Brazil, South America
Special Report
In São Paulo, Brazilian Cuisine Is Back on the Table
By SETH KUGEL for The New York Times
HERE’S a novel idea: When in São Paulo, eat Brazilian food.
Well, perhaps not so novel for gastronomes who travel to Milan for osso buco, the French Riviera for bouillabaisse or the Yucatán for cochinita pibil. But for the Brazilian business capital’s restaurant-crazy natives — who can’t stop raving about the Italian bistro Due Cuochi Cucina and are quite sure Aizomê serves the best sashimi outside of Japan — that may be an odd concept.
The abundant praise for São Paulo’s dining scene has historically focused on its global range. Brazilian food, meanwhile, is what you eat at home or in rural roadside pit stops or at restaurants serving dirt-cheap, starch-heavy lunch specials known as "pratos feitos" (literally, "made plates").
But the idea that Brazilian cuisine can hold its own is slowly taking hold in São Paulo, thanks to a new generation of chefs looking outward for technique but inward for ingredients and tradition. Attuned to the necessities of presentation by their (mostly) European training and conscious that the heaviness of traditional Brazilian dishes will never pass muster with the gym-going elite, they have created a movement that has given their own nation a new sense of pride in its culinary heritage. >>> Go to Full Story >>>
Featured Story
By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO for The New York Times
Amid Floods, Brazilian Town Wades On
Sitting in a metal chair on the flat roof of his one-story home, Genésio Alves de Souza looked across his flooded street and wondered when he would be able to resume his life as a bar owner.
That all depends, of course, on when the water level, which has reached nearly to the rooftops after the worst flooding here in more than two decades, finally reveals the pavement of this humble northeastern town, he said.
It has been more than a month since torrential downpours overflowed the banks of the lakes that surround 40 percent of the town and the river that runs around it, forcing 11,000 out of 18,400 residents from their homes. As emergency supplies trickle in, residents like Mr. de Souza can only wait patiently for the floodwaters to recede. The flooding has transformed this town of red-roofed buildings into an aquatic city where transportation is possible only by boat — or by swimming. >>> Go to Full Story >>>
Brazil Real Estate
Risky Business: An Entrepreneur's Perspective on the Brazilian Housing Market
Rafael became an entrepreneur when he moved to Brazil about a year ago to work in the country's nascent housing market. Before that, he was a successful portfolio manager at a hedge fund in London where he had been saving his bonuses and waiting for the right moment to strike out on his own.
Rafael indentified an opportunity in the Brazilian real estate market, since all market drivers had forecasted a boom in this industry. The economy was growing at a 5.4% rate -- thanks to its soaring agriculture, energy and agricultural industries -- and was further aided by an escalation in the prices of commodities. Inflation finally seemed to be under control: It had decreased from 19.75% in 2003 to 13% in 2006, the government had been able to absolve most of its foreign debt, and the Brazilian real had appreciated more than 20%.
Brazil was also seeing very positive changes in demographics and income trends, especially in the middle class sector. Under Lula's populist government, redistributive initiatives such as Bolsa Familia helped fuel the growth of Brazil's middle class as the average income of Brazil's poor went up 9% between 2001 and 2006. For the first time in history, the middle class now makes up more than half of the population. Indeed, it has grown from 44% to 52% over the last six years. >>> Go to Full Story >>>