Learn how to express your taste in food
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Hello and welcome to Portuguese Survival Phrases brought to you by PortuguesePod101.com, this course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Brazil. You will be surprised at how far a little Portuguese will go. |
| Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by PortuguesePod101.com and there, you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Table manners are a must wherever you go! In this lesson, we'll cover some basic table etiquette for sitting down for a meal in Brazil. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Brazilian culture is a food culture, and if you want to experience Brazil, you start with the food. |
| Whether you are in a restaurant or in an individual's home, the most important thing to remember is to compliment sincerely. As I've said in a previous lesson, Brazilian's work very hard at cooking, and one of the biggest pitfalls that foreigners encounter is not showing enough gratitude. Even if the food isn't that good, the cook almost certainly spent hours trying to make it good; so thank them for the effort. |
| I've already addressed a few ways to compliment someone's food, but in this category, the more you know the better! |
| In Portuguese, "This food is...!" is Essa comida é... |
| Let’s break it down by syllable: Essa comida é... |
| Now let's hear it once again: Essa comida é... |
| Essa comida é... We've already covered each of these words but never together. Essa comida é... means "This food is..." (something). Well, what is the food? Is it great? Is it fantastic? Is it delicious? Interesting? Marvelous? In my experience, it's probably a combination of all of these, so let's learn each word so you can describe the food properly. |
| Let's start with "great," which in Portuguese is ótimo. |
| Ótimo |
| Ótimo |
| Then we have fantástico, which in English is "fantastic." |
| fantástico |
| fantástico |
| We've already learned "delicious," but let's review it quickly: deliciosa. |
| Deliciosa |
| Deliciosa |
| Next, we have interesante, which means "interesting." |
| Last, we have maravilhosa, which means "marvelous." We often use this word to describe food in Brazil, and it doesn't sound patronizing at all. In fact, it sounds grateful. |
| Maravilhosa |
| Maravilhosa |
| These are typical words we use in Brazil to compliment and give thanks for the food. |
| Now let's talk about what you do when you eat. In Brazil, there are no fixed phrases that surround food beyond complimenting it. Some families pray before eating; some don't. Some will wait until everyone has their food before anyone can start eating; others won't. For these kinds of things, I suggest paying close attention to what people around you are doing, and copy them. |
| The weekends and holidays are reason enough for a party to Brazilians, and that means churrasco. Every Brazilian is accustomed to some churrasco on the weekend with friends and family. So, what is churrasco? Basically, it's "barbeque" done the way it should be: cooking Picanha ("top sirloin"), rump roast, sausage, chicken wings, garlic bread, and drinking with your friends and family for hours-that's churrasco. Brazilians never miss a good churrasco. |
| Cultural Insights |
| Also scattered throughout Brazil are churrascarias, which are "all you can eat steak houses." Following the rodízio format I explained in a previous lesson, you pay a certain amount per person, and eat as much as you want of whatever meat they bring to you along with a salad bar that has way more stuff than any salad bar I've ever seen in the United States. The price of a good churrascaria varies from R$20 - R$40 per person, which is about ten to twenty dollars. But the best churrascaria I've ever been to was in Gurupi, Tocantins and was R$12, or six dollars. |
Outro |
| Okay, to close out this lesson, we'd like you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for saying it aloud. You have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so boa sorte! |
| "This food is...!" - Essa comida é... |
| Essa comida é... |
| Essa comida é... |
| "great" - ótimo |
| Ótimo |
| Ótimo |
| "fantastic" - fantástico |
| fantástico |
| fantástico |
| "delicious" - deliciosa |
| Deliciosa |
| Deliciosa |
| "interesting" - interesante |
| Interesante |
| Interesante |
| "marvelous" - maravilhosa |
| Maravilhosa |
| maravilhosa |
| Alright, that's going to do it for today. Remember to stop by PortuguesePod101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
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