How's Brazil?

And again, the most asked question when on the phone: How's Brazil?

It's not an easy one to answer.

"It’s love and hate, beautiful and ugly, friendly and rude, relaxed and loud, peaceful and chaotic, full of rules and then again none…"*

And it smells of sweet mangoes and salty ocean wind...

Better than fries/chips: Aipim frito!

I would ALWAYS switch fries/chips with fried manioc, it is THE most delicious fried vegetable I know. Just add a bit of salt and have some mango juice with it - all you need after a long swim in the ocean! Mouthwatering!!!

Manioc: in Portuguese: Aipim or Mandioca, do not really know where exactly the difference is, but the prince of sun told me Mandioca-brava can only be used to make the widely used farinha (flour) (it will produce a weak poison

False friends - pronunciation: how to order a coconut water in Brazil

During my first degree, I started studying Spanish. It was only a few years ago in London, when I decided to learn Portuguese due to my Brazilian and Angolan friends and the Brazilian community in my Zouk-Lambada dance group.
 
When I met the prince of sun, I completely immersed in the Portuguese language and got reminded of my Spanish language knowledge one embarrassing time in a Brazilian beach café.

Ordering a chilled coconut water, I unconciously used my brain-stored Spanish language knowledge for the pronunciation of "coco" (coconut) which has the following pronunciation and stress:

coco

check:
http://pt.forvo.com/word/coco/

Now in Portuguese, cocô (stress: coco) means shit/poo... Yes...

Ordering a "agua de cocô gelada" meant I was asking for "chilled shit water". 

The correct Portuguese pronunciation for coconut is

My favourite Indian culinary treats – Chicken Korma in Camberwell

During my flatshare time in Camberwell, SE London, I often went to Zouk-Lambada on Monday and Wednesday nights with the “dance girl” (I had actually met her at Zouk-Lambada and she stayed one of my best friends until the very day) and arriving late in the evening, both being hungry from dancing, talking and laughing, we ordered some take aways with my local Indian restaurant, 5min from my home. I also had dinner there once when my parents and brothers were visiting me and in general, got one of my two favourite Indian culinary treats – either:

Thoughts on German breakfast culture and my favourite French delicatessen shop in London

I have always been fond of breakfast time. I even feel like after having lived with friends and the prince of sun in London and Brazil that German culture compared with the latter literally celebrates breakfast, especially on Sundays.

A German proverb even has the following diet suggestions:"Frühstücke wie ein Kaiser, iss zu Mittag wie ein König und nimm dein Abendmahl wie ein Bettler" ("have breakfast like an emperor, lunch like a king and dinner like a beggar").

So what's part of a typical Baden-Württembergian German Sunday breakfast?

How do you know that you have been in London too long?

You say "the City" and expect everyone to know which one.
It happened...

You have never been to The Tower or Madame Tussauds but you love Brighton.
Actually, I have been to the tower once and even twice to Madame Tussauds, would go to the tower again (on a quiet day) but… never again to Madame Tussauds! And YES, I ADORE Brighton and its stony

Kizomba & Zouk-Lambada - The interwoven story of Angolan/Afro Music and Brazilian/Afro Dance

First time I heard Kizomba was in Germany, one of my Angolan friends had shown me this lovely song that I love to listen to until today. But it was not until - during my studies in London - one day I watched a dance video on youtube when I got reunited with Kizomba - and met the dance Zouk for the first time.

For everyone that got confused by now. Yes, I also was, the history and connection of the two words, dances and music is complicatedly interwoven. But let's start from scratch.

Excess baggage? Rescue is here!!!

Being a traveller for many years, I have always been daunted with the prospect of having to pack my suitcase (and hand luggage for that matter), even after thoroughly investigating each individual airline's baggage regulations...

But recently, I stumbled over a travel clothing brand which holds the promise of avoiding such agonies in the future: