Ouro Preto

Well having got back to the warmth of Bahia, it wraps you in a cuddle that is always welcoming, even more after a being in Europe. The sun in Europe is some what different, it is far more a side effect, like as though the door to another world as opened slightly and the sun from the other side is only welcomed for a short time before the wind slams the door shut. Three weeks back and with a longing to see Graça I have caught a plane to Belo Horizonte and then the bus to Ouro Preto, arriving here in Ouro Preto last Sunday evening. I had been told by Graça that it can been cold in the South, indeed when we have sat at the computer and used the MSN video connection, me being in Scotland, Graça had seemed to be in more clothes than myself, I would comment that it could not be too cold as the temperature in Edinburgh was at 5 degrees and in Belo Horizonte it appeared to be 12 degrees, well I think it is probably 14 degrees at the moment but seems very chilly, grey clouds envelope the tiny city, the rain from last night is still apparent with the cobbles staying wet for ages, what with the steep slopes of the narrow roads, all random stone cobbles that are quite difficult to walk on when dry and certainly far more treacherous when wet.

I have spent much of the last week walking round every part of the city, not every road and alley, getting accustomed to its style and the way that it was created, this part I have yet to discover since I know a brief history and would like now to find out far more detail of its creation and growth. The city is probably an example in micro of what Brazil is, one adaption of religion to a forrested enviroment, what ever the origional reason was for discovering another place, like the idea of the Moon as some sub station of the Earth, over spill for an over crowded planet, or the need for more gems to trade from a source undiscovered and not yet robbed. a desire to enrich your country by denuding another, what ever! it seems clear that upon arriving there was always a religious wave that followed, a need to polute the pure with a malformed concept!!!

This following had within its midst a group of artisans with a far more acceptable religious desire, that of portraying their faith with icons and not trying to modify the lives of others directly, there came here some dedicated stone masons and artists, keen possibly to have expression far more liberal than than could have had in Portugal, far from the competion of other craftsmen and able to show off an individual approach, I do not know what could have been in their minds and have not had the opportunity to have read any letters from these early travellers but would imagine that they would only travel to another world if the desire was great and compelling, voyages in the past where clearly hazardous and mighty uncomfortable, the inicial construction of a city is likewise, the lack of farming and materials would be difficult in Portugal and so much more difficult in the jungle forrests interior of Brazil.

Graça´s course work involves part of the time in visiting the various churches, monuments, fountains and buildings in general, one of these day excursions was last Saturday, she had spent the morning with her fellows and tutor, Alex, walking around several of the churches and discourse over the style of Rococo ( the style of elegance and the Royal court in France, Austria and Germany around the middle of the 18th century) and Baroque ( a style from Italy that was more to do with excess and diversion of discipline, the use of asymmetrical forms to break the calm of vision and inject a sense of discord). After lunch I joined Graça and her team as they continued their walk, it was a chance too for me to see inside the churches without the constant dipping into my pocket for entrance money as well as hearing the oppinion of Alex, a Brazilian born and bred in the area and clearly appreciative of the culture that as been left him.

Ouro Preto has several local heros, Xavier Silva, nicknamed Tiradente for his part time trade as a dentist and possibly he was a bit limited in experience and therefore took teeth out and not conserved any, however he was a staunch supporter for independence of Portugal, seeing the monarchy as misusing Brazil and its natives for the glory of Europe and not assisting the natural growth of the new world, the taxes had increased on the local inhabitants and this was very apparent in Ouro Preto because of the gold that had been discovered here, leading to many miners using the church as a means of laundering the gold that they found and this allowing the church too have wealth for construction and expansion. Xavier was brought to justice of the King, beheaded and quartered, his head put on a pole in Rio de Janeiro and his followers ( he deciding to take full responsibility for the anti Portuguese up rising) where exiled.
Antonio Francisco Lisboa, nicknamed Aleijadinho because of his sickness and deformated that appeared in his later life, was the son of a Portuguese mason and black slave, Antonia Maria, he trained as a carpentor and worked with his father on the construction of the new Baroque churches in Ouro Preto, it seems that he may well have had the rare disease called porfiria, a desease that manifests itself with exposure to sun light, provoking liasons and dark red marks, ulceracions, scars, deformations and in rare cases actual mutilations of the body. One factor of interest with Aleijadinho is that this desease appeared when he was into his 40´s and it is notable that the desease can be triggered by excess of alcohol, heavy drinking can trigger the desease and it may well be the case for Aleijadinho. This desease left him with deformed hands and feet, pain that was directly related to the exposure to sun light, so he began to work at night or in shaded areas. It may well have been the death of his parents along with the onset of this desease that led him to put a huge effort into his work and tranport it to a high art that is considered one of the most important periods of Brazils history. He worked with his hands bound and strapped to them were the chisels and pencils for him to sculpture the wood or soap stone figures and motifs. Trully a task that required some high devotion and it is this that, with his native freedom, comes forward in his scultures and designs within and outside the churches. Perhaps he felt some desire to appeal to his God for relief by the force of his art, who can know when all that exsists are the results of his labour and not the diaries of his thoughts.

Gourmet
Pela porta da cozinha
por André Sender e Gabriel Rocha Gaspar
Negros fundaram a base da culinária tipicamente brasileira, mingau, pamonha, canjica, mocotós, vatapá, caruru, acaçá. O que tudo isso tem em comum, além do fato de serem comidas tipicamente brasileiras?

Todas nasceram em mãos negras, na cozinhas da casas grandes. São pratos fáceis de comer, que dosaram a força e o exotismo dos temperos africanos para gostos portugueses. São misturas que resumem nossa pluralidade cultural ao condensar ingredientes e técnicas africanas, indígenas e européias.Durante três séculos, toda a comida da sociedade brasileira – majoritariamente agrária – passou por mãos negras.

Escravos (mulheres e homens menos aptos ao trabalho no campo) comandavam as cozinhas coloniais, inventando pratos, adicionando novos temperos e adaptando ingredientes indígenas e africanos ao paladar do “nhonhô” português.

Casa grande: palco da criatividade gastronômica negraComo disse Gilberto Freyre, “a negra fez com a comida o mesmo que fez com a língua”. Se em gargantas negras, Marias Antônias viraram Tontons e Marias Josés viraram Zezés, nas mesas da Casa Grande a comida ficou mais fácil, mais maleável. “A negra foi um intermediador muito forte das rupturas na cozinha da colônia”, conta a coordenadora do Núcleo de Estudos Freyrianos da Fundação Gilberto Freyre, Fátima Quintas. Por exemplo, foi ela que fez a ponte entre a mandioca nativa e o paladar português, acostumado ao pão de trigo. Para aliviar o sacrifício gastronômico do lusitano, criou-se o beiju de tapioca, entre outras mimeses do pão europeu.
Ainda hoje, a forte comida de origem africana pede adaptações para sobreviver ao gosto de novos consumidores. Luisa Inês Saliba, dona do restaurante Rota do Acarajé, em São Paulo, conta que pessoas do mundo inteiro vêm atrás da iguaria. “A gente adapta [o acarajé] a um paladar mais suave, principalmente no dendê e no tempero com coentro, que são coisas que chegam a assustar os visitantes na Bahia”. Muito por causa desta necessidade de mudar, Luisa é uma criadora de pratos inveterada. “Quando se trata de culinária, sou uma workaholic. Mesclo todas as influências, como de tudo, bebo de tudo, sou ‘pesquisadeira’. Mas um ou outro ingrediente [tipicamente baiano] sempre rege a criação”. Exatamente como faziam as negras das cozinhas coloniais – adaptavam a todos os gostos, mantendo a África como fio condutor. Nos séculos de escravidão, a cozinha era o espaço de uma convivência mais harmoniosa dentro da estrutura profundamente opressora do regime vigente. “Por uma necessidade de ter com quem conversar, as mulheres [brancas] da casa iam para a cozinha”, conta Fátima. Essa pseudo-liberdade do negro fora do campo, aliada aos momentos de ócio que o trabalho de casa propiciava, foi responsável pelo surgimento de pratos complexos. “As horas vagas e a quantidade de pessoas para servir permitiram que os doces, principalmente, demorassem uma tarde inteira, por exemplo, para ser feitos”. Este cenário, aliado à monocultura da cana, propiciou uma doçaria complicada, que inclui manjares, bolos e tortas.
Doces elaborados demandam tempo e dedicação
“A negra fazia uma cozinha de muitas horas, de muito trabalho, de arte”, diz Fátima. O esmero foi tanto que passou dos sabores para as aparências: dos pratos às toalhas de mesa. E, principalmente, nos tabuleiros – este modelo tão africano de vender comida. Na Bahia de hoje, por exemplo, as rendas são tão presentes quanto os cheiros de coentro e azeite de dendê. Os enfeites, tanto quanto a comida, são feitos com esmero e cuidado, custe o tempo que custar. Como observa Luisa Inês, “há que se respeitar a culinária, [fazê-la] com todo o carinho com que deve ser feita". Isso significa que o prato começa a ser feito no momento em que o cliente pede. "É tudo mais fresquinho", completa a chef.
Tamanho cuidado é preconceituosamente confundido com preguiça. Mas a verdade é que não há espaço para pressa na cozinha de origem afro. Fast food não bate com os tantos elementos místicos e sagrados que os negros associam à comida. No candomblé, por exemplo, até os santos comem. “A religiosidade do negro [que nutria muito menos pudores sexuais do que o cristianismo] com a sexualidade do português cunharam uma coisa muito interessante: doces com nomes sensuais”, aponta Fátima Quintas. “A casa grande era altamente sexualizada, com um cristianismo muito prosaico, lírico”. A comida era mais um estímulo sensorial, quase sensual. Por isso, doces criados na casa grande têm nomes eróticos como baba-de-moça, suspiro, sonho, teta-de-nega... A mão que mexeu o caldo da formação culinária (e, conseqüentemente, cultural) brasileira foi negra. Por mais que as mestiçagens acontecessem por todos os lados – como é praxe no Brasil –, no final, foram os negros que meteram a mão na massa. Por isso, tudo o que o brasileiro típico come hoje, desde o arroz com feijão mais básico até a mais elaborada paella, tem um resquício das mentes criativas da senzala, que uniram o paladar europeu às tradições indígenas e africanas. Formou-se uma gastronomia leve e densa, simples e sofisticada, forte e sutil. Um paradoxo de sabores e influências, tão diverso quanto o Brasil.

I have now returned to Bahia, sunshine and my garden, which has given me bananas last week, passion fruit and coconuts this week. The orange tree as just started to fruit and I am waiting for the Caju and the Lemon to do the same, it seems that it needs 5 years to get started so I will need a couple of more for the Mangoes to crop well.
I arrived back in Salvador near mid night and was kindly met by my fiancée's brother and cousin, I must admit to having some apprehension arriving at any airport after mid night but it is worse if you have to then get a taxi and go away from the city, head north on roads that are quite deserted, arrive at your house and know you are on your own entering the house after 5 months away. However i was taken back to their house and spent the night there and was then taken to Jauá the following afternoon, very much more relaxing and safe.
I had arrange with the bank to pay all my bills by debit so that the electrics, water and telephones would all function when I returned, I had electricity, water was in the tanks for me to take a shower but no water from the road and both telephones did not work!!!!! the water pumps where working, well my apartment was ok the house had been let out during the week of the festival for Saint John and every time that I get folks in the house they feel the need to play with the water pump, there is unfortunately a constant problem in Jauá with water and its lack of being delivered by the water company, either by the tubes in the road or any other means.
Also there is a good deal of new buildings going up at the moment and they are consuming water for cement and concrete along with the summer lettings, those that live in the city rent houses here for the weekend and arrive with large families, all going to use the showers, toilets, cooking and washing up at a time when the water company decides to cut off, litarary they turn off, the water for one or two days in order to conserve supplies. Water pumps are only as good as the connections and that is why they can work perfectly fine for months until some one plays with the tubes and the connections..
I have to get everything working fine so that during the summer I can let the house for the three months without too much hassle, with this in mind I am now trying to re lay the corrugated roofing which seems to have moved sufficiently to allow rain water under it, this has soaked through the ceiling of two bedrooms and turned them black, so they need to be painted but I need first to resolve the cause.
I had not used the car for 5 months and although at first I had managed to start the motor, with the help of some jump leads and a friends car, it did not restart after stopping even though I had left it running for 15 minutes, I took the battery to a small bicycle repair shop whom by chance had a charger for the battery, however the batery would not take a charge so I arranged a lift with a friend to go further a field and swap or buy another battery. We decided to go to a large agency because I could pay by credit card, I had given most of my cash to Antonio, the gardner, some I had used for buying essentials and I wanted to keep the rest to buy food. The battery was duly changed for a new one and then the assistant asked me for details to put on the receipt, he asked me for my Identity number, my work identity number, my driving licence details, my address details, my telephone numbers, the details of my car and the number of the number plate and then the card details for payment !!!!!!!!!! well this done I got a print out of the invoice and went to pay the bill at the internal cash desk, every one has, I asked if I could pay by Visa credit on foreign cards, my bank in Scotland had decided to change the credit card from Visa to Master card but had assured me that the old card would function until its expiry date, 2010, the Visa card was refused and the new Master card was not accepted, I tried my bank of Scotland debit card and that worked.
My friend and I then went on to resolve causes for him and we finished in a shop selling garden fittings, here I remembered that I need some new water spriklers and a garden tap so I promptly used the opportunity to buy them, arrived at the till knowing that the different cards did not function but needing to save cash, so I tried the Master card again, did not accept it, tried my Banco do Brasil debit card, it was out of date, so paid cash and knew that i would have just enough cash to pay for petrol the following day to take me to my bank at the airport in Salvador, not enough to buy any food!!!!!!
The following day I had to go to the bank and collect a new card, before leaving the house I had telephoned the bank in Scotland to know what was wrong with the new card, I have explained to the bank, before this event, that here in Brazil it is not every location that accepts Master card, they assured me that there was nothing blocking the card and that it was the assistants in the shops that where doing the transactions incorrectly, well after getting my new card at the Banco do Brasil I went straight to a cash machine to liberate the card and some cash for myself to buy food. Then I went to the travel agents to buy a ticket to Belo Horizonte, in the South of Brazil, we found a date and price relatively ok for me and then i tried to pay by debit card, the air lines do not accept debit payments for flights, so i tried the Master card, it would not accept this as well, so I had to return to the cash machine and take out cash to pay the ticket !!!!!!! it always seems that it is not possible to go away without encountering problems when you return!!!!
By the way i had to contact the telephone company to check that the debit payments had been made and then they came and checked the line, one phone was working after 24 hours and the other had a broken cable on the veranda, so i am now able to have internet use but here on the coast it is a very slow connection and difficult to load or download pictures or information...