A series of photos from Latin America

I'm behind in my posting... so I now share a series of photos from my recent trip through Latin America...

All meetings revolve around coffee (or more aptly, espresso)...

(Brazil)

To counter-act all the espresso, one should indulge in local delicacies... like Chilean Carmenere.  Here I tried a flight of Carmenere (for the record, all were good, but the one of the far right was amazing)...

(Chile)

Sometimes things get mistranslated... (No, I did NOT try the "Critters" -airport Dunkin Donuts are never a good choice, regardless of the country you are in)

(Chile?)

When near the Amazon, one must have Amazonian food and drink.  This is from a restaurant called Amaz, in Lima, Peru:
 


 


And when in Peru, you should really try to learn about Pisco...

(Peru)

And, finally, in Colombia, ajiaco is a can't be missed soup full of local flavor...

(Colombia).

Whew - I'm so full just looking at it all again!

Brazil - Sao Paulo!

Upon arrival to Sao Paulo after a red-eye flight, there were a few necessities to take care of.  A nap, a hot shower, and a hot meal - in that order.

I decided to try out Bella Paulista - a 24 hour Brazilian version of a New York diner (in terms of service, atmosphere, and speed of food.  However, the food was all Brazilian, complete with an amazing bakery selection).  Upon walking in, it seemed to be something akin to a Soup Nazi experience - everyone knew how things worked.  It didn't work like anything I'd seen before, and I quickly decided that my goal was to not make an ass of myself - in other words - figure it out fast, and blend in.

You take a number when you walk in.  This becomes your ID and tab.  You can take food from the bakery counter, or sit down and choose something from the menu, or grab something from the ready-made food section of the coolers.  No matter the choice, your selections are charged to your number, which you then turn in and settle up for before leaving.

I decided to grab a table, and get a hot meal.  The menu was absolutely enormous.  What to choose, what to choose.

Well, when in Rome (or Sao Paulo)...

I selected from the Regional Dishes portion of the menu, and took the Paulistinhia; if it is named after the city, it can't be bad, right?

I had NO idea how huge this meal was about to be.

Also, it was delicious.  Not fancy.  Not the greatest example of culinary skill.  But a solid, local meal of comfort food.  My favorite kind of food - what the locals eat.  I'd asked the hotel's front desk clerk to send me somewhere casual for the kind of food her mother or grandmother would cook for her.  I wanted simple, local cuisine.  This did not disappoint.  The great news, is this place is open 24 hours a day, so I'll try to get back there for a snack (I didn't have any of the baked goods today) before I head out of town.  Here is a link to the diner's page in case any of you want to check it out:  Bella Paulista.