photo: Christina Mitchell
I’m getting ready for a trip to Brazil so I went to a Brazilian restaurant (which will remain nameless) to try some of the food. This was the exchange:
Me: So what are your favorite dishes?
Server: The Bahia is my favorite. It’s often overlooked, but it’s got a creamy sauce and these crispy matchstick potatoes and you can mix everything together.
Me: Well, I’m going to Bahia in a few days so…
Server: It must be fate!
Me: Haha…is the dish from Bahia?
Server: I’m not sure.
Me: Oh, ok…I guess I’ll try it.
(Later when she brings the dish)
Server: I’ve never heard anything about Bahia. So it’s place? Where is it?
Me: Yeah…uh…it’s a state in Northeast Brazil…
The customer should NOT know more about the menu than the server, especially if we’re talking her favorite dish. Just in case you were wondering, the dish was edible, but offensive with goopy, flavorless sauce, served over cubed chicken and sliced mushrooms and what tasted like Uncle Ben’s Boil-in-Bag Rice, day-old Mexican salsa (?) and Safeway French bread. There was a complete lack of respect for rich culinary traditions. I’ve never been to Brazil before, but I’m pretty sure the food is a lot better than what I tasted. Actually, I’ll be in Bahia for about a month (yay!) and I plan on tasting everything, so I’ll share whatever I learn. Let me know if you have any suggestions for places I should go.
Christina Mitchell
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