Author: John Dai

Did I tell you I ran into Gisele on the beach?

1994

It is hard to believe that the trip is already over. I’ve had several dreams about Rio in just the past few days. I’ve never missed a city this much ever in my life. Something was so magical about the city and I wish I was there right now.

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I miss the group.

We are a group that naturally bonded together and it didn’t take much time and effort for us to know each other and learn about other’s characters. I appreciate the variety of personalities that we had, out-spoken, or hilarious, or quiet, or thoughtful. I wish I could be in Monday classes more often so I’d be able to see you guys more often.  Sorry I don’t have more group pictures because you guys already uploaded most of them…

I miss the people.

I love how friendly the country is. Every one we met there was so nice and welcoming, the crazy taxi driver that gave me a real life experience of fast and furious; the cool front desk person that always told me the direction in perfect English; the kids that we played with at the museum; the girls worked at maracana that loved my awful Portuguese jokes; the homeless guy that taught me the “surf-brake” handshake; and Vanesa the best guide I can ever ask for, and so on. This is part of why I like Rio over London because it feels more like home.

2018

I miss the food.

Oh my God. Where else are you gonna get a meal full of steak, pork, chicken, beans, rice and tons of other stuff for less than ten bucks? I miss the food so much, particularly when I don’t have much time during the day and stuck with the café food at Knowlton. Feed me please.

I miss the culture.

“Você é linda” (You are beautiful.) I made so many Brazilian girls giggle by saying that. In fact, Rio is beautiful. Can’t speak Portuguese? No problem. It’s actually hilarious to communicate with hand signs and body language, and most people are very patient when you are talking trying to understand you. It’s kind of different in States, as people seem to be more ignorant about foreigners, often times you would hear someone saying “I don’t speak Spanish, sorry.” Instead of trying to listen and help.

I miss the beach.

Beach, sunshine, coconut water, swimming suits, waves, 90 degree days, Cristo Redentor smiling you every day, what more can you ask for? That is the life.

I miss Rio.

 

Here’s an exclusive teaser of “Rio de Janeiro: The Movie” directed by John Dai.

Rio Video Sneak Peak

Getting ripped on the beach

imageJust doing some morning workouts on the beach. I’m trying to come here every morning simply because I enjoy this little “gym” the locals built on the beach so much. I love how all the weights are just concrete and metal cans, and how all the bars and poles are built in into the rocks. Having a beach view just motivates you so much for working out. I see numerous people jogging, lifting, and walking their dog on the beach every day. It’s ridiculously hard to say no to such a beautiful view in the morning when you wake up and feel the sunshine thru your curtains and decide not to workout. Vanessa also talked about that the government pays for seniors’ personal trainers. What a brilliant idea?! Old people don’t have much to do, so the government gives them the chance to just workout and get fit everyday for free. I think this ultimately makes the seniors more happy and also more healthy. Maybe they can live a few more years? I don’t know. But I know it’s a better idea than throwing them in the nursing house. Anyway, I got hit my concrete construction field style gym and get ripped with these old people, talk to you guys later.

Feijoada and Churrasco

FeijoadaimageThere. I have slapped myself for saying I was going to miss all the American food yesterday. I fell in love with Brazilian food the first time I tried it. Sarah and I shared this Feijoada at a restaurant on the Ipanema beach called Astor. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite food ever but I appreciate the variety you are getting out of one “dish”(which is really like 7 dishes.) it comes with a vegetable I thought was sea weed, sautéed pork rib, some sort of salami thing, farofa which is a traditional Brazilian accompaniment on the table, rice, oranges and bean soup. It doesn’t look very exotic as it’s a noble and traditional Brazilian dish, but the flavor is in fact really rich. Lots of fat from the meat demands a good balance from the veggies and rice, and the soup lubricates and accompanies the dry-ness of everything else. You can’t get food-cultured without trying out the local drinks. The strawberry caipirinha and some cool mojito certainly added a strong summer and beach flavor to the meal as well. The platter of meat is called Churrasco, it’s essentially different types of grilled meat served together. It also came with farofa, rice and French fries, so it was more than enough food for four of us for a reasonable price at about 13 usd each. To a meat lover, Brazil is fantastic because almost every meal involves Carne (Portuguese for meat.) I’m certainly looking forward to feasting!

Last Supper

Arbys The Ultimate Burger

 

O Arby’s! My Arby’s! My stomach is going to miss all the American-ness in the next few days. We had a nice lunch/afternoon-snack at a restaurant in the Columbus airport, during which I got the “Ultimate burger”. You just can’t go wrong with a patty fired on the grill with some bacon, mushroom and blue cheese. The onion ring also adds some crispiness and a slight side-kick to the flavor. Ugh I’m hungry again but I don’t really want to spend more money on food before I even leave the country. I know I am probably gonna write a post about how awesome and delicious the food in Brazil is and come back bash myself about this post in the next few days, or maybe even tomorrow. Now that I’ve written my critique about American food, I actually wonder what Brazilian food tastes like. Well, I guess I’m just ready for everything but the language about Brazil in general. (Yeah, having to miss many of the pre-portugese lessons doesn’t help much…) Alright Brazil, here’s Johnny!