Eat Rio Food Tour Guests
Our guests vary in age, background and nationality. They also vary in the questions they ask, what they want to get out of the tour and how they react to the various experiences that make up the day. We never know quite what cocktail of personalities we’ll get on a tour and that adds a delicious unpredictability to the whole experience. Over the years we’ve met Hollywood film directors, chefs and food writers, backpackers, mathematicians, retired teachers, every type of scientist you can imagine, actors, teachers, students, athletes, entrepreneurs and even other food tour guides.
And returning to the same spots over and again allows us to form friendships with the market workers, street traders, waiters and owners of the places we visit. The feiras (street markets) are particular favourites with both the guides and the guests. Although the majority of our guests don’t speak any Portuguese, I’ve noticed that they love to participate in our warm interactions with the market traders. The traders often spontaneously hand out samples of their fruits to the guests and the smiles and attempts to communicate in broken English, Spanish, Portuguese (or just sign language and smiles) are truly heart-warming.
The Banana Seller and the Clown
One market worker who stands out for me personally is a lovely lady who sells bananas at the Monday feira in Botafogo. She usually has quite a lot of empty space on her stall and kindly lets me use this to cut up the fruits that make up that part of the tour. Like many of the market workers, she takes great interest in our guests and also in the fruits we serve and I like to leave a little selection for her to try once we’ve moved on.
On a recent tour, after saying our goodbyes to the banana lady, I looked over at my group and noticed something strange. One of my guests appeared to be wrestling with several balloons! Not the standard bulbous balloons you see kids wandering around with – these were those long thin ones that children’s entertainers turn into giraffes and swans. Puzzled, I went over and asked what she was doing. With hands and balloons still moving in a screeching blur, she replied matter-of-factly “I’m a professional clown”. I looked down, sceptically, at her normal-sized shoes. She continued “I’d like to give this to the lady selling bananas”. She was now holding a perfectly formed banana plant made of balloons, complete with a bunch of balloon bananas!
I followed her over and snapped a few photos as she presented her inflatable creation to the banana seller, who was equal parts surprised and touched. With a beaming smile she announced “I’m going to give this to my granddaughter!”.
Guests Giving Back
Our focus, of course, is on giving our guests the most rewarding experience possible, but I notice that our guests often give something back (though not usually in balloon form!). Street vendors and restaurant owners are not only happy for the extra customers, but they’re also proud and delighted to see the foreigners’ appreciation of their products and establishments. In the midst of all this mutual appreciation and cultural exchange (not to mention tasty food and delicious drinks!) how could anyone feel bored?
– see our Eat Rio Food Tour reviews here and here –
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