60 Things You Never Knew About Brazil (And Probably Never Wanted To)

It is a traditional for Brazilians to wear white on New Year’s Day  Brazil leads to world in plastic surgery Brazilians refuse to wash their underwear in the laundry machine; it is considered unsanitaryInstead, underwear in Brazil is washed by hand, in the sink or the shower, with special underwear soap McDonald’s can be ordered online and delivered to your home There are several ad campaigns in Brazil encouraging people to pee in the shower According to Brazilians, peeing in the shower saves the rain forest  It is a common conspiracy in Brazil that America has purchased the Amazon in secret and plans to annex it to the United States  Brazil is approximately the same size as the continental United States  All bills – electricity, internet, rent – can only be paid by a direct deposit into a specific bank account  One cent coins exist here, but I’ve never seen one in 9 months  All prices here are always rounded to the nearest 5 cents for convenience  There are currently two different sets of currency in existence  Sour cream does not exist here – anywhere  The best onion rings in the world can be found in Sao Paulo, Brazil at a restaurant called “The Fifties” (yes, in English)  There are more state holidays in Brazil than any other country on earth  Those holidays are in addition to the 30 day mandatory vacation that every employee in Brazil receives  They do celebrate Valentine’s Day here, along with the Day of the Lovers, Day of the Woman, Day of the Man, and Day of the Friends  It is possible to consume shrimp, watermelon, ice cream, fried cheese and beer all while sitting on the sand in your bikini (but not advisable)  Most kiosks along the beach in Rio are open 24 hours a day  Megan’s favorite Brazilian institution is the “chaveiros”: stand-alone, 24-hour key huts on the sidewalk for all your copying needs  Matt’s favorite Brazilian institution is the popcorn salesman who sets sup shop outside the movie theater to undercut the prices inside  For Easter, instead of baskets, it is traditional to give children (and adults) large, plastic eggs that are filled with toys and candy  Brazil is the best, and friendliest, place to be lost in the world  Brazil is the worst, and unfriendliest, place to get anything accomplished in the world  Personal dryers for clothes in the home do not exist here, but washers are very popular  It is possible to tell if a city’s soccer team is winning or not simply by opening the window and listening for the cheers or the cursing  Dogs in Brazil play with coconuts the way dogs in the US play with balls  Frozen yogurt is a very recent and incredibly popular phenomenon here, very similar to Starbucks in the United States  There are two Starbucks in Rio de Janeiro, and they have cinnamon rolls Brazilian wine is atrociously scary; thank god they know how to make a good caipirinha  Most Brazilians do not have a front door key; doormen are the only ones who can let people in or out of the building  It is important in Brazil to remain on good terms with your doorman  There is a sign in every elevator in Rio that says “STOP: check and make sure the elevator has actually halted on the right floor before you step down the elevator shaft”  Rio de Janeiro operates under a no tolerance law for drinking and driving; you are not allowed to drive if you have consumed absolutely any alcohol  Taxis here proudly display bumpers stickers advertising the no tolerance law  Taxi drivers here are really great sports, overall  Many taxis nowadays have mini televisions hooked up in their cars; they are always set to Brazilian soap operas  Brazilian soap operas, or “telenovellas” are incredibly popular here with all genders and age groups  Arabic food is one of the best ethnic foods in Rio de Janeiro  Megan’s favorite word in Portuguese is “parallelippiddo” which means cobblestone  The term for giving birth here is “dar de luz” or literally giving the light  Brazilians have adopted many English words into their own vocabulary, like “voucher” “status” take-out” ”delivery” and “sale” The worst English translation that we’ve ever seen in Brazil was “Melissa Love Pirate” which was proudly emblazoned as the name of a popular shoe store  Construction is so popular in Brazil that it is impossible to live anywhere without omnipresent sound of banging hammers  Most heavy construction is performed by men in a pair of swim trunks and a size-too-small pair of flip-flops  All utilities, including light and internet, are run underneath the city via manholes  You must never, never, never turn the air conditioning and the microwave in your apartment at the same time  Brazilians think that vegetarianism means that you eat no beef, but chicken and fish and pork are still fine  There is no pasteurized milk here  Rental prices in Rio de Janeiro have risen 76% in the last year because of the upcoming Olympics and World Cup  Most Brazilians have a hammock in their apartment  Illegal vans that fit 8-10 people follow along popular bus routes and pick up people, for a price, that have been left behind  On most side walk corners, illegal lotteries are run by innocuous looking old men sitting at a desk all day  Ping-pong (pronounced pingee-pongee) is very popular in Brazil  Not content with mere Frisbee, Brazilians have invented a multitude of their own beach games involving frescobol (like paddle ball) and futevolei (volleyball played with no hands)  There is an American style football league that is run every weekend on Copacabana beach  Brazil has the highest rate of publishing houses to literate people in the world  The most commonly used word in the Portuguese language is “opa”, which translates into “whoops!”  Brazilians shower more often than any other nationality; an average of about 3 times a day  If you ask any Brazilian where in the world they would most like to visit, they will respond with Disney World