etiquette
What is beer etiquette in Brazil?
Brazilians hardly consider themselves to be a polite people, but they do love to lecture each other on manners anyhow, especially when drinking. The following are the standard rules for correct consumption of Brazilian beer. 1. A man should pour beer for the ladies. I learned the intricacies of this while drinking with several cariocas …
Brazilian beer is awful. Should I attempt to drink it anyway?
Yes. The major Brazilian beers may be offensively devoid of character, and served estupidamente gelada (extremely, “stupidly” chilled) in the hopes you won’t notice, but drinking beer is an important Brazilian social event with lots of fun rules. How should you choose what to drink? Since all of your options are terrible, the only important …
Brazilian wine is awful. Should I attempt to drink it anyway?
Easy answer: No. Ff you’re in Brazil, you can’t even drink the stuff imported from proper wine countries like Chile or Argentina; upon crossing the Brazilian border it undergoes a mysterious process wherein it is rendered undrinkable (presumably, customs procedure involves leaving the bottles out to bake for a few years in the sun). Opt …
At a polite Albanian dinner, to whom should go the honor of smashing the sheep’s skull with his fist? And what is the etiquette guide for such conundrums?
Turn to the Kanun, the oral tradition of Albanian law that was codified in the 1500s and whose roots go back possibly to the Bronze Age. First set down in print and published as a handy reference in the early 1900s, it provides guidance on, for example: The etiquette of dinnertime sheep debraining An appropriate …