Back Again!

Long time no see!!! Do people still access blogs?! How the world has changed, in such few years. One thing that is ever constant is FOOD. With advents like Soylent and meal replacements, you could go your entire life without appreciating something as wonderful as a Chirashi bowl. I for one love eating too much to spend the rest of my good life drinking bland meal replacements. However, if eating isn't your thing, science has your back now! All the best!

Courtesy of Masa Japanese Restaurant in The Woodlands, TX

Brazilian Standard

To anyone who is wondering what a typical Brazilian meal looks like...

This is pretty much it, you have your rice with beans on the side, some veggies (broccoli and fried yucca) and some meat (beef with some caramelized onions). The most common meat choices are beef, chicken and pork. We also eat pretty much all the same veggies as commonly found here in the United States. Black beans are also very commonly served, this one is kinda like a pinto bean.

On the Rare Occasion

On special occasions our group of divers sometimes go out of our way to make something extra special. This night was the going away dinner for our good friend Nilo. A wise old man he often enlightened us foolish youngsters with his knowledge and experience. Part of that experience was a habit of cooking good meals and part of that knowledge was this amazing recipe for what was know as the pineapple fish sauce for fettuccine pasta.

It was incredible!

The sauce was pretty bland and not overpowering, the pineapples gave some flare to the occasional bite. The fish was flaky and mixed with the pasta really well. With some shaved parmesan on top the salt was just right.
This was one of the best meals I had on the island, and it was all made in our humble little kitchen. Props to my man Nilo!

Grand Petit Gateau!

Why is chocolate cake called Petit Gateau? Well, I don't actually know and it doesn't really matter, what does matter is that it is delicious! That's all you need to know.

This was from a coffee shop in a mall in Santos, Brazil. The brownie was ok, could have been a little warmer, to give a melting in your mouth feeling that would have pushed this dessert out of this world. However I had to be content with the fact that it came with flocos ice cream (stracciatella), and big chunks of milk chocolate, which weren't too sweet (just like I like it). All in all this is one for the books!

The Sweet Pie!

Wow it has been a while since I last wrote. I was travelling and quite busy. But I am back now, and I have a lot of ground to cover.

What's a better starting point than pizza.

Will it ever disappoint? They come in all sizes and shapes, and can have just about anything as a topping. This particular pizza is a home-made banana and cinnamon sweet pie. My uncle Katsumi whipped this up for dinner one of my last nights visiting their home. Just by the picture I think you can see this was absolutely delicious, throw some condensed milk on top and it just about gives you a little taste of perfection.

Goiabada e Queijo

'O rei da goiabada' is what they called me, or 'the king of goiabada'. I want to estimate about 5 meals a week at least included goiabada while I was at the island. This is a typical dinner. Goiabada with queijo Prato (cheese).

Fresh Catch!

Working on an island, you sometimes come across some fresh fish. Sometimes you fry it, sometimes you make sushi, and other times you stuff it and grill it.

How do we stuff it? Well first we grill it, then we open remove all the spines and bones. Next we make 'vinagrete' which is a diced tomato, onion, salsa, olive oil, and vinegar. We layer the vinagrete on, and then put on a layer of cream cheese. Afterwards we bake the fish for a few minutes until the cream cheese has melted and sunk into the fish. Next it's chow time. It does not last long. Especially if everyone has a fork of their own.