Cowboys, BBQ, & State Pride

Mark and I like to say that we live in the Texas of Brazil. We believe this more after spending a September in Rio Grande do Sul.

1. Cowboys

During the first week of September, Porto Alegre hosted ExpoInter - the largest County Fair in South America. Since it's so close by, we decided we should check it out! We took the metro down with Phil, Rachel, and ElliAnna and Carter.  (That was a fun experience in and of itself!).

Once we got to ExpoInter, we were met with all sorts of (smelly) animals. I was quickly reminded that I grew up in a city, far away from any kind of farm life!

There were thousands of sheep, cows, bulls, chickens, roosters, birds, rabbits, sheep dogs, horses, tractors (are you getting the picture??). It was really different!

We got to see lots of prize-winning animals, watch a bit of an unbroken-horse-riding competition, see a couple of sheep dogs do some tricks, smell all sorts of good BBQ, watch a tractor demonstration, and see lots of gauchos (Brazilian cowboys) dressed up in their traditional garb.

2. BBQ

Brazilians in the south eat a LOT of meat. Whenever there is a gathering, they plan for almost 2 pounds of meat per person (in the US, we usually estimate 1/2 pound!). Many families spend Sunday together having a BBQ as well. (Though, this picture is from the Acampamento discussed below).

3. State Pride

Anywhere we go in Rio Grande do Sul, we see their state flag flying just as high and as proud as the country flag. This picture above is from ExpoInter.

The 7th of September is Brazil's Independence Day. We learned that our town was having a small parade to celebrate and we thought it would be fun to check it out. We made our way to Centro ("downtown") and watched just a small portion of each school walk down main street.

Starting with the young kids (day-care age), each school has a banner and their own prince and princess. Their banner celebrates their school and something interesting about our city. I didn't notice any particular celebration about Brazil as a whole. This, is very different than how we celebrate Independence Day in the US!

While we were surprised with how quietly the 7th was celebrated, we were even more surprised with how abundantly the 20th was celebrated! From what we can understand, the 20th of September is a celebration of Rio Grande do Sul's (defeat in the) civil war they had when they tried to leave Brazil.

Families and members of the Gaucho Cultural Center in Sapiranga spent almost 2 weeks (called Acampamento Farroupilha) eating their meals and enjoying the afternoons and evenings in piquetes - a kind of house made only from wood, like a log cabin.  From one of the articles I read, there were over 70 of these little homes built in our town's big park this year! They are really proud of their heritage.


So, there you have it: My brief observations of our new state and how it compares to a (Californian) perspective on Texas.  :)