Mindent Braziliarol - a brazil konyha...All about Brazil - Brazilian cuisine

Eloszor is a "brazil konyha" kifejezes eleg tag fogalmat takar, hiszen mit is tekintunk brazil konyhanak? Eszak-, kozep-, vagy del-Braziliat? Vagy az Amazonas videket? Tehat amikor en brazil konyhazrol beszelek, akkor azt Sao Paulo allamra ertem, ami nem jelenti azt, hogy mashol ezek az etelek ne lennenk ismertek, vagy eppen kozismertek, de lehet, hogy mas variacioban, vagy akar teljesen mas fuszerekkel izesitve.

A brazil konyhara mind az europai, mind az afrikai bevandorlok, mind pedig a oslakos indianok hatassal voltak eppen ezert a brazil konyha regionkent nagyon valtozo attol fuggoen, hogy mely koloniak etkezesi szokasai terjedtek el, illetve milyenek az adott regio termeszeti adottsagai. Peldaul eszakon, ahol fokent az Afrikabol rabszolganak behurcolt feketek leszarmazottai elnek, az afrikai mellett a portugal es az indian hatasok ervenyesultek, mig legdelebbre a kozeli orszagok mellett, mint Argentina vagy Uruguay, a "nemet hatas" a legerosebbn, es az o altaluk preferalt etelek dominalnak (most persze nem olyan nemzeti etelrol beszelek, mint peldaul a feijoada, amit szerte Braziliaban ismernek).
Ehhez hozzaadodnak a termeszeti adottsagok, peldaul eszakon, koszonhetoen a rengeteg erdonek es edesvizu folyonak, a hal es a manioka lisztbol keszult etelek az alapjai a mindennapi etkezesnek, mig delen, mivel ebben a regioban sok az allatalapu gazdasag, igy itt inkabb a marhafelekbol keszult barbeque etelek terjedtek el.  

A hozzavalok, amelyeket az oshonos indianok hasznaltak eloszor, ugymint a cassava (mas neven manioka vagy tapioka), guarana, acai, cumaru, tacaca, es ehhez jottek azok a fuszerek, amiket mar az europai bevandorlok hoztak magukkal Portugaliabol, Olaszorszagbol, Spanyolorszagbol, Lengyelorszagbol vagy Svajcbol. Ezek a bevandorlok peldaul hozza voltak szokva a buza alapu etrendhez, es ehhez meg bevezettek olyan dolgokat mint a bor, a leveles zoldsegek vagy a tejtermekek. Amig a burgonya nem volt elerheto szamukra addig azt edes maniokaval potoltak. 

Manapsag a gyokerzoldsegek mint a manioka, a jamgyoker vagy a gyumolcsok mint az acai, mango, papaya, guava, narancs, banan, maracuja, ananasz reszet kepezik a mindennapi fozesi alapanyagoknak.

Ami a fuszereket illeti, nekem rogton a koriander es a romai komeny maradt meg mint "tipikus" fuszer, mivel mi otthon ezt a kettot nem, vagy csak nagyon ritkan hasznaljuk. Amugy ugyanugy megvan a paprika, a bors es a fokhagyma, es a fuszerezes Brazilia ezen teruleten nem ter el nagyon az europaitol.

Amit nagyon szeretek az a bufe, amikor sok-sok fajta etel van kiteve es mindenbol szedhetsz egy kicsit, ez a legtobb helyen megtalalhato es egy ilyen bufeben altalaban a kovetkezo etelek szerepelnek:

feijoada (kabe a mi fustolt csulkos babunk)
rizs

pastel v. pasteis (toltott pite)

coxina (bundaban sult csirke krokett) 

sult krumpli

sult edes burgonya

sult banan
parolt kaposzta (couve refogada)

kulonbozo salatak ecettel vagy majonezzel

sult hus (sertes vagy csirkecomb)

farofa (piritott manioka lisztbol keszitett koret) piritott szalonnaval

lasagne

bolognai spagetti

pao de queijo (sajtos zsomle)

teperto

palmasziv

Virado a paulista:
Tipikus sao paulo-i etel. Tobb variacioja is letezik, de alapvetoen a font felsorolt etelek kozul tobbnek a kombinacioja. Reggelire azert nem, de napszaktol fuggetlenul barmikor kerul az asztalra eleg gyorsan elfogy :-) 

A brazilok ezen felul nagyon szeretik a barbeque-t, a Rodizio steakhouse ettermek fix osszegert kinalnak grillezett husokat, addig amig jol nem lakunk. Az osszeg nemcsak a husokat tartalmazhatja, hanem benne van a salata bar kinalata is igy aki szereti megtomni a hasat, az ezzel a hellyel csak jol jarhat. 

http://www.erdekesvilag.hu/rodizio-amit-egy-igazi-husevo-nem-hagyhat-ki-x/

A Rodizio tipusu etteremnek egyebkent van pizza es sushi valtozata is, csakugy mint a husoknal, minden fajta pizzabol vagy sushibol kinalnak egy szeletet (darabot) amig az ember jol nem lakik. Nekem a pizzas is tetszett, sushi-s Rodizioban meg nem voltam.

Tengeri herkentyukbol en a fott tengeri rakot kostoltam paradicsommal, illetve a frissen sult tarisznyarakot lime-mal, napsutessel, tengerparttal (kizarolag) :-)

Edessegek: szeretik a pudingot, a kremes karamellas puding nagyon nepszeru, ezen kivul a gyumolcsos pudingok maracujaval, mangoval, eperrel vagy a csokis pudingok.

A puding torta (Pastel de nata) eredetileg Portugaliabol szarmazik, es foleg Eszak-Braziliaban elterjedt. Van ket edesgolyo, mint nalunk a kokuszgolyo, az egyik csokis (brigadeiro) a masik kokuszos (beijinos).

En sok puding es krem alapu edesseggel talalkoztam, keves konnyu, kremes, habossal es mindegyik edesseguk valami iszonyat gej es edes igy tul sokat en szemely szerint soha nem tudok enni beloluk.  

Alkohol: Caipirinha, aminek az alapja a cachaca (cukrnadbol keszult feher rum) es nagyon finoooom :-) Nalam a Caipirinha es a Mojito a top 1-2 (tudom, az utobbi nem brazil, dehat a tequila akkor is nagyon jo baratom:-))

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First of all, the expression "Brazilian cuisine" is a quiet broad concept as what exactly means Brazilian? North or South or Mid of Brazil? Or the area of Amazon? So when I talk about "brazilian dish" I mean South-east of Brazil, naming Sao Paulo state which doesn`t mean that those dishes are not well known in other areas but maybe in different combination or flavour.

Brazilian cuisine has European, African and Amerindian influences. It varies greatly by regions reflecting the country`s mix of native and immigrant populations before and after colonization. For instance, the culinary in the North is heavily influenced by a mix of African, Indigenous and Portuguese cuisines. In the Northern states, due to the abundance of forest and freshwater rivers, fish and cassava are staple foods.
In Southern Brazil, due to the long tradition in livestock production and the heavy German immigration, the red meat is the basis of the local cuisine and churrasco, a kind of barbecue, is a local tradition.

Ingredients first used by native peoples in Brazil include cassava, guarana, acai, cumaru and tacaca. From there, the many waves of immigrants brought some of their typical dishes, replacing missing ingredients with local equivalents. For instance, the European immigrants (primarily from Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland and Switzerland) were accustomed to a wheat-based diet, and introduced wine, leaf vegetables, and dairy products into Brazilian cuisine.

Root vegetables such as cassava (locally known as mandioca, aipim or macaxeira, among other names), yams, and fruit like acai, cupuacu, mango, papaya, guava, orange, passion fruit, pineapple are among the local ingredients used in cooking.

Regarding spices, for me coriander and cumin are the main characters of some dishes and salads because they are not really part of Hungarian cuisine so these two mean "typical taste" for me in Brazil.   

I love buffet style restaurants where I can just pick the dish I like and can try variable meals depending on my mood on that day. A typical buffet style brazilian usually includes the following:

feijoada (stew of beans with beef and pork)
rice
pastel or pasteis (rectangle-shaped thin crust pies with assorted fillings)
coxina (Brazilian chicken croquette)
french fries
fried sweet potato
fried banana
Brazilian-style collard greens
salads with vinegar or mayonnaise
roasted chicken or pork meat
farofa (toasted manioc flour mixture) with bacon
lasagne
spaghetti bolognese
pao de queijo (cheese bread)
cracklings
palmito (palm heart)

Virado a paulista:
It is a typical Brazilian dish from Sao Paulo, which is a combination of many dishes listed above served on a single plate.  It was given its name, “virado”, because it literally used to be the leftover foods all combined together.

In addition to above barbeque is very popular in Brazi, "Rodizio" is an "all-you-can-eat" style stakehouse restaurants, where various kinds of quality cuts of meat, most commonly local cuts of beef, pork, chicken are offered and salad bar is also available for side dish. While not as popular, there are other rodízio style restaurants in Brazil, such as ones serving pasta or pizza, where various pizzas and pastas are brought on trays. Rodízio style sushi restaurants are also common in Brazil.

Regarding sea food, I tried cooked crabs with tomato and scampi with lime, sunshine and beach...:-))

Sweets: when it comes to sweet in Brazil, you mean REALLY sweet...puddings and cakes (bolos) are very popular in Brazil flavoured with mango, passion fruit, strawberry or chocolate.
Brigadeiro is a Brazilian chocolate ball candy, beijinho is a coconut truffles.

Beverages: I love caipirinha, mainly if it`s really cold. My other favourite is Mojito, I know it`s not Brazilian but I what can I do, I am a big fan of tequila :-) 

Feijoada

Buffet and salad bar

Pasteis e Pao de queijo

Virado a Paulista

Rodizio steak / pizza / sushi

Puddings

Sea food

Brigadeiro and Beijinos

Mindekozben ott es itt...Meanwhile there and here

Eclezio immaron 1 honapja van kint es intezi a dolgait...tul sok mindent mondjuk nem kell neki intezni, csak foleg a munkakeresesre koncentralni, de azert akad par dolog. Peldaul vett egy hasznalt motort, hogy tudjon kozlekedni, es a jogositvanyat is meghosszabbittatta. A lakassal kapcsolatos ugyintezes sem megy olyan gyorsan, a bank es az ingatlanugynok kozott szambazik (csak hogy stilusos legyek) hetente legalabb egyszer.

Allasinterjuja is volt, Sao Pauloban, a Vila Mariana keruletben, ami nagyon szep kornyeknek nez ki. Az interjura fel oraval a kiirt idopont elott ert oda – vesztere, mivel innentol meg kabe 2 orat kellett varnia mire behivtak. Raadasul kiderult, hogy csak ugynokseghez jott interjuzni, es konkret allasra egyelore nem palyaztatjak. Igy  sajnos ezuttal nem jart szerencsevel, az allasvadaszat tovabb folytatodik.

Kozben apolja barati kapcsolatait is, foleg hetvegenkent, mivel hetkozben ugye mindenki dolgozik. A szulei hazaban nagy a forgalom, oda naponta tobb ember beugrik beszelgetni es Eclezio batyjai is majdnem minden nap beneznek. Estenkent mikor atjonnek, akkor szoktunk Skype-olni, igy Caio tud beszelgetni az unokatesoival is, akiket nagyon szeret. Mel 10 eves, Lydia pedig 8, igy meg pont abban a korban vannak, hogy pont elszorakoztatjak egymast.

Eclezio kozben olvadozik is, az atlaghomerseklet olyan 33 fok napkozben, es mikor nagyon felkuszik a homero (peldaul 37 fokra) az jo kis zivatarokat tud produkalni, akar naponta tobbszor is. Ilyenkor a paratartalom is kabe 200%, ugyhogy ez szinten lelassitja nemileg az ugyintezes tempojat. Tovabba kuzd a szunyogokkal (meg szerintem homoklegyekkel), a laba teli van csipesekkel (most meg jobban orulok, hogy megvettem a szunyoghalos satrat) amire allergia elleni gyogyszert szed, mert tobb csipes is megdagadt a laban. Jesszus.

A heten lejutott viszont a tengerpartra, igaz egyedul, mert hetkoznap ment es jo par orat elvezte a napsutest, edzett egy kicsit a parton, olvasgatott meg beszelgetett a helyi tengerparti arussal. Gyonyoru ido volt aznap, ez a kepeken is latszik.

Jelentkezett tovabba port agent (kikotoi, vagy hajozasi ugynok) tanfolyamra Santos-ban, hogy ezzel is novelje az eselyet, hogy a kikotoben talaljon munkat. 

En itt Londonban hetvegenkent programot szervezek Caionak. Jatszohaz, bowling, mozi (Shaun a barany) a jovo heten pedig jon az egyik baratnom latogatoba hozzank par napra. A masik baratnom, Marti, o most szinten Braziliaban van, igaz, csak 3 hetre mentek nyaralni es csaladot latogatni. Ot is varom vissza, es nagyon kivancsi vagyok hogyan ereztek magukat, mert ez volt az elso utuk oda gyerekkel.    

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Eclezio has been to Brazil for a month now and keeps arranging his things - not much to say though, the main focus is on job search at the moment. He sends his CVs to big companies in Sao Paulo and mid-sizes ones (mainly at the port) in Santos every day.

So far he had only one interview but it turned out the company was actually an agency and no concrete job was offered - waste of time. What`s more, the interview was in Sao Paulo and Eclezio had to wait 2 hours for the start, by whcih time he got really hungry and annoyed. It was not his lucky day, sorry to say, so job hunting carries on.

He also bought a motorbike to make himself mobile and renewed his driving licence. Flat related arrangements doesn`t go fast and he is between the property agency and the bank - well, bureaucracy is not easy anywhere.

We seemed to finally choose the district in Santos where we want to live so he needs to arrange appointments with local primary schools and talk with the head teachers before we make our decision which school will be picked.

He sees his friends and his brothers frequently, mainly on the weekends, but his parents` house is really busy, a kind of centre point of meetings so there are always a lot of people around to chat with.

We usually talk on Skype in the evening (here is evening, there is afternoon, the time difference is 3 hours now) and when his brothers are there with their kids, Caio can also chat with his cousins. Mel is 10 years old, Lydia is 8 and they still can enjoy each others company.

Hot there is, the average temperature is 33 degrees during the day which usually ends up in a heavy thunderstorm - sometimes more times a day. Not only the hot but fighting with mosquitoes are also a challenge, Eclezio constantly has many bites on his legs (I am more than happy that I bought the mosquito net tent!!!)
He had chance to go to the beach finally and apart from swimming he did some exercise. The other day he met with his friend and they went surfing - Eclezio said it was easier than he expected, well, because he can balance pretty well...

Next week - in order to raise his chances to find a job - he starts a port agent course in Santos, so he will be busy in the mornings for sure.  

Meanwhile in London I try to organize nice programmes to Caio for the weekends. So far we went to soft-play, played bowling and went to cinema to watch Shaun the Sheep movie. Next week my friend is visiting us from Hungary - I cannot wait to see her. Hope, the weather will be kind to us and it won`t rain.

Santos ovaros kozpont / Santos old town centre

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKVC0lSLFOI 

Fiiiinom pastel palmaszivvel toltve / Yummy pastel filled with palm heart 

Tengerparti edzopont / Gym spot at the beach

Egy obol / A bay

Zivatar - elotte es kozben / Thunderstorm - before and during

Ez itt meg mar London / This is still London

A honap zeneje es filmje...Music and movie of the month

Az elozo honaphoz hasonloan megint forro, es ha forro, akkor Luiz Gonzaga, a "baião" kiralya, amely stilusbol a forro is ered.

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Same as last month, forro again, this time from Luiz Gonzaga, the king of "baião" which is a Northeast Brazilian rhythmic formula that became the basis of a wide range of music, for example forro.

O xote das meninas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT8y4brLke0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBUFxvRP1c0
O grande encontro - Sabia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqAQ9dihJqw

Film: Cidade Baixa (Lower City) - 2005

Nagy kedvencem, vagyis kedvenceim, Wagner Moure, Lazaro Ramos es Alice Braga jatszanak ebben a filmdramaban, ami a ket fiu kozotti addig eltephetetlennek tuno baratsag megroppanasarol szol amikor feltunik a szinen Karinna, a sztriptiztancosno, es akibe mind a ket fiu beleszeret.

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One of my big favourites in Brazilian movies: Wagner Moura, Lazaro Ramos and Alice Braga. A story about lifelong friends Deco and Naldinho who own a small steaming boat in Bahia, meet strip-dancer Karinna. Both men fall for her and their friendship is deeply shattered,

Mindent Braziliarol - hogyan juthatunk el oda Europabol...All about Brazil - how to get there from Europe...

Valamelyik nap az egyik kolleganommel jottem haza a vonaton es Braziliara, azon belul is az etelekre, szokasokra, az utazasra es az orszag jellemzoire volt kivancsi es ez adta az otletet ahhoz, hogy egy kicsit errol is irjak – eddigi tapasztalataim alapjan. Ime tehat, ebben a posztban az utazasrol lesz szo.

Eloszor is, penztarcatol fuggoen el lehet donteni, hogy az ember a dragabb kozvetlen jaratokat valasztja, vagy az olcsobb, tobb atszallassal valo repulest. Mi idaig csak egy atszallast vallaltunk be Sao Paulo fele, de akadnak olyanok is, akik ennel tobb atszallassal oldjak meg, hogy igy is csokkentsek a koltsegeket. Ez persze fugg attol is, hogy egyedul vagy gyerek(ek)kel utazik az illeto.

A jegyeket le lehet foglalni a legitarsasag honlapjan is, de nekem az a tapasztalatom, hogy erdemes ugynokseget megbizni ezzel, mivel ok tobbszor tudnak akcios jegyeket kinalni, ha nem kotott a repules idopontja. (tudom ajanlani peldaul a Bravo Travel-t Londonban, ok tenyleg nagyon udvariasak es mindig vannak akcios jegyeik, ha az ember nem az utolso pillanatban akar foglalni)

Aztan erdemes azt is szamba venni, hogy ha csatlakozassal repulunk, akkor melyik repter az, ami meretben es tomegben jobban megfelel az elkepzeleseinknek. Peldaul a legtobben (en is) kicsit feszult vagyok utazaskor, igy egy olyan bazi nagy repter mint a parizsi Charles de Gaulle vagy az amszterdami Schipol nem igazan nekem valo, arrol nem is beszelve, hogy ha a gyerek is utazik, akkor a 20-30 perces gyaloglas az egyik terminalbol a masikba nem olyan erdekes, de megint: ha valaki egyedul vagy parban utazik, es van ideje ket csatlakozas kozott, akkor kulon jol johet egy jo hosszu seta, egy kis shoppingolassal egybekotve.

Eddigi tapasztalatom alapjan megemlitenem az repulogep szemelyzetet is, ez persze szubjektiv, de minden legitarsasaghoz mas elmenyek kotodtek idaig.

Tehat, az alabbiak mind londoni felszallassal ertendok es a csatlakozas varosonkent: 

Iberia - Madridon keresztul: A repter merete elfogadhato, bar ettol van kisebb is. Amikor ezzel utaztunk, volt idonk boven a kovetkezo jaratig, igy elkolbaszoltunk a repteren par orat.

Viszont amiert nem a spanyolokat fogom valasztani ezentul, az a szemelyzet a repulon. Szerintem kicsit durvak es udvariatlanok, en szemely szerint nem ereztem jol magam veluk. Es az ulesek is tul kozel voltak egymashoz.

Air France - Parizson keresztul: Innen mar gyerekkel utaztunk, es sajnos azt kell mondjam, a repter merete es a tomeg eleg riaszto, igy azutan, ha lehetett, nem ezt a legitarsasagot valasztottuk (raadasul 2009 ota az Air France egy rossz omen lett sok brazil szamara, tudom, nem kellene, de ez van...). A szemelyzet amugy nagyon kedves volt.

KLM - Amszterdamon keresztul: Kabe ugyanaz mint Parizs, nagyon nagy repter, sok-sok gyaloglas a terminalok kozott, igy ha lehetett utana mar kisebb repteret valasztottunk. A szemelyzet itt is kedves volt.

Swiss Air - Zurichen keresztul: Top 1. Mind tavolsagban, mind a repter merete, mind a szemelyzet. Az egyik legnyugisabb atszallasunk itt volt, nagyon nyugodt es kicsit ures volt a terminal, de ez nalam pozitiv. Ja, es arban a Swiss Air mindig alatta van a tobbi legitarsasagnak.

Tap Portugal - Lisszabonon keresztul: Top 2. Hasonlo a zurichi-hez, nagyon nyugodt repter, kedves szemelyzet, ha meg utaznek, vagy veluk, vagy a Swiss. Es a szemlyzet persze portugalul beszel :-)

Alitalia - Roman keresztul: Ez Eclezio tapasztalata, nem az enyem, de kabe az volt a jellemzo ra, mint az Iberia-ra. Szuk ulesek, udvariatlan szemelyzet. O sem akart tobbet az olaszokkal utazni. 

TAM (Brazilian Airlines) - kozvetlen jarat Londonbol: Eleve, hogy kozvetlen jarat, igy a repter adott (Heathrow). Remelem jo lesz, ez az elso kozvetlen jarat amivel utazom, Eclezio meg volt elegedve veluk. Persze kozos nyelv, meg minden...:-)

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The other day when I was travelling home with my colleague on the train, we started to talk about Brazil and she raised so many questions regarding how to get to Brazil, what about cuisine, customs and prices that it gave me the idea to write some posts about these subjects as well - strictly based on my own experience.

So, in this post I am writing about travelling to Brazil from Europe (or more precisely, from London) and my opininion about the airports, flights and assistance on the board.

First of all, maybe needles to say, picking up the flight is mainly based on the one`s budget, whether it is going to be a direct flight or a flight with one (or more) connections. So far we chose flights with one connection only however I know people who changed flights more than once just to save on costs. It also counts if we travel with or without child(ren).

Tickets can be booked directly on the flight company`s website, however good deals can be easier reached through travel agencies. They always have good promotions, mainly if the date of travelling is flexible and if it is not a last minute booking (although never know).

I am personally very satisfied with Bravo Travel in London, those guys are really supportive and saved us a wad of cash on booking.

It is my personal experience but I think I need to mention the size and crowdedness of the airports: it is because most of the people are a bit stressed during travelling (at least me) and it does count how much you have to walk between the terminals mainly if you travel with child. For example Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris or Schipol in Amsterdam are definitely not my cup of tea considering the 20-30min walking between the check-ins and the gates. Of course it also depends on circumstances, whether you have enough time between two connections or you want shopping or not etc...I prefer calm environment before taking an 11 hours flight.

I would also mention the crew on board - it is really subjective but I have different memories with each flight.

So! Let`s see now the flight companies, departing from London via following cities:

Iberia - through Madrid: Overall negative. Size of the airport is okay, not very small however at that time we had plenty of time until the next flight so we were wandering all over the airport and did some shopping. I found the crew on board a bit rude and impolite so it was enough experience for good. Seats were quite tight as well, I have to say.

Air France - through Paris: We travelled from here with a child so no way that I would cross this airport again while Caio is under 14. Airport is enormous, distance between check-in and gates is at least 40min walk, hence if there are other options, I would choose that ones. 

Cabin crew was really kind and polite by the way.

KLM - through Amsterdam. Kind of same as Paris, the airport is huge so lots of walking. Since there are other flight companies that depart from a smaller airport, I fly with them. Cabin crew was kind as well.

Swiss Air - through Zurich: My Top1! Airport is okay, very calm and relaxing, the best departure so far. Cabin staff were really elegant and polite, I liked flying with Swiss. Also, at that time ticket prices by Swiss were always below of the competitors. 

Tap Portugal - through Lisboa: My Top2! Just like in Zurich, the airport was not very crowded and it was pretty easy to change flight. Crew on board were kind and obviously spoke in Portuguese:-) Good size of seats (ahhh, still not business class though!) and the meal was good as well.

Alitalia: I have never flown with them, but Eclezio. Similar to Iberia, he said, he would prefer to avoid this company going forward. Impolite crew, very very tight seats and bad atmosphere. Nope.

TAM (Brazilian Airline): the first direct flight on the list! and such, the airport is Heathrow. This is gonna be the fist time I fly with direct flight and I am very excited about it. Eclezio was satisfied with them, good seats, good meal and good chat - of course, they are Brazilian!! :-)

That`s all folks. The ball is on your side now.