Rango e Futebol

We are staying at the Kaiwa Mission just outside Dourados.  The mission runs a hospital, school, church and Bible Institute primarily for the Kaiwa and other indigenous people in southwestern Brazil. My family has always felt welcome there. I found that little had changed over the years and no one was surprised to see me after so long away. "She found her way back," they say.
We are expected to join the director and his wife for the midday meal even if, like today, they are hosting a large group of visiting council members from all over Brazil.

The meat is being prepared on the grill outside under the orange trees: well seasoned steak, chicken and spicy pork sausage.  My mouth waters because I can already guess the rest of the meal: rice, brown beans prepared with pork crackling and manioc flour, fried manioc, potato salad and a tomato-onion vinagrete.  A perfect combination of tastes. I realize how jealous my sons would be if they knew what I was eating. 
A discussion broke out at the table as to whether we could eat like this outside of Brazil.  Someone told a story of trying to find beans to cook a Brazilian meal in Chile.  Most of the company could not begin to imagine being without this food.

The director's wife told her story of, when feeling sorry for my mother's lack of Brazilian ingredients in London, she packed and sent her home to England with some local cheese.  Unfortunately the suitcase containing the cheese went missing and a missing bag report had to be made.  She then became aware that bringing cheese into the UK is strictly prohibited.  She listed it in the contents of the missing suitcase anyway. The case was finally found and the cheese overlooked.  Miraculously, the cheese was still good and my mother was able to bake pao de queijo in London.

Over sweets made of banana and milk, we listened to the council members tell their stories of traveling and the misunderstandings that inevitably occur when one stumbles into another culture.  There was the 'Popcorn Potty' and the 'Flush toilet shower', two which brought on the most laughter.
After lunch it was time for an informal soccer game.  A good meal and a soccer game... I cannot think of a better way to bring people of different tribes, cultures and races together.