Treating Food Poisoning With Coconut Water

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/tastefulliving/the-worlds-happiest-cities-508202/

But to get a bit more specific, one thing I love is that everyone here is so complimentary. I mean, it goes beyond just the friendliness and warmth that Brazilians generally embody.  Brazilians will go out of their way to tell you they like you, or what they like about you…  It’s just such a positive culture.

It’s very common, when greeting or speaking with someone, to hear, “lindo (beautiful)” ,”bonito (pretty)”, “gostoso (tasty (yes, they use it that way))”, “amor (love)”, “amigo (friend)”, or any of a host of others I can’t even think of right now.  I don’t think I could count the number of times in a day you will hear one of the above compliments or expressions of affection if you live here.  And being immersed in it, you soon find yourself responding in kind.

It’s wonderful.  It’s one of those little things we’ve forgotten in the U.S. that just makes you feel good, raises your spirits, helps you remember what really matters in life–which, IMHO, is the people you share it with and the quality of your time together.  It costs nothing, it’s always free, and freely given, and yet it spreads such joy.  It makes whatever you may be concerned about at the time disappear–or seem not nearly so important.  It’s just a simple way of always expressing your appreciation of each other, your fondness for each other, and it’s so casually and completely integrated into their way of life.

It’s such a small thing, and yet it’s such a pervasive joy–and such a huge lesson for me personally.

So, there’s that, for starters.

That said, one of the drawbacks of learning a second language–one that few people seem to mention–is that your knowledge of your first language can, apparently, deteriorate.

I used to be an awesome speller.  I would look at other people’s writing and misspelled words would jump out at me.  Now, I swear, I find myself misspelling atrociously (took me 3 tries to get that one) in English.

Portuguese does not use very many double letters.  No “tt” no “ll.”  Very little “ss” or “rr.”  The spelling rules are completely different.  So when writing in English, I often find myself either not using double consonants where I should or trying too hard and putting them in when I shouldn’t.

So while misspellings are still a peeve of mine, I actually have less idea of when I’m spelling correctly.  It’s disconcerting.

I guess I could be relieved that all the horrible spelling on the internet doesn’t jump out at me the way it once did.

The Vegetarian Myth | The Blog of Michael R. Eades, M.D..

Get Foxy – World Travels Blog » Blog Archive » My First Churrascaria Brazilian Steak House.

This is a blog about Rio de Janeiro, but it is also a blog about the day to day in Rio de Janeiro.  And that includes what we eat and how we take care of ourselves.

I get asked a lot about how I’ve lost so much weight (45 lbs. and counting), and so I intend to address those questions here, too.  For the moment, here’s an inspirational story from a site I enjoy a lot, and one which has helped shape my own diet and fitness approach over the last few months.

Went Primal, Ditched the Diabetes Meds | Mark’s Daily Apple.

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