Going from TEXAS SIZE to Rio Size, the evolution

Have you seen an email where they show how the swimming suit trend has been from the longest and largest to the very smallest??? Well, that was because the Cariocas had something to do with it! This effect has trickled down to many things in Rio, such as cars, food, clothes size, houses, etc.

The vast majority of cars are very small; the Honda Fit is considered a mid-size car, as is the Toyota Corolla, Mercedes has the A-5 version and all the other manufacturers have their own models. When Fernando arrived on Monday with his brand new silver Mitsubishi Pajero SUV, we thought he was driving a school-bus-size car! It seemed so big compared to the others ones, but he pointed out that it's probably smaller than what he was driving in the US, not to mention my van. Although it fits everywhere, trying to park it within the lines at the mall is a challenge, since it basically covers the whole space, so we have to park far away from everyone in order to be able to get out of the car. I can't say that all the others have that much more space either, the slots are very narrow, especially after Houston's.

Our first shock was the food portion. We were already used to Texas size upgrade-it-all kind of size and then we had our first lunch, half an hour after arriving... we thought it was the appetizers!!! Even the size of the plates is smaller, the coffee mugs are the expresso kind (thimble size) and if you ask for a disposable cup you will get the smallest available- slightly bigger than what is used in the bathroom to rinse your mouth. So, my teenage boy has had to ask for double portions, Fernando and I shared yet another one and people would open their eyes in disbelief. The first night we went out of the hotel, we went to a buffet restaurant (very popular here) and when we went out and payed, the girl thought that the quantity was a mistake and didn't charge for a whole serving, probably thinking it was too much!!!

There is also the "kilo" option, which makes you totally self-conscious because they actually weigh your plate and tell you exactly how much you will eat!!! (It does work to make you realize you don't need to eat that much)...

When the kids and I ate at "Habib's", a local fast food place, I asked about certain dish and pointed out that it was small. The girl instantly said, "no, no , it's BIG" and showed us an approximate size with her hands... Eric and I laughed at that later on, saying she hasn't seen big portions...

One day at our now famous Barra Shopping, I went into a shoe store with big signs offering a great sale, only to realize that I don't know what size shoe I wear (Brazil uses a different size from the US, Mexico or Europe). I let the salesperson know that, and was waiting for the foot measurement, when she called out to her partner and then they both inspected my foot and guessed my number!! I couldn't believe it! they were actually very good at it, but I thought the whole thing was very funny.

I haven't yet tried to shop for clothes, but from what I've seen, I instantly went from a North American M (medium) to a Brazilian G (grande), if not a GG (extra large)... I'm not letting anyone guess on that one!!!

Housing is yet another example of smaller sizes. Almost everyone lives in an apartment here. We saw several and just couldn't picture ourselves in one, when you do have the option of a house. We finally got the house in a nice neighborhood as close as we could get to Fernando's job and the Escola Americana. It's a nice, clean and comfortable house with a swimming pool in the back and a guest room for you. I went to check it out with the realtor yesterday, the kids & I liked it very much, but I'm still thinking that my fridge will not fit through the doors, we really didn't need to bring the dryer, and I should've sent those bookcases to Mexico... oh well!!!