Carnivorous travels in the land of the lost.
By Landon Wright
23 Jun 2008
I was invited by a friend to go to a fazenda (farm) about 6 hours north in the mountains. I accepted post haste for the lack of any recent adventures. We were to stay in a local posada in a small rural town, the name escapes me as does the pronunciation. To ask a gringo to pronounce certain indian names is akin to asking a luddite to set up a wireless network. The roads in the interior of Brazil are laking two major qualities that most people appreciate whilst driving, regular maintenance and signs to point you to and from home. Badly maintained asphalt and dirt roads aside we arrived late friday night to a dinner at the house of the owner of said fazenda. Most Brazilians love meat. Most eat meat with their meat. Chicken can often accompany beef and pork. A trifecta of sorts is considered living large. So at this dinner one is expected to eat everything that is offered to you. If you do not accept a second serving you might as well slap your host in the face. A third serving is considered the appropriate sign of gratitude. A cow was slaughtered for the meat, the beans were grown in a field nearby and the sweets were from the local orchard. I have never experienced hospitality like this from other cultures. Brazilians will fill your belly until you are ready to burst and then offer you more. The reason for this explanation as to the plenitude of food and the treatment of this gringo is to offer a look into the attitude and generosity of the people of Brazil.
On to the main thread of this story, Dona Lea. Dona Lea is the matriarch of a long line of descendants of slaves that were brought in by the Portuguese to mine for diamonds in this region. Most that came to this particular area escaped from their owners to farm the land and raise cattle. The fazenda were Dona Lea works is an hour via dirt road from our posada. We were guest of the owner but from observing the way Dona Lea and her family work and live on the farm I knew who the real owner was. When we met Dona Lea she invited us into her home, an adobe hut with a thatched roof, and proceeded to hold court and make coffee. These people have next to nothing and here she is offering me lunch and coffee. She proceeded to tell me about the local IBAMA (the Brazilian EPA equivalent) bringing in tourist to take photos. They come in and act like she is part of an exhibit and then leave with little more than a backwards glance. There is no open invitation to these people to visit her. She like most in Brazil are obligated to open any gate for IBAMA at any moment. It would be like the EPA being used for personal tours by the upper class. Dona Lea makes the best of her situation just like her mother and father did. She has little and shares with no reservations.
I went on this trip to take landscape photos and came away with a belly full of meat and a fond appreciation for the people and the land they live on. As to how not to offend, eat what is offered and listen to the story that is being given. Beyond that I am out of my depth.
1 response
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KY M................ said (18 Nov 2008):
Landon...this is a very powerful story, you should send this in to something....I hope you have more pictures than just the ones that you put up. I want to know more about this woman...
