More Blog Updates

Today, I'm going to turn away from All-Soccer-All-the-Time news, and bring you some more updates on our ongoing dramas, both personal and non. But don't be too disappointed, all you soccer fans, it's going to be a long month!

Forbidden Fruits (October 22, 2012)

To my utmost despair, I found yet another fruit to add to my long, long list of prohibited ones: jaca (jackfruit). Our cleaning lady thoughtfully brought us a container full, all cleaned and ready to eat. It smelled divine, it tasted heavenly! Then, in just a few minutes, came that unmistakable tingling in my lips, that swelling around my eyes and in my fingers, and the slow and steady closing of my airways. I hadn’t eaten much, just one piece, so I drank lots of water, lay down and deep-breathed my way through it. The allergic reaction fizzled. Then I hit Google, where I learned that jackfruit is famous for the sticky substance in its center: latex, for goodness sake! The worst thing possible for a girl with the rare latex-fruit syndrome.

Closing the Stable Door After The Horse Has Bolted (February 11, 2013)

Facade of the disco today

Over a year after the devastating fire in the southern Brazilian disco Kiss, in which 242 young people died and hundreds more were injured, most Brazilians can tick off every single factor that contributed to the disaster: the disco was overcrowded, the musicians used pyrotechnic flares in a closed space with flammable, toxic materials, windows were boarded from the outside, doors were bolted from the inside, and the fire department had never properly inspected the place. Over a year now, and not one single person responsible for this crime has been convicted. Those who were indicted (club owners, musicians) are awaiting judgment in the comfort of their own homes, not in jail. And that judgment will take years, with several pending cases making their slow progress through the courts. Impunity reigns, at least for the time being.

Paradise Lost
(April 22, 2013)

In the months that followed our filing of a criminal complaint against our neighbor, who had turned his property into a wild party rental house, he finally did the right thing. Out went the party renters, and in came nice, quiet, mostly mature guests for his brand new, chic and expensive pousada. Things had improved so much that Mark and I had kind of forgotten we had ever made a complaint. So you can imagine our astonishment when we were summoned a few weeks ago to appear in court for an audiência, a face-off with our neighbor. After all, one year and one month had passed. We thought the complaint had just disappeared. But off we went for our day in court. The other side didn’t show up. We had a nice chat anyway with a conciliadora, or mediator. We were told we couldn't drop the charges (because they were criminal, not civil) but we were able to tell her that we had no reason to continue. We don’t want any money damages awarded, we just want to continue to live in peace. It’s now up to the Public Prosecutor to drop the case or not.

The 20¢ Revolution (July 22, 2013)

It’s been nearly a year now and Brazil is still seething with strikes and protest marches. Initially, these marches were organized to protest the rise in bus fares, but they quickly turned into an indictment against the government’s obscenely wasteful spending on World Cup preparations. Unfortunately, the peaceful marches have been infiltrated by masked vandals, who have used the crowds as cover to smash up banks, burn buses, and tear down public property. Then there’s the theory that by going on strike now, in the midst of the World Cup, the strikers will get what they want. So who’s currently been going on and off strike around the country? Just teachers, bank guards, bus drivers, workers in the subways, the bus stations, the airports, hospital staff, civil servants . . . the list is endless. What a mess.

"We’re on strike"

    






The Vacant Lot’s Not Vacant Anymore (September 16, 2013)

Ever since the forest next door to us was torn out and the earth excavated, we’ve been waiting to see a beautiful beach house rise up before our eyes. But here we are, one year later, and nothing’s happened since construction work stopped last September.

The site in September 2013

The site in May 2014

It hasn’t taken long for the woods to grow back. It hasn’t taken long for the rains to wash much of the earth down to the beach. But the biggest problem has unfortunately been on our side of the wall. Without the earth needed to sustain our wall and the staircase that runs alongside it, the wall began to crack and the stairs began to break up and sink into — well, we don’t want to think about where they might sink.



The owner/architect of the project has, to his credit, been responsive to our concerns and has filled some earth in between our two properties. He’s also had some plants put in (to secure the earth? to hide the construction site?) We’re not altogether happy with these bandaids, so here we are, having a major repair job done to maintain the integrity of our wall, our stairs, our property.

Forbidden Fruits

Latex lurks, waiting to strike . . .

My inability to eat, enjoy, savor, relish and otherwise delight in the myriad exotic fruits of Brazil is quite possibly the only downside of my living here. Years and years ago, way back in adolescence, I found out the hard way that I am allergic to what are known as the stone fruits of the rosaceae family, namely, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots and pears. Can't eat them. Can't rub them against my lips. Prefer not even to look at them, if I can help it. A little later in life I also developed an allergy to latex. Those brightly-colored, but now dangerous, rubber gloves lying by the kitchen sink? Threw them out. More years were to pass before I would finally learn that what I have is a fairly unusual latex-fruit syndrome.

Here in Brazil I instinctively steered clear of two widely-available and beloved fruits, mango and papaya, no matter how often they were pressed on me. I don't really know why, they come from altogether different fruit families. But something about them made me lump them together with my forbidden fruits. And I'm sure glad I did because recent studies have found that mango and papaya cross-react with latex allergies. Whew, that would have been a close call, given that my allergic reaction skips the mundane itching and swelling, and runs straight to life-threatening anaphylaxis. And there's probably no antidote available in our local hospital, to boot.

So what is it like to live in a country full of fruits I either can't eat or am too scared to try? Probably something akin to how a diabetic feels in a candy store. Frustrated. Deprived. Wistful. Resigned. Here's a sampling of some exotic Brazilian fruits to which I unfortunately have to give a wide berth:

Bacuri

This fruit is ugly to look at, but I'm told it has a pleasant sweet and sour taste. However, it exudes a yellow latex when pressed, so you won't see me even touching it.

Buriti

This fruit, high in both vitamins C and A, is frequently used to treat burns because of its soothing qualities. And The Body Shop now uses it in their baby moisturizers, so there might be something to the claims.

Caqui

Also known as the Japanese persimmon, caquis were introduced to Brazil by the Japanese immigrants who came to work the coffee plantations in the early 1900s.

  

Cupuaçu

The cupuaçu is an entire pharmacy in a fruit. It will stimulate your immune system, lower your blood pressure and your cholesterol levels, improve your brain function, boost your gastrointestinal system and keep your cardiovascular system flowing. Or so I'm told.

Fruta-do-conde

We just planted a fruta-do-conde (sugar apple) tree, and am I ever happy about that. Many people believe that this fruit kills cancerous cells more effectively than chemotherapy. If our tree bears fruit, I plan to try this one.

Graviola

Graviola, or soursop, is also said to have anti-cancer potency. But it is also used to treat herpes, coughs and arthritis.

Murici

The skin of this fruit is often used as an astringent.

Pupunha

There is a tremendous commercial market for the palmito, or heart of palm, plant on which the pupunha grows. But outside of the Amazon region, there is little demand for the fruit. Not surprising, since it's toxic until cooked. But boil it for a while and you'll benefit from high levels of anti-oxidants and vitamin A.

Tucumã

Another nutritious, good-for-what-ails-you fruit, full of vitamins A, B and C.

Since I have no adverse reactions to berries or cherries, I have taken a few chances here, and found that I can indeed enjoy some Brazilian fruits:

Acerola

Another of the so-called "superfruits," acerola has 32 times the vitamin C as regular citrus fruits. It's used to fight anything from a cold to a cough to  the  flu, and from cancer to diabetes. It is said to strengthen teeth and bones, lower cholesterol and help keep your skin firm.

Carambola

The carambola, or starfruit, has the reputation of interacting badly with drugs, much like the grapefruit. Stay away if you suffer from kidney failure, kidney stones, or if you're undergoing kidney dialysis treatment. Can't say why I risked eating this one, but I did. Dee-licious!

Jabuticaba

The amazing jabuticaba, a fruit that grows right on the trunk of the tree. It's really funny to see — and really delicious to eat. I've had this one both right off the trunk and in jelly form. But my favorite way was as a full-bodied, dry wine . . . 

Pitanga

Also called the Surinam cherry, and like cherries the pitanga fruit is delicious and sweet — the seeds, however, are toxic. I've had the fruit, and spit the seeds.