Espresso… miraculous espresso. After roughly 24-hours of travel time with no real food or coffee, I finally find espresso and it tastes like heaven. This fuels my obsession to find the perfect espresso in every city I visit.
I’m told the best espresso in Brazil actually comes from Italy because the good Brazilian coffee gets exported to other countries… (or maybe he said that most good Italian coffee is Brazilian… it’s hard to tell).
Gustaria um espresso solo. Si, no leite. Obregada. (Check. I can now order a coffee.)
Food is the next step. Food is a bit more nebulous with a wheat and dairy allergy. I learn quickly that Brazilians are very knowledgeable about gluten allergies. Contem nao Gluten? works just fine. Hell, even nao farinha works in Sao Paulo; however, when I head North I learn that this could also be tapioca flour.
Dairy is problematic. Dairy is in everything and it’s hard to identify. In the gallery is an energy drink made from some unidentified white fruit and water. It looks like it could have dairy but after a “nao leite, nao iogurte, nao whey, nao manteiga” discovery conversation I was told there was no dairy whatsoever.
However, to be on the safe side I stuck with the basics: fish (peixes), beef (carne), rice (arroz) and fruit (fruita). (Check. I can now order food.)
