Did you go?
What do Brazilians think of the Olympics?
Is it as amazing as everyone says it is?
I'm going to try to resolve the most common doubts here.
Yes, I went!
But no, I did not go to Rio de Janeiro. Although Brazil has constructed many new stadiums specifically for the Olympic games in Rio, a lot of stadiums which had already been built for other reasons (such as the 2014 World Cup) are being utilized in the Olympics. Many of these stadiums are even in other cities such as Salvador, São Paulo, Manaus, and Belo Horizonte (where I am living).
So long story short, I stayed in Belo Horizonte for the Olympics. They were hosting a match at the historic Mineirão Stadium for the men's soccer quarter finals and I decided to go with a friend from work.
Why didn't you go to Rio?
To be completely honest, I cannot think of one person I know here that actually went to Rio for the Olympics. The main reason for this is, that compared to Belo Horizonte, Rio has a lot more crime. There is a lot of worry now since this crime is likely to be elevated with the large influx of tourists as well as the movement of police force from certain heavily-policed areas of Rio (such as the favelas) and into the vicinity of the Olympic Games. Long story short, most people here (including myself) are waiting until after the Olympics to book our tickets to Rio.
So how was the game?
It was amazing. The match I specifically went to was between South Korea and Honduras. Most people in the stadium were notably cheering for Honduras considering it was, at least, within Latin America. As far as South Korea went, there was a group of about 20 or 30 Koreans on one side of the stadium and the jumbo screen kept panning back and forth to them to see their reaction. However, I would say the majority of people in the stadium were Brazilians, and they wore Brazilian jerseys and carried Brazilian flags. Although Brazil did not specifically play in this match, they played immediately after against Colombia.
Here's a shot of me awkwardly standing in front of the new fountain they installed outside of the stadium for the Olympics.
Oh and here's a picture of my friend Taís and I
Lastly, in this photo I'm representing Brazil since they also were playing that night. I didn't necessarily own a Brazilian flag so I asked a random guy if I could borrow his and he enthusiastically agreed. So enthusiastically in fact, that he invited me to take photos with him and his family as well. He told me he'd send them to me... still waiting. But he was a legend regardless.
Oh and also I have a couple of videos I took on my phone. Here is a quick one after Honduras scored a goal (the only goal in the game).
Here is just a video overlooking the stadium from where we were sitting. Fun fact, we were originally sitting in this location but when Taís spotted a couple of empty seats in the first row, we moved all of the way up. Essentially, we paid $60 each for front row seats at an Olympic match. Crazy right?
What kind of food did you guys have?
Another great question. So in the stadium they offered popcorn, "salty snacks," unspecified sandwiches, pizza, and tropeiro. I wanted popcorn but they apparently had ran out, so I settled with some cheese pizza.
Tropeiro?
Ok so Tropeiro is a traditional dish in the state I am living in, Minas Gerais. It is notably popular in the city but also extremely popular when Mineiros (people living in Minas Gerais) go to watch a game at Mineirão. Although I normally would have loved eating a traditional dish, the fact that I physically cannot eat meat makes it a bit more difficult. Taís ordered one however! I forgot to snap a shot, so instead I'll show you a pic off the internet so at least you know what it looks like.
Pic: Easy Brazilian Recipes
Tropeiro is typically made with a combination of beans, bacon, cassava flour, and eggs. There are slight variations which might involve throwing in some onion, scallions, parsley, or pork rind - but generally the base ingredients remain the same.
Legend has it that tropeiro originated via cattlemen in the colonial times, after which the dish is named. They would transport goods between cities while feasting on tropeiro.
Although I cannot enjoy the original tropeiro, I saw a place that has a vegetarian variation so I'll be sure to go there and let you know how it is!
Olympics in General
On a final note, I'd like to touch upon the idea of the "Olympics" itself within Brazil. As you can tell, the Olympics have been a huge controversy given the state of Brazil today between phenomena such as the political and economic crises. Instead of money going towards the direct benefit of the population, money has gone to these games, which are temporary sources of entertainment. In fact, many people within Brazil on a recent poll voted that Brazil is now worse off with the Olympics than it would have been without. Although the Olympics have received much more support from the government of Brazil than by the people of Brazil, many Brazilians have eventually come forth saying that Brazil was in a much different state back in 2009 when it accepted the bid and Brazilians might as well enjoy the games while they are here. But again, there still are many protests in Rio from Brazilians who still do not support the Olympics. I could honestly write pages about the complex relationship between Brazil and the Olympics, but I think it's better if I just give you a general gist.
That's all for today! Hope you were interested to hear about my experience at the Olympics.
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