Guarana, a Rainforest fruit and a refreshing soft drink

Guarana is a fruit found in the Rainforest of Amazon in Brazil. The word Guarana comes from the Guarani (one of the Native Brazilian Indians Tribes) and it means "fruit like the eyes of the people". It is red and looks like a coffee bean, but its seeds contain about twice the concentration of caffeine found in coffee beans. 

Guarana began to become famous in Brazil a long time ago (about 1920) when a soft drink was introduced in the market, the Guarana Champagne Antarctica. This brand and soft drink is still a great success in Brazil and in other countries in the world. That is so popular in Brazil, that Coca-Cola created its own Guarana brand: Guarana Kuat. Nowadays, there are other important beverage brands in Brazil that have its Guarana drink.

Visiting Brazil, you must try it! It is a little bit sweet, but refreshing! Guarana Kuat is sweeter than the original one, Guarana Antarctica. 

The Capital of Brazil is...

Brasília!!!!

People often say that Sao Paulo is the capital of Brazil or that Rio de Janeiro is the capital of Brazil. They belong to a list of the most important cities in Brazil, but they are not the Capital, Brasília is the one. 

If you say that, it is not too bad! 

Please, never ask (or say) to a Brazilian if the capital of Brazil is Buenos Aires. That's too much!!! Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina, another country located in South America. 

And do you want to know why not to do that? Argentina is the major rival of the Brazilian Soccer Team. That's why!!

Fork, Knife, and Napkins

When it comes to food, Brazilians use utensils to dig in. It’s considered impolite to eat with your bare hands.

Pizza, sandwiches, even hamburgers: you have to eat with fork and knife, or at least use a napkin to hold the food.

French fries may be the only exception to that rule, and only when eating at a fast food place. If you are eating at a restaurant, utensils are the way to go!

Brazilian Soap Operas - Much More than Entertainment for Housewives

Soap operas started being produced in Brazil in the 50s for the radio. Since then, its importance has only gotten bigger.  Over the years, it evolved from being an ordinary entertainment to public service to a powerful marketing weapon.

At the beginning, it used to portrait the Brazilian way of life from the point of view of the middle class. Romantic stories would get the attention of entire families when TV wasn’t even around. With time, soap operas started getting more and more important and started changing its focus to other broad, more important subjects.

Nowadays, soap operas not only tell romantic stories, but also bring current social problems  to light, enticing discussions in the society. Some of the topics depicted in soap operas in the recent years include pedophilia, human trafficking, people with disabilities life, human cloning, etc. It is an efficient way to bring awareness about difficult problems to the society.

MARKETING WEAPON – soap operas are also a very powerful Marketing tool. Throughout the years, some soap operas became so popular that they become a “TV blockbuster”, they were a trend setter in slang, behavior, fashion. Some companies invest in merchandising inside a soap opera story to launch or establish different types of products, such as lipstick, perfume, shoes, cars, beverage, and so on.

EXPORTING PRODUCT – An average of 120 countries broadcast a Brazilian soap opera nowadays. The exported stories are edited to accommodate length and topics that may not be so popular in other countries, but without compromising the story being told.

FAMOUS SOAP OPERAS - The most popular soap operas in Brazil, and exported to other countries, were produced by Rede Globo, the Brazilian TV network that invests the most on soap operas productions. Among them, are:

*Da Cor do Pecado (Joao Emanuel Carneiro, 2004) – 100 countries

*Terra Nostra (Benedito Ruy Barbosa, 1999) – 95 countries

*O Clone (Gloria Perez, 2001) – 90 countries

*Escrava Isaura (1976) – over 80 countries, became a major success in China

Be careful with the "OK" sign!!!

In Brazil, the inverted American “OK” sign is an obscene gesture!

The World Meets in Brazil (by Artplan)

"Cafezinho" time!

Brazilians don’t “do” siesta.

In the past, the lunch break would last 2 hours, and the majority of people would go home to a homemade cooked meal. Throughout the years, this habit changed to a modern life, 1-hour long lunchtime, usually nearby or at the office.

But one thing hasn’t changed, even with the ever demanding modern life. The “cafezinho” time: after meals, especially at lunch time.

Cafezinho (diminutive of coffee) is a much-needed break that Brazilians take throughout the day. It’s a way to boost people’s energy due to its caffeine. It is also a way of socializing at work. Business meetings are usually accompanied by cafezinho breaks.

Next time you go to Brazil, make sure you take some time to enjoy our cafezinho.

Burping is impolite in Brazil

Please do not burp when you are with Brazilians. It is very impolite!

Please do not burp when you are eating with a Brazilian family, Brazilian friends or if you are in a Brazilian business lunch or dinner. It is very impolite too!

It is not that Brazilians do not burp at all. We try not to do it. However, when it is impossible to keep it "inside us" after, for example, drinking a soda, a polite Brazilian will hold back the burp and release the air slowly, without any noise.

Brazilians speak Portuguese!

When I tell people that we, Brazilians, speak Portuguese, it is normal to see a ? or a ! on their faces. 
It is very common that people think we speak Spanish, as our neighbors in South America. 
Brazil was a colony from Portugal, that's why we do speak Portuguese.
Also, Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas. 

 

Real, The Brazilian Currency

Real (pl. Reais) is the present-day currency of Brazil. It is represented by the symbol R$.

Real was introduced on July 1, 1994, during the presidency of Itamar Franco, when Fernando Henrique Cardoso was the Minister of Finance, as part of a broader plan to stabilize the Brazilian economy, known as the Plano Real.

This monetary reform aimed to put an end to three decades of rampant inflation. At the time it was meant to have approximately fixed 1:1 exchange rate with the United States dollar. The current exchange rate is approximately R$ 2.00 to U$1.00.

Source: Wikipedia

Greeting a Brazilian in a Business Meeting

MEN:

It is usual that men shake hands when greeting one another, while keeping eye contact. 
Backslapping can come with the shaking hands. Men do not kiss each other in Brazil.

At the same time, he can say:
- Bom dia (Good morning)/ Boa tarde (Good afternoon)/ Boa noite (Good evening)! Como vai? (How are you?) Prazer em conhece-lo (Nice to meet you) or Prazer em reve-lo (Nice to see you)!
- Oi (Hi) or Ola (Hi)! Como vai? (How are you?) Prazer em conhece-lo (Nice to meet you) or Prazer em reve-lo (Nice to see you)!
- Oi (Hi) or Ola (Hi)! Tudo bem? (How are you?) Prazer em conhece-lo (Nice to meet you) or Prazer em reve-lo (Nice to see you)!

Or he can answer:
-  Bom dia (Good morning)/ Boa tarde (Good afternoon)/ Boa noite (Good evening)! Tudo bem (I am fine)! Como vai? (How are you?) Prazer em conhece-lo tambem (Nice to meet you too) or Prazer em reve-lo (Nice to see you)!


WOMEN:

Women can kiss each other or shake hands. Nowadays, it is more common that they shake hands, in the same way men do.

At the same time, she can say:
- Bom dia (Good morning)/ Boa tarde (Good afternoon)/ Boa noite (Good evening)! Como vai? (How are you?) Prazer em conhece-la (Nice to meet you) or Prazer em reve-la (Nice to see you)!
- Oi (Hi)! Como vai? (How are you?) Prazer em conhece-la (Nice to meet you) or Prazer em reve-la (Nice to see you)!
- Ola (Hi)! Como vai? (How are you?) Prazer em conhece-la (Nice to meet you) or Prazer em reve-la (Nice to see you)!

Or she can answer:
-  Bom dia (Good morning)/ Boa tarde (Good afternoon)/ Boa noite (Good evening)! Tudo bem (I am fine)! Como vai? (How are you?) Prazer em conhece-la (Nice to meet you too) or Prazer em reve-la (Nice to see you)!



MAN & WOMAN:

They can shake hands, or kiss each other. In a first contact, it is more usual to shake hands.
Anyways, in a Business Meeting, when a man is introduced to a woman, I suggest shaking hands.

Also, if a Brazilian woman wants to shake hands with a man, she will extend her hand first.


At the same time, he or she can say:
- Bom dia (Good morning)/ Boa tarde (Good afternoon)/ Boa noite (Good evening)! Como vai? (How are you?) Prazer em conhece-lo or Prazer em conhece-la (Nice to meet you)! or
- Oi (Hi)! Como vai? (How are you?) Prazer em conhece-lo or Prazer em conhece-la (Nice to meet you) or Prazer em reve-lo (Nice to see you)! or or Prazer em reve-la (Nice to see you)!
- Ola (Hi)! Como vai? (How are you?) Prazer em conhece-lo or Prazer em conhece-la (Nice to meet you) or Prazer em reve-lo (Nice to see you) or Prazer em reve-la (Nice to see you)!

Or he can answer:
-  Bom dia (Good morning)/ Boa tarde (Good afternoon)/ Boa noite (Good evening)! Tudo bem (I am fine)! Como vai? (How are you?) Prazer em conhece-lo or Prazer em conhece-la (Nice to meet you) or Prazer em reve-lo (Nice to see you)  or Prazer em reve-la (Nice to see you)!

Important Notes:

Tudo bem

- Tudo bem? as question and Tudo bem! as answer is very often used in Brazilian conversations. You can ask Tudo bem? for a person, thing or situation.
Tudo bem? or Tudo bem com voce? - How are you?
Tudo bem! - I am fine!

Tudo bem com o carro do Mateus? - Is everything ok with Mateus' car? (Maybe it was broken)
Tudo bem! - Everything is ok.

Tudo bem com o processo do seu divorcio? - Is everything ok with your divorce's process?
Tudo bem! - Everything is ok. 



Prazer em conhece-lo x Prazer em conhece-la - Nice to MEET you

- Prazer em conhece-lo - used when you direct your speech to a man or boy

- Prazer em conhece-la - used when you direct your speech to a woman or girl


Prazer em reve-lo x Prazer em reve-la - Nice to SEE you

- Prazer em reve-lo - used when you direct your speech to a man or boy

- Prazer em reve-la - used when you direct your speech to a woman or girl 

A Brazilian Way

We are Brazilians and friends, and we are passionate about culture differences around the world.

We lived in several countries, in different moments, including Brazil, France, Germany. We all had academics and professional experiences in important corporations and nonprofit organizations in Brazil and other countries.

We all grew up in Brazil. Nowadays, Adriana Oliveira lives in Savannah, Georgia, USA; Renata Schumman lives in Orange County, California, USA; and Renata Aragao lives in Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.


We would like to share our academics, professional, and practical knowledge about how things are and happen in Brazil. We would like to share with you the closest portrait we could have.

However, Brazil is a continental country (almost 200 million people living in the fifth largest country in the world) with lots of peculiarities. You can ask one, two, ten, one thousand Brazilians about the same topic, and you will receive different answers and opinions. That is completely normal! Each region, each state, each city, each family can have a different approach of a subject.

So that's why we will share with you A Brazilian Way of thinking, talking, acting, feeling. All posts will be based on our academics, professional, and practical knowledge about Brazilian Culture and Brazilian Etiquette.

If you are a businesswoman, a businessman, a tourist, a student, an employee, a contractor in Brazil, we would love to have you participating in our blog, sending questions and posting comments!

Abracos,

Adriana Oliveira, Renata Schumman & Renata Aragao