Love and music

The last post was about food, so now it’s time for music. These are definitely my two passions ;)

And talking about passion, I never told you how me and my BF met. It was over three years ago, at another musician’s rehearsal at a London studio. He was there, tucked into the corner of a dilapidated sofa, quietly strumming his 7-string guitar. When we first started talking, he thought I was Portuguese. I wished he’d thought I was Brazilian but there was no way this paulistano* was going to take my attempted carioquês** for truly native… Oh well. It didn’t stop us from deciding to rehearse together with the view to maybe performing at some point. And believe it or not, it took us three months to take it to another level, although I still sometimes wonder whether this whole guitar trick wasn’t meant to seduce me in the first place. Bottom of the line is: it did, both romantically and musically; the latter is what I want to talk about.

A few guests appearances here and there, a number of intimate shows during our stay in Brazil, a performance in Prague… Little by little we were gaining ground. Winning London over is another kettle of fish, so we’ve been working really hard for the past year or so and finally it seems that all this effort is beginning to pay off. We’ve played at a few private events, wine tasting sessions, somewhere in Soho (but the place does not deserve attention so I won’t mention the name), and we are now getting regular gigs. Phew.

We decided to call our duo Polka Nova, which is a play on me being Polish and our main music style – bossa nova, as you might have figured out, served as the main course. We mix it with generous amounts of samba, lightly seasoned with some zesty jazz. See, I can’t even talk about music without thinking of food! It’s mostly covers of timeless classics and traditional songs that resonate with many Brazilians and non-Brazilians alike. But let me stop this babbling and let you get a taste (!) of our music on your own:

If you like it, then the next stop is to visit our facebook page and let us know by clicking the ‘like’ button. I will love you for this eternally. www.facebook.com/PolkaNovaLondon

And if you get so excited as to want to follow us on Twitter as well, we are here:

https://twitter.com/PolkaNovaLondon

Ok, done with this advertising!

* paulistano is someone who lives in the city of São Paulo, as opposed to the state of São Paulo; then it’s paulista

**accent from Rio de Janeiro 

Food, glorious food

So, I’ve been here for nearly a month now and only three posts. Some people, including my mum, have already told me off! But I’ve been busy... Sunbathing, resting, watching films, playing music, going to restaurants. OK, OK, I’ll stop teasing you. I’ve been gaining weight as well, if that’s going to make you feel any better. One of the reasons is that the food in Brazil is veeeery good. It’s not just the variety of dishes from all over the world (rumour has it that they make better pizzas here than in Italy, but I’ve yet to confirm that), it’s the quality. I don’t have to tell you how fresh and sweet the fruits are here as you would have guessed. Bananas ripen in front of your eyes, mangoes lure you with their sweet’n’sour smell, pomegranates flash their deep-red insides as you stroll in your (or your boyfriend’s grandmother’s) garden. The other day I tried a fresh guava (goiaba), for the first time in my life, and was surprised to discover how creamy it is. Sensational.

Fruits aside, the real deal is the meat. And I don’t mean your everyday chicken, as they don’t even include it in the meat category here, I mean beef. Brazilian and Argentinian beef is known worldwide for its quality which it owes to the way the cows are bred. First of all, milking cows and beef-giving cows are treated as two different species, unlike in some European countries, and the ones used for meet are raised free-range. I’m not sure if they are happy cows, but since they graze on the country’s flat pastures, they do not develop strong muscles they would otherwise if they grazed on the hills. This was the explanation I got for the meat’s delicate texture and special flavour. They should send the English cattle breeders here to teach them a lesson. And let the Poles copy.

Anyway, one of the traditional beef dishes served in restaurants is milanesa (bife à milanesa), which is basically meat fried in breadcrumbs, accompanied by (also fried) bacon, pineapple, banana, some green veggies (in the version below it’s broccoli), as well as chips and rice. Looks heavy, but it’s absolutely delicious.

Now just so that you don’t get the wrong impression – this was a serving for two...

The meal - courtesy of my boyfriend ;) @ Sujinho, Rua Consolação, São Paulo.

Intro

The hardest thing is to start. It’s taken me over two weeks! But here I am, in Brazil, as if you hadn’t already guessed, making my dream come true. This is not the first time I’ve come here. Earlier this year I landed in Rio de Janeiro, thrilled by the perspective of experiencing all the samba, the sun and the beaches I had longed for. It was my first month in Brazil and I knew it wouldn’t be enough.

Thanks to a very fortunate twist in my life, on November 22^nd I set foot here again and this time for a lot longer; nearly four months! You may wonder how I managed to do it. Well, I quit my job, ditched my flat (and my lovely flatmate), packed my bags and took the plane. Simple. I’ve got some savings and plan to play the rest by ear. Sounds crazy? Nice to meet you. My name is Syl (a big hello to those who know me). And in this blog I will be describing the most interesting aspects of my trip.

I’m going to spend most of my time in São Paulo. It may not be the most beautiful place in Brazil, with an infinity of tall, mostly ugly buildings, separated by a web of roads and strings of cars, but let’s not judge the book by its cover. São Paulo is famous for its cultural life – museums, clubs, samba nights, as well as gastronomy, supposedly better than in the most cosmopolitan city I know – London.  So, due to my personal inclinations, expect a lot of observations about music and... food. Ready?