Brazil is not just about coffee and carnival: exposing the most popular stereotypes

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

“Brazilian women’s bottoms are really impressive, but you won’t see monkeys on the street, it’s better to go to the zoo,” - this is how Walther Lang, a Brazilian who we asked to comment on the stereotypes about his homeland, began his story. Walter is half Italian, the other half Austrian, but was born and raised in Sao Paulo, the largest business center of the vast overseas country. Glancing over the list of questions we had prepared, he smiled sincerely: much was not far from the truth, but some of the statements of our readers amused him.

Walter is 41 years old, he is a designer by profession, now he works in the computer games industry. I subscribed to the Cultural Studies page on the Facebook social network after I began to study Russian. Although our interview was still held in English, the language of Pushkin and Lermontov is difficult for the Brazilian.

1. Does everyone, young and old, drink coffee all day?

Brazil is the largest coffee producer, so people here love and know how to prepare this drink. True, unlike America, you will never see a variety of coffee drinks in large glasses. For us, the norm is a tiny cup of espresso or an Americano. Brazilians do not drink too much coffee: a meal in a restaurant ends with a fragrant drink, office employees always have a coffee machine at their disposal, and in large companies, coffee is delivered twice a day by a waiter.

Unfortunately, despite the excellent quality and excellent taste of coffee, it is almost impossible to find cozy coffee houses in Brazil, such as I have seen in Europe or Ukraine while traveling.

2. Do all Brazilian women have very impressive priests?

For the most part, yes, impressive priests are typical for our women. Interestingly, this feature is typical even for the majority of Japanese women living in Brazil (do not forget that the world's largest Japanese community lives in our country). By the way, we do not have such an expression as "Brazilian priest" in everyday life either, of course.

The ideal for most Brazilians was and remains the actress popular in the 1970s - Rita Cadillac. We remember it with an original request: when I die, putting my body in a coffin, put it on my stomach. So that those who have come to say goodbye see the most precious thing I have - my ass.

3. Do the boys play football on the street from dawn to dusk?

In part, this is so, almost every boy in childhood loved to play the ball. By the way, I am not, but even among friends in my youth, because of this, I looked like a black sheep. We have many parks, practically in each - a football field, basketball field, a gym section and jogging tracks along the beach. By the way, footvolly has become especially popular on the beaches in recent years. It appeared, I think, in the 1970s on the Copacabana beach, this is a special mix: they play on a volleyball field, but according to the rules of football.

4. Guarana and Coca Cola - Brazilians' favorite drinks?

Coca Cola is the leader in sales in Brazil, it is true, in second place is really Guarana. Guarana is our pride. When I go on trips, I miss her taste. By the way, local children have been drinking guarana from an early age; at every birthday you will definitely see this drink and cake.

5. In Brazil, everyone loves soap operas, and the best TV shows are sent to Russia?

As for Russia, I cannot say for sure, I know that the whole world, including the Russians, watched Slave Izaura. TV shows are entertainment for the poor or middle class, while richer people prefer more interesting leisure activities. By the way, we most often sell the most successful TV series to Portugal, which is not surprising.

6. Do Brazilians start dancing at the sound of music, even on the street?

Yes, it's true, we are a dancing nation. Dancing is especially common in the north of the country, in El Salvador. For example, the carnival in Rio de Janeiro lasts five days, but in El Salvador it starts 10 days before the official opening and lasts 5 days longer. They really love to dance there, and, by the way, they constantly come up with new directions - ashe, foho, frevo, olodum and others. Samba is popular in Rio de Janeiro, in Sao Paulo you will already see the pagoda.

Dancing on the street is a common thing for us during the holidays. For example, on New Year's Eve, several million people dance on Copacabana Beach at once - an impressive sight. Or, for example, in the promenade quarter of Rio, hundreds of people dance not only inside, but also near open-air restaurants with live music. It is believed that the more dancers, the better the establishment.

7. The most popular dish in Brazil is beans with rice and churasco

Yes that's right. On holidays or just on weekends, we often also eat feijoada, a dish made from dark beans and rice. A cauldron with stewed cold meats is served with this side dish. All this is sprinkled on top with special flour, which we call farofa. In general, this dish was invented by African slaves: they were fed beans, and to it they added the remains of the meat left over from the owner's dinner. Today, of course, the dish has been modernized and is served in almost all cafes and restaurants.

8. Is plastic surgery for Brazilian women the most common thing?

Yes, and that's also true. An interesting fact, by the summer there are no breast augmentation implants left in clinics, so many operations are performed. So women are booked in advance for scarce surgery.

9. Can you also see capoeira on every corner?

No, it’s not like that. Capoeira can be seen only in the north of the country, and even then, in the tourist areas. In El Salvador, for example.

10. Brazilians don't like to read books

Unfortunately it's true. Here you will not see people on the subway with books, as is common in Russia. But for those who still love to read, we have wonderful bookstores with open reading areas. You can go there just to have a good time. Yes, and our books are inexpensive, printing houses are exempted from paying tax when purchasing paper, this allows you to significantly reduce the cost of printed products.

11. Is the crime rate very high? The car must be closed even from the inside

Yes, it's true, in Brazil you have to always be on the lookout.

12. No need to wear jewelry - the bracelet with the hand will be cut off

Of course, not everything is so dramatic. In Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo or El Salvador, you can feel relatively safe in tourist places, there are a lot of police on the streets. But in the favelas (slums) it is better not to go.

13. Are bananas and coconuts all over the place and are they delicious?

Yes, Brazil is a fruit country. For example, we have at least five types of bananas alone. There are also a lot of coconuts, coconut water is a great thirst quencher. In addition to bananas and coconuts, there are many watermelons, pineapples, papayas, lemons and oranges on the streets.

14. As they said in the movies, are there a lot of wild monkeys in Brazil?

No, you will not find monkeys on the streets, except with rare exceptions. Wild animals love silence. Perhaps, to see really many, many monkeys, you should go to the state of Amazonas.

15. Tourists and whites should not enter the slums as it is life-threatening?

Yes, it is true, it is really dangerous to enter the favelas, but this does not apply exclusively to "whites" or "tourists". This rule applies to everyone, regardless of status, skin color or any other factors.

16. Do all Brazilians always strive to get to the carnival?

Of course not. Since childhood, we have heard the performance of samba, we see the performances of schools. Carnival is entertainment for the poor, for others it is just a great opportunity to relax for a week before the start of the working season.

We thanked Walter for the interview, and finally he promised to talk about what surprised him during his trip to Eastern Europe. He says that the sensations from the first snow in his life were simply unforgettable!

By the way, when Brazilians talk about themselves, they always add what kind of blood is mixed in them. History has an effect, because the population of the country is entirely immigrants. It is interesting that there are no prejudices about interethnic marriages here, mestizos are a common occurrence.

Everyone knows about the Brazilian carnival in Rio, but about payphone parade in San Paolo not even all Brazilians know. But this is a really interesting sight.