimbabwe in search of better economic opportunities Capital : Gaborone HIV/AIDS in Adults : 24.8%; 2nd highest in the world Nationality adjectives : Motswana (singular), Botswana (plural) Language : Officially English, although only spoken by 2.1% of the population Economy : "Two major investment services rank Botswana as the best credit risk in Africa."  One of the world's fastest growing economies since gaining independence in 1966. Olympics : Competed in eight Summer games, never winning a medal (before 2012) Sources:  CIA World Factbook ,  Wikipedia The information I found on Botswana painted an interesting picture.  They have one of the fast