brastilo

Brazil's healthful plants, part três

The final leg (at least for now) of our healthy Brazilian food series will focus on a little known berry that is actually native to the West Indies but can also be seen growing wild and cultivated in Northeastern Brazil.  Brastilo introduces you to the acerola.

Often referred to as the Barbados cherry, the acerola is a red fruit that is largely consumed for its vitamin C content.  Interestingly, Wikipedia states that the berry is "sour as much as it is sweet".  And according to the California Rare Fruit Growers website, the acerola also has "a delicate flavor with apple notes".  So, I guess we can call the acerola the fine wine of berries.

And while nobody here has ever heard of the acerola, we believe it's the best kept secret.  According to Big in Japan, it's already being used in Japan as a cure for the common cold.  In Tokyo, vitamin C enriched acerola juices are already being sold in supermarkets....in really fun packaging!  You have to admit, you'd totally buy that over an Odwalla any day!

The Vitamin C from the acerola can also be used in supplement form.  One example we found on the web (but the legitimacy of the product is still unconfirmed), is Dr. Ben Kim's Acerola Cherry Powder which claims to help your skin and prevent hair loss as well as build your immune system.

So this really is a magic berry.  We'd expect nothing less from the berries cultivated in our precious natural forests.  And as always, Brastilo's use of wood sourced from specially selected sustainable forests helps protect the forests where acerola grows naturally. 

Another helpful tip from your friends at Brastilo.

Brazil's healthful plants, part dois

Following along the lines of our previous post, Brastilo brings you stevia.  You may have heard of this nifty little sweetener and sugar-substitute, but we have the total spoonful.  Get it? - spoonful of sugar - okay, I'll stop.

What is stevia, you ask?  Well, it's not just some corporate hoax to make you buy more sweets.  According to our best friend Wikipedia, stevia is an herb and shrub based in South America.  "...commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, [it's] widely grown for its sweet leaves. As a sugar substitute, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar...having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar."

300 times the sweetness of sugar?  Oh yeah, and it's calorie-free.  Sold yet?

Well now that we've hooked you, where can you find this miracle, all-natural sweetener from the tropical forests of Brazil?  Not very far away, as it turns out.  SweetLeaf sells numerous sweetener products made with stevia, including packets of stevia to use with coffee and tea.  According to the brand, stevia also contains fiber so it's relatively healthy in comparison to other sugar substitutes.  And it's kosher.

Now, I feel like I'm going on and on about the wonders of stevia.

But in case you still don't believe me, SweetLeaf created this brilliant chart comparing stevia to other sweeteners:

And, as if all this low-cal, sweetener stuff wasn't enough, Wikipedia touts the medical benefits of stevia as well for conditions like obesity and high blood pressure.  It's also great for diabetics because of it's low Glycemic Index.


Yet another healthful tip from your friends at Brastilo!

Look out for more to come...we can't help but be proud of our healthful Brazilian herbs and berries.  And don't forget, Brastilo's use of specially cultivated forests helps keep herbs like stevia alive in our naturally occurring tropical forests throughout Brazil.

Brazil's healthful plants

I am always looking for new health foods.  After surviving countless diets, including the pungently aromatic Cabbage Soup Diet, I have my doubts about good tasting healthy foods.  As it is, I spent 30 minutes trying to determine whether to eat a salad for dinner or pasta (in case you're interested, I decided on a ginormous bag of pretzels and some low fat/disgusting chocolate cookies). 

Leave it to Brazil, bastion of the g-string bikini, to bring us healthy plants that actually taste good.  I guess it's important when you're wearing next to nothing on a public beach.

Acai (pronounced asa'i) was trendy last year but we believe some things transcend trends.  Acai is generally considered to be one of the most antioxidant laden plants around and it's native to Central and South America.  It's is a purple drupe, that looks similar to a grape.  According to Switch2Organics.com,

"Not only is the açaí berry an antioxidant, but taken in the organic form unique amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and proteins are present in these berries. The açaí berry is rapidly becoming recognized as one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world, and is nature’s perfect energy fruit." 

It's only a matter of time before we hear people proclaiming the glory of Acai to help them stay up late and study.

image via Switch2Organics

In 2007, several companies began to use acai in various drinks.  Check out Bossa Nova and O.N.E. Amazon Acai for some examples.  But, most interestingly, acai is often eaten as a fruit in Brazil, and even acts as a great flavor additive.  Wikipedia notes:

"The juice and pulp of açaí fruits (Euterpe oleracea) are frequently used in various juice blends, smoothies, sodas, and other beverages. In northern Brazil, açaí (or jussara, which is one of the fruit's common folk names) is traditionally served in gourds called "cuias" with tapioca and, depending on the local preference, can be consumed either salty or sweet (sugar, rapadura and honey are known to be used in the mix). Açaí has become popular in southern Brazil where it is consumed cold as acai na tigela ("açaí in the bowl"), mostly mixed with granola - a fad where açai is considered as an energizer. Açaí is also widely consumed in Brazil as an ice cream flavor or juice."

Acai flavored ice cream?  I thought this was supposed to be healthy.  But there are so many uses for this plant, it's only a matter of time before we start seeing acai na tigela in NYC cafes.

 

And it should be noted that because Brastilo uses its own sustainable forests we are helping to protect the rainforest where acai and other rare fruits and berries are found.  We like to do our part wherever we can!

Stay tuned for even more posts on other Brazilian foods that can help you stay healthier...so we can all look good in our g-string bikinis!

This healthful announcement brought to you by your friends at Brastilo. 

Vote for Rio!

I remember waking my poor father up every Sunday morning at about 6am, begging him to play a boardgame with me.  I had a few favorites, some quicker than others.  And I could always tell just how adorable I must have been, grinning at his bedside, when he smiled and exuded patience at the thought of having to play an early morning game of Monopoly when he could be sleeping (or at least otherwise go back to sleep in 30 or so minutes).  Monopoly was great for me - I loved the little toys that you could use to designate yourself on the board.  I reveled in the Community Chest and Chance cards, eagerly awaiting my "Get Out of Jail Free" card, laughing hysterically at my father whenever he landed in jail and he had to pay me $50 for my free pass out.  It also meant HOURS of alone time with my father.  He must have loved me quite a bit to put up with me that early in the morning on a weekend!

And while, to this day, I love Monopoly, I still don't get the board.  Where is Connecticut Avenue?  Baltic Avenue?  What is the B&O Railroad?  I thought that was like the first railroad ever built in this country.  Is it even still around? Why is Park Place $500?! And why, dear Parker Brothers, do I always get saddled with the light blues and never the greens? 

That last question aside, we can all finally know a little more about the geography of the Monopoly board.  Parker Brothers is creating a world edition of Monopoly, and you have, at the time of writing this, exactly 2 days and 10 hours to cast your vote for our favorite city, Rio de Janeiro, to make it onto the board.  After all these years, we'll finally understand that darned Monopoly board!!!

This blog has touted the beauty and culture of Rio and, if we've done our jobs right, you're about to run right over and vote vote vote!  To remind you, we've talked about the amazing Sugarloaf Mountain and the beautiful designs of the Portuguese Mosaics, the welcoming Lapa Staircase, the beauty of Ipanema, and the overall free spirit that pervades Rio, "carioca".  We love Rio, and we want the world to love Rio too.  That's why it's so important for us to get Rio into the eyes of the millions of people who will play this game, the children who will dream of visiting Rio (which will no doubt be at least where the yellow squares are, if not the green, on the Monopoly board), and the parents who desperately need a vacation from their annoying children who wake them up on Sunday mornings to play Monopoly, Here & Now: World Edition (sorry Dad)!  We want to bring Rio into the livelihoods of America and the World, because Rio is truly an astounding city. 

If this hasn't sold you, well, I guess you'll have to vote for some over-traveled European city.  Sigh.

Vote for Rio to make it on the Monopoly board here.

The Brazilian Catwalk

At Brastilo, we are always looking at other industries for inspiration.  Whether that be the new Virgin America plane interiors (which are spectacular, from what I hear), or the NASA’s noble attempt to create a book of the night sky that makes it visible to the blind, we like to look at these other areas to see the possibilities that are out there for great design – design that solves problems or makes people’s lives better/easier/different/more beautiful.  This is precisely why we love monitoring Sao Paolo Fashion Week, in which, we’re proud to say, our Blue Paper Bowl was once featured. 

Fairly new to the couture scene, these shows celebrate Brazilian design, which is becoming ever-more popular in the fashion market.  The perennial favorite, Alexander Herchcovitch, maintained his reputation for creating beautiful, wearable pieces – but this time he did so for Zoomp as well as for his signature line.  Personally, I love his dresses.  They’re just conceptual enough to play with standard forms, but also totally accessible – like something you might wear to a friend’s fancy dinner party. 

Alexander Herchcovitch


Zoomp

Another designer, Ellus, did amazing things with scarves, stuffing old toys to create these 3-dimensional looking neck art objects.  I love it when designers get just a little bit crazy!  I also love Ellus’ jacket made of medals.  It reminds me of a sociological theory on which I once had to write a paper about how medals carry signals of stature that the rest of society knows to read as “important” or “impressive”.   Wow - I almost made fashion boring, just then.

   

Thanks to the revival of punk, seen at Osklen, we don’t have to worry about fashion being boring!  This buckle dress is fantastic and truly innovative!

And then, revisiting Brastilo’s theme of recycling and being good to the environment, Cavalera recycled fabrics instead of merely creating couture gowns.  As Cool Hunting so gracefully points out, the site of the shoot on the Tiete River “raised conscience about the pollution and trash that we collectively produce.”  For a first-hand account of the show, and to see just how relevant it actually was, read Diane’s post.

 

These are only a taste of what’s coming out of Brazil’s fashion houses.  As Vogue points, Sao Paolo Fashion Week is wacky, fun, and conceptually bizarre.  But, it’s put the city on the fashion map and shows just how spectacular and creative Brazilian design really is.

Getting away from it all

It’s summer in Brazil.  The mere thought of blue skies has me reeling.  And, as the New Year has just begun, my friends and I are contemplating where to go this year on our big vacation.  I’m rooting for Brazil! 

If you haven’t read them yet, Eduardo Camara wrote fantastic diary entries of Brastilo’s photo shoots.  Not only do the pictures capture the sheer beauty of Rio’s beaches and mountains, but his description of the “carioca spirit” – one that is cool, sophisticated, and laid back – is truly enticing.  There are so many things to see – the Portuguese mosaics that line Rio’s beaches, the Lapa Staircase with its welcoming message, the Sugarloaf Mountains, and Christ the Redeemer (recently added to the 7 Wonders of the World).  Beyond Rio, there’s Sao Paolo, the city that recently banned all outdoor advertising.  Sao Paolo is the home to a burgeoning design scene, according to posts from CJosh Spear’s Phuong-Cac Nguyen.  Art flourishes everywhere in this gritty city, from the colorful, urban sneaker stores to the recent sewer art project. 

And finally, the place I’ve been dying to go, the legendary Iguaçu Falls – a natural beauty rivaled only by Victoria Falls in Africa.  While the falls themselves are beautiful, the mythology behind them is equally as touching.  According to Wikipedia, “Legend has it that a god planned to marry a beautiful aborigine named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In rage, the god sliced the river creating the waterfalls, condemning the lovers to an eternal fall.”  Maybe it’s just me, but I always found fascinating the legends of gods immortalizing mortal lovers in the natural landscape.   

It’s these natural beauties and historic mythologies combined with the carioca spirit that make Brastilo such a fun brand.  And it’s these elements that make Brazil an amazing tourist destination – one that is stunning, complex, interesting, and eye-opening.  I just hope I can get there when it’s warm!

The joys of a customizable home

If I walk from one corner of my apartment to the other – a task that, in NYC, should only take about 5 steps total – I’m struck by the way furniture can define a space.  I know which part of my tiny room is to be the “work” section – there’s a desk, a chair, a computer.  It’s obvious the part of my room that comprise the entertainment section – there’s a TV and a stereo.  Each of these elements is highly designed (even if it’s design from a decade ago).  The elements that weren’t immediately customizable through the manufacturer (such as the color cover on my old PC) have been customized by either me or the slightly more talented - incorporating fun bumper stickers or etchings (such as the awesome engravings being done on Zune players).  My tiny little room is filled with personality and spunk, making seemingly banal objects like a desk, appear awesome and inviting.

And then you walk into the kitchen.  At least here, in New York, the kitchen is the bastion of New York City funkiness, and I don’t mean that in a kitschy way.  The cabinets don’t stay shut, there are gaping holes between the oven and the fridge large enough to attract piles of dirt but not wide enough to actually clean.  And the fridge is usually a monstrosity – a relic from 1945, when the so-called pre-war building was built.  Even if you own your home, it’s hard to stay contemporary with such a massive piece of equipment.  It requires a major financial layout and usually a malfunctioning fridge. 

Perhaps this is why it’s so much easier to make the bedroom or living room look more personable.  At least in these rooms we can buy furniture that is moveable, malleable, conformable.  We also tend to have more options.  If we don’t like the staid look of a PC, we can buy a Mac.  If we don’t like those boring bookcases from cheap, flat-pack stores, we can get a fun looking one from…oh, I don’t know…Brastilo.   But in the kitchen?  You’re forced to decide between another banal white fridge or a sort of high-tech silver number that looks like it belongs on Star Trek.  Okay, so maybe if you’re a hipster living in Brooklyn you’d buy a Smeg.  But let’s be real – that avocado color went out of style 40 years ago for a reason!

The solution?  Customize your own fridge.  That’s right folks.  Brazilian fridge manufacturer Brastemp is allowing you to create your very own fridge using different color combinations with all sorts of doo-dads like water filtration systems and fruit trays.  The new line is called “You” and was featured on the Josh Spear blog last month.  Unfortunately the site is in Portuguese, but it’s still lots of fun to play with the “over 19,000 possible combinations.”  You can even choose which way the door should open and how to organize the inside shelves.  As customization grows throughout various consumer products, we can expect to see similar items at Home Depot in no time.  With something like a fridge, however, we have to remind ourselves that we’ll have to stare at this thing for a long time.  And it’s a bit more expensive than those Nike Free sneakers we bought that one time in Magenta and never wore again.  Or that Zune player we got with an engraving that now reads, “Dara loves Menudo”.  So even though magenta is the color of the season, it may not translate onto a fridge 20 years from now.

But still, Brastemp has me salivating for my own place for which I can purchase a well-designed fridge to match my new MacBook and fancy LCD television (and that darned Zune player I can’t seem to unengrave).  I can see my dream fridge dancing before my eyes; turquoise on top, black on bottom, hinged on the left with a water-filter on the front door - a tool I’ve dreamed of owning since I was a little girl staring in envy at my best friend’s fancy new refrigerator.  I love that one day I’ll be able to fully customize everything in my home, making it truly reflect my tastes, aesthetics, and sense of kitsch, and that with the same products, we can all have very different looking homes.

Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer turns 100

Oscar Niemeyer, considered by many to be Brazil’s most prolific contemporary architect, will achieve another milestone this Saturday when he turns 100. 

Born in Rio in 1907, Niemeyer attended Brazil’s prestigious National School of Fine Arts before joining the team of Swiss-born Bauhaus giant Le Corbusier on a new Ministry of Education and Health.  He then went on to design the Brazilian pavilion at the New York World's Fair with Lucio Costa, for which he was named an honorary citizen of New York by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.

With more than 175 projects worldwide, Niemeyer is perhaps best known for his work on the United Nations headquarters in New York where he insisted on the curves that are now so famous.  In Brazil, his flying-saucer shaped Museum of Contemporary Art located across the bay from Rio de Janeiro was once considered to be too modern, but is now hailed as a masterpiece of contemporary architecture. 

Museu de Arte Contemporânea, Brazil (via: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Museu_de_Arte_Contempor%C3%A2nea.jpg)

So what does the “king of curves” – a title given to him for his “curvy’ architecture – have planned for this big day?  According to Niemeyer, he plans on celebrating with an intimate dinner that will include his daughter Anna Maria Niemeyer, five grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and four great-great-granchildren.  His fellow countrymen aren’t so subtle in their merriment.  And why should they be?  After all, what Brazilian doesn’t enjoy a celebration? 

For starters, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has declared 2008 the “Year of Oscar Niemeyer” and has requested that all of Niemeyer’s buildings in the country be added to a national registry that protects them from being altered without special permission.  And in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro, the newspaper O Globo is projecting images of his work on buildings throughout the city.

So what’s next for Brazil’s most noted architect?  While he has a stack of projects to choose from, he is currently planning to transform a prison in Valparaiso, Chile, into a futuristic cultural center, further leaving his mark on future generations.

Images of famous Niemeyer buildings:

Via: http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/0,5538,PB64-SUQ9MjczNTImbnI9NA_3_3,00.html

Via: http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/0,5538,PB64-SUQ9MjczNTImbnI9NQ_3_3,00.html

Links to articles about Niemeyer's 100th birthday:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/14/america/LA-GEN-Brazil-Niemeyer-Century.php

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,523409,00.html

A Brazilian musical retreat

Walking down the streets of NYC when the temperature is 47 degrees, my mind wanders to Brazilian blue skies, radiant sunlight, and palm trees.  I waddle to work bundled in my puffy down jacket and snow boots just thinking how I will miss the warmth and relaxing summer season. 

To mentally extend my summers, I listend to the sweet sounds of Bebel Gilberto, Brazil’s most inspiring musical export.  As the New York Times put it, “Her lyrics of love and longing flutter and repeat in a blend of Brazilian beats, with alternating pulsating and breathy electronica.” () If you’re skeptical, you can listen to samples of her music at http://www.bebelgilberto.com/.  Singing in both English and Portuguese, Bebel’s voice is truly relaxing. With an impressive musical background, including playing with Stan Getz at Carnegie Hall at the mere age of 9, Bebel’s latest album Memento was an international hit when it launched last spring, receiving rave reviews from what seems like every music critic.  And really, what’s not to like?  It’s beautiful, sensual, soft, interesting, captivating, alluring…and every other positive adjective you can think of.  I’m actually listening to her music as I write - whisked away to a Brazilian beach with the Sugarloaf Mountains in the distance, colorful bikinis everywhere, the feel of the soft beach towel on the back of my legs, and the sounds of Bebel Gilberto streaming through my iPod. 

And then I wake up to realize I’m wearing two sweaters just to sustain some semblance of body heat.  But I’ll put on Bebel Gilberto whenever I need a mental vacation.  Which, of course, will happen after work…not during.

Image taken from New York Times

Brastilo: A Photographer’s Diary, Part 4 – “Welcoming Samba”

The following is an excerpt from the journal of Eduardo Camara, the Brazilian photographer who worked on the Brastilo photo shoot.

To finalize the Carioca tour of Rio, we went to Samba's neighborhood, to the "Old Rio" - the Lapa neighborhood.  This is where everything started.  Where our culture sprouts like trees, improvising our genuine music.  Where everything is mixed; the classic and the popular, the Barroco and the modern, the improvised and the planned, the pur Carioca spirit.

The Lapa Staircase is a mark that welcomes foreigners into Rio's Carioca Lifestyle.  This is our essence: receive all with open arms so they feel at home, hearing music that is fascinating while tasting our rich and unique culture.

Welcome to Brazil!