Rio has many eating establishments that offer a variety of atmospheres where you are sure to develop a taste for many new culinary delights. At the seafood restaurants which are located near the shore, you can eat just about every form of sea life from shrimp, crab, and octopus, to squid and shark. Casquinha de siri [kah ‘skee nyah gee see ‘rree] (crab on a half shell) is a good appetizer. Try it. A true Carioca will ask the waiter first, though, as to the crab’s origins, then disregard his answer, order another caipirinha, and enjoy!
The churrascaria rodízio
A favorite among the meat-loving Cariocas, these round robin steak houses offer you the unique opportunity of eating all the meat you can stuff inside yourself for one set price. It’s traditional not to eat for the entire day, and then go to a rodízio and gorge. A word of caution: Waiters make their rounds with lightning speed, and before you can say «lingüiça» [leen ‘gwee suh] (sausage), the waiter will be offering you another cut of beef.
To avoid indigestion, it is recommended that you cover your plate with your hand until you are ready for that next sliver of meat. Although there does exist the danger of being stabbed in the hand when doing this, it is the only way to inform these speedy waiters that you need a chance to get caught up before the next round. A churrascaria rodízio [shoo ‘hah skah ‘rree yah ho ‘gee zee yoo] is not recommended for vegetarians, dieters, or long-winded conversationalists.
The cafezinho
Cariocas run on caffeine. To enjoy a cafezinho [kah feh ‘zee nyoo] (expresso) Carioca style, place a minimum of two heaping tablespoons of sugar in a tiny cup, pour thick black coffee over it, stir it into a paste, and down it in two sips. Consumed on an hourly basis at the local boteco, at the office, or after a meal, drinking a cafezinho is the Carioca ritual.
There are certain occasions throughout the Carioca’s day when pausing for a cafezinho is imperative. The following are just a few:
• when bumping into a friend on the street
• after lunch and after dinner
• when taking a few minutes off work
• when passing a place where good ones are served
• after drinking and before driving
• when checking out of a motel
Barzinhos
Another option when looking for atmosphere, these are those cool little stand-up bars you’ll find all around town. Similar to botecos and botequins, a barzinho will often have a few tables close to the bar or on the sidewalk. The larger barzinhos have substantial menus, but even though they may be lengthy, even a real Carioca will limit his order to batata frita (french fries), aipim frito (fried manioc root), and bolinhas de bacalhau (rolled codfish balls). Barzinhos are great spots to stop at when taking your date for a caipirinha or a quick Guaraná [gwah rrah ‘nah], the Brazilian soft drink. By the way, made from the powder of an Amazonian nut, Guaraná is rumored to be an aphrodisiac. Hmmm…
Waiters
While dining out Carioca style, don’t expect the waiters to be perfect specimens of etiquette. They may stack the plates like the Tower of Babel, but they do have good intentions.
No cute outfits with striped hats and bar aprons here. Always fully dressed in a long sleeve shirt, white jacket, and black bow tie, even when the temperature soars to 42 °C (107°F), it is no wonder the Carioca waiter occasionally gets out of sorts.
If you are fortunate enough to find a good waiter in a restaurant you like, be sure to ask his name. That way you’ll be guaranteed a few saideiras [sahee ‘day rrahs] (drinks served on the house while waiting for the bill).
Menus
Carioca menus tend to be lengthy, often four to six pages long, and due to fluctuating costs, the prices are either handwritten in pencil or typed on strips of paper, which are then pasted over the previous prices. The beauty of the Carioca restaurant is that, regardless of the menu, you can usually have any dish you want, prepared in whichever manner tickles your fancy, accompanied by whatever is available in the kitchen.
No matter how hard the Carioca waiter tries to please you, though, there are certain dishes you won’t find on any Carioca menu (unless, perhaps, you check into a five star hotel). For example:
• tuna on white
• macaroni and cheese
• lemon chiffon pie
• cottage cheese with peaches
• root beer
• two eggs, over easy, with hash browns
• bologna on rye
• Reuben sandwich
• blueberry cheese cake
• Thousand Island dressing
• decaffeinated coffee
• buckwheat pancakes with your choice of syrup
In compensation, though, you might discover some other exotic dishes on the bilingual menus, which you’ll find in the finer food establishments, conveniently available for their English speaking patrons.
Frango Alemão (Chicken at Germany Mood)
Filet ao Molho Madeira (Steak with Wooden Sauce)
Arroz à Grega (Grease Rice)
Filet à Cavalo (Steak Riding a Horse)
Frango com Purê de Batata (Chicken with Smashed Potatoes)
Pickles (Olivers)
What you will find in a carioca restaurant
Purple phosphorescent fl у zappers.
A sink in the back of the dining area with an accordion stack of coarse paper towels for drying hands.
Small wooden, hard-back chairs with one leg inevitably shorter than the others.
Creative, plastic-covered bilingual menus at least six pages long. Rest rooms with the initial «S» on both doors, accompanied by a subtle, indecipherable drawing.
Well-meaning waiters who seem to have inherited their white jackets from slimmer predecessors.
Well-used, two-sided tablecloths, sometimes accompanied by a plastic or paper covering.
Tables with matchboxes under one leg to balance them.
An occasional cockroach.
Forks with bent prongs.
What you won’t find in a carioca restaurant
Cloth place mats.
Waitresses wearing white dresses and aprons saying, «Have a nice day.»
Waiters who identify themselves by saying, «Hi, I’m Brian, and I will be your server today.»
Waiters informing you of the «Catch of the Day.»
Fresh baked pies and gelatin desserts displayed in glass cases. Bills inscribed with «Please pay at register.»