Telma, who actually teaches me and helps me with my Portuguese, is one of my English students. She was so sweet to invite me with her family to have açai the real way—the Parense way—with fried fish, beef and shrimp!
Açai is type of palm fruit that is very popular in the region. It’s typically served with farinha (yellow ground up manioc root) or tapioca (also extracted from the manioc, but white in color), which has no taste but adds a crunchy texture to the açai. It's usually served chilled, and I like to add lots of sugar!
It has the consistency of a melted sorbet and tastes the same. The only bad thing about açai is that it turns your mouth dark purple (take a look at our açai smiles), so it's probably not the best idea to have it on a date or before going back to work. It was quite a different experience eating it with fried fish and shrimp, but I liked it. Telma and her daughter suggested I dip the fish directly into the açai before eating it. It was good!
After lunch, we went to Magal das Garzas, a small tourist park that brings the Amazon in direct contact with the tourists. It’s a beautiful place with many different birds, regional vegetation and rare trees. The butterfly exhibit is my fave! There is also lighthouse located in the park that offers great views of the city and nice deck over the river with gorgeous sights too!
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