All work and no play makes the gourmet nomad a dull blogger

After working under the tirade of a demanding boss no short of the reputation "Devil Wears Converse," I fully appreciate that I've departed from advertising hell and have entered the glorious food market. Working in the food industry is amazing. You gain a lot - exposure to new restaurants, new trends and new cuisines. No gut, no glory!

Luckily, it's not all work and no play and foodies throw the best happy hours...

Recently a coworker of mine moved back to Brazil. Before she left, she provided everyone with the best possible parting gift: a wonderful spread of her favorite brazilian treats and beverages! When I think of Brazilian food I think of churrascarias [brazilian steakhouses], so imagine my surprise when she didn't whip out skewers of succulent meat. Rather than clogging our artieries, she delighted us with the street food of the masses - an interesting mix of savory and sweet handheld foods. The interesting combination of unlikely ingredients were surprising, but incredibly satisfying...

Coxinha, which litererally means "little thigh" was my personal favorite. Aptly named for its main ingredient and shape, coxinha is made of seasoned dark chicken meat wrapped in a dough made of mashed potatoes that is then deep fried. Crispy on the outside and soft and succulent on the inside, coxinha's are completely craveable. It's the basic croquette, only better.

Pão de queijo was a close second. Savory cream puffs? Yes please! Pão de queijo are cheese puffs made with yuca flour, tapiocca flour, parmesan cheese and eggs. The beauty of this dish is that you can choose how you eat it. If you feel like indulging in something a bit more decadent, you can spread on dulce de leche - a super rich milk-based caramel sauce. If you prefer more savory foods like me, you can spread on Requeijao, Brazil's version of cream cheese. Very mild with a light creamy consistency.


Que Romantico! While not my favorite, Goiabada com queijo was a good dish with an even better story. A simple dish that consists of cheese and guava jelly, Goiabada com queijo is often referred to as Romeo y Julieta because they go together perfectly. While the story is a bit cheesy, the star is the guava jelly since the cheese that it's paired with is usually mild. It's a wonderfully sweet snack with a hint of savory.


And what happy hour is complete without a beverage or two? Caipirinha is the national cocktail of Brazil. Caipirinha has very similar qualities to the mojito, without the mint. The key is cachaça, a liquor similar to rum. Combined with lime, ice and sugar it's incredibly refreshing and very easy to drink more than one...

In addition to the above dishes, we also sampled a few others:

• Mousse de maracuja - a layered cream dessert made with passion fruit juice, sweet condensed milk and heavy cream covered with a passion fruit glaze
• Paçoquinha - cylinders of peanut powder with sugar - which tasted very similar to the inside of a reeses peanut butter cup
• Brigadeiro - homemade creamy chocolate balls made with condensed milk and powdered chocolate wrapped in chocolate sprinkles
• Guarana Antarctica- a Brazilian soft drink/energy drink that rivals Coke in popularity. Sweet and carbonated, the beverage possesses similar qualities to Gingerale.
  

Love my job. Being constantly consumed with consuming is never a bad thing. I'm just going to have to spend more time capturing personal experiences vs. just experiencing...