Mercado dia

Saturday is market day and we walk down to the end of Patricia´s street to the vendors who line the twisting hillside drive with their Mercedes, Fiat, and Toyota trucks and from which they roll out the fresh vegetables, fruits, and meat. The small vendor who makes a sweet cloudy drink by pushing a reedy stalk of sugar cane tempts us. Patricia and Odelva buy a prickly vegetable, Maxixi native to Brazil that when skinned and chopped is very much like a cucumber and belongs to the same family.

My job is to assist the meat vendor with sharpening his knives and promote the State of Minnesota among these rolling hills of Taboão de Serra. You can be sure nobody knows what Minnesota means or where I might be from, however, the meat vendor is very friendly and offers and thumbs up to my efforts. Nothing like being a friendly ambassador in Brazil for America. Viva Minnesota!