Our training time on Saturdays has changed. Therefore, I have an opportunity to have breakfast in the morning at my usual spot, Zona Sul. During the week, the breakfast crowd is not as large so you do not have to hunt for a spot at someone else’s table. On Saturdays, it can be pretty tight. To try and get a leg up, I simply close my eyes before I look over to the dining area. I visualize lots of empty tables and then I head back to the bakery to select my two French rolls that I will eat. These rolls are located in huge covered baskets at the back of the grocery store. The bakers dump them into the baskets right out of the oven so they are always hot!
Once I get my two rolls, I put them on the scale to weigh them and I head to the breakfast bar to select my 4 slices of turkey meat and one slice of banana nut bread. The banana nut bread is hands down some of the best banana nut bread that I have ever had. It is soft and moist, but with a twist. It has a few chocolate chips on top!
My visualization worked because I was able to sit at a table by myself. I figured that it would not last long because the breakfast line was entirely two long.
I never mind sharing a table with people. I realize it is just part of normal course in Rio. There are a lot of people and not as many tables at these establishments. My only apprehension is that I don’t want to out myself on being a foreigner, and it happens when the table guest wants to make a comment or ask a question. I will admit I am pretty good at faking agreement and understanding; but then sometimes a person will ask a question and, I look like a deer caught in headlights.
Well, two ladies ask me if they could sit down. I nod in agreement. Both of the ladies could be considered elderly. The older of the two sits down and immediately starts chattering. I tried to catch the words, but she was going too fast. Before I knew it, she was reaching into a folder to hand me a pamphlet on bereavement. I didn’t mind the pamphlet but I knew it foreshadowed that there was more conversation to come. As the lady continued talking, her companion kept going to the bar to gather the items for their breakfast. The companion delivers a plate of cheese, two small slices of bread and coffee to the lady who was talking to me.
The lady stops her conversation with me to thank her companion for bringing her food. She places the cheese between the bread, and then she reaches over to my plate to grab my knife to cut her sandwich in half.
I was stunned. The lady didn’t ask. She just took my knife that I had placed on the edge of my plate and used it.
For the record, I am generous and I will share with others. However, I had used this knife (to slice my French rolls). More importantly, I was not finish using it! I have a ritual that I do with my banana bread so I can savor every bite of it. I take my knife and I slice the bread horizontally three times and vertically 4 to 5 times. Then I eat each individual square. If the lady wanted me to get her a knife, I would have done it in a heartbeat. I know the word for knife it is “a faca.”
The lady tries to put the knife back on my plate, but I politely motion for her to keep it. I didn’t want a knife back that had been used to cut cheese (for those of you who don’t know—I am not a fan of cheese—unless on pizza) and that has been used by a total stranger.
The other lady finally returns to the table with her breakfast and silverware for them both but the lady tells her that she just went ahead and used mine. There was another 15 minutes of witnessing and pamphlets before the two ladies left my table. At that point, I was thinking that I was fortunate that the lady only swiped my knife because had she swiped a piece of that banana nut bread….
I read a Brazilian customs and traditions book before I came to Rio. It did not mention any rules regarding the public domain and use of knives by elderly ladies. Perhaps, it is Rule 214. If anyone has any insight into why this lady felt comfortable snagging my knife, please comment.
Once I get my two rolls, I put them on the scale to weigh them and I head to the breakfast bar to select my 4 slices of turkey meat and one slice of banana nut bread. The banana nut bread is hands down some of the best banana nut bread that I have ever had. It is soft and moist, but with a twist. It has a few chocolate chips on top!
My visualization worked because I was able to sit at a table by myself. I figured that it would not last long because the breakfast line was entirely two long.
I never mind sharing a table with people. I realize it is just part of normal course in Rio. There are a lot of people and not as many tables at these establishments. My only apprehension is that I don’t want to out myself on being a foreigner, and it happens when the table guest wants to make a comment or ask a question. I will admit I am pretty good at faking agreement and understanding; but then sometimes a person will ask a question and, I look like a deer caught in headlights.
Well, two ladies ask me if they could sit down. I nod in agreement. Both of the ladies could be considered elderly. The older of the two sits down and immediately starts chattering. I tried to catch the words, but she was going too fast. Before I knew it, she was reaching into a folder to hand me a pamphlet on bereavement. I didn’t mind the pamphlet but I knew it foreshadowed that there was more conversation to come. As the lady continued talking, her companion kept going to the bar to gather the items for their breakfast. The companion delivers a plate of cheese, two small slices of bread and coffee to the lady who was talking to me.
The lady stops her conversation with me to thank her companion for bringing her food. She places the cheese between the bread, and then she reaches over to my plate to grab my knife to cut her sandwich in half.
I was stunned. The lady didn’t ask. She just took my knife that I had placed on the edge of my plate and used it.
For the record, I am generous and I will share with others. However, I had used this knife (to slice my French rolls). More importantly, I was not finish using it! I have a ritual that I do with my banana bread so I can savor every bite of it. I take my knife and I slice the bread horizontally three times and vertically 4 to 5 times. Then I eat each individual square. If the lady wanted me to get her a knife, I would have done it in a heartbeat. I know the word for knife it is “a faca.”
The lady tries to put the knife back on my plate, but I politely motion for her to keep it. I didn’t want a knife back that had been used to cut cheese (for those of you who don’t know—I am not a fan of cheese—unless on pizza) and that has been used by a total stranger.
The other lady finally returns to the table with her breakfast and silverware for them both but the lady tells her that she just went ahead and used mine. There was another 15 minutes of witnessing and pamphlets before the two ladies left my table. At that point, I was thinking that I was fortunate that the lady only swiped my knife because had she swiped a piece of that banana nut bread….
I read a Brazilian customs and traditions book before I came to Rio. It did not mention any rules regarding the public domain and use of knives by elderly ladies. Perhaps, it is Rule 214. If anyone has any insight into why this lady felt comfortable snagging my knife, please comment.
1 comment:
You should have reached across the
table and _ _ _ _ ed her up!!!
You are soooo American.
SHe might have asked you and you agreed so she thought it was OK.
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