film festival and feijoada

Last week I spent an evening in Boston to see the  Banff Mountain Film Festival, which is an annual event for me. I had two favorites this year. The Last Ice Merchant is about a man in Ecuador who harvests ice daily from nearby glaciers-- well worth watching. The film that won best feature-length film was Ready to Fly, the story of Lindsey Van and how she worked toward getting women's ski jumping into the Olympics. It just amazes me that it took until this year to make it happen, and it made watching the event in this year's games that much more important. There were a number of other great films, so many that I didn't make it home finally until about 1 am. So tired.

The next day was an all-day work day, and since I hadn't had time to make food the night before as I usually do, during my lunch break I was dreading having to find something decent at Dunkin Donuts or some other fast food chain. Then I noticed a small cafe, sign out front that read "Now Open". I thought it was Mexican by the name (my least favorite), but I decided to give it a try anyway. I was the only one in there, but was greeted by a very friendly couple who own the restaurant. I looked at the menu: Brazilian! Feijoada! The woman gave me a sample and was amazed I knew how to pronounce the name. I explained that my mom often made the dish growing up, and she was surprised again. (Thanks mom!)

I ordered and ate, and then she and I started chatting again. She and her husband had opened the cafe only a few weeks ago, and it was going pretty slow. I assured her the food was excellent and it was only a matter of time, because really, they are making true homemade food. It was delicious. Her husband is a trained chef, and she worked various jobs including teaching English to Brazilian children near Boston. They seemed so proud having finally started their own business. Then she told me that because she knows what it's like, [retail] employees get a discount. Just pay what you can, because they may not have much, but they have food. Of course I will always pay the fair price, but having someone show that sort of generosity is uncommon. It's not something you'll find at Dunkin Donuts.