note: location is belo horizonte, brasil today i drove back carlos’ car from the mechanic — it felt a bit like i was cheating on ushi. the other car had some things which worked better, others that weren’t so good….it’s impressive in how good shape the sentra is after so many miles and so little maintenance.
before i left on this trip, i wanted to see two wonders of the world: machu picchu and iguazu falls. intellectually, there were two other really interesting cities i wanted to visit: curitiba and belo horizonte. curitiba is famous for it’s creative approach to urban planning. belo horizonte, on the other hand, is famous for it’s innovative approach to resolving the hunger problem (http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/10-most-hopeful-trends/1398). in 1993, 20% of the youngest children in belo horizonte suffered from malnourishment. about 10 years later, infant mortality has almost been cut in half. the approach is multifaceted, but one of the main features are the restaurante popular’s, which provide healthy meals at a price that anyone can afford. moreover, these restaurants are open to everyone….eliminating the social stigma associated with soup kitchens.
the restaurante popular we visited was actually quite nice. when we arrived, there was a line of about 50 people outside the door. however, the line moved pretty fast, and we were upstairs in about 10 minutes. the operation is efficient and reminiscent of a school/jail cafeteria. you’re handed a metal tray, then walk along as they slop on piles of food. today’s menu was rice, beans, ground meat, greens and some vegetable stew/gravy. the food wasn’t terrific, but for 1 real (60 cents), you can’t really complain — i’ve paid much more for much worse food. actually, the rice and beans were on par with any other restaurant i’ve been to; and the quantity of food was enormous (i couldn’t finish it). one really cool thing is the clientelle, which ranges from homeless people to men dressed in suits. it’s nice to have a safe/friendly environment for everyone to mix together. it’s better than the soup kitchens in the us, where homeless people have to eat with other homeless people (here, everyone is an equal). i wish more places initiated this program.
after a filling lunch, daniel took me to the central market (a maze of stands seling everything from clay pots to dried meat). products there were surprisingly expensive….and not any cheaper than the supermarket. afterwards, we drove up to a vista where you can see belo horizonte.
