Debate Summary - SPS vs. Wind/Solar/Hydrogen

> I have many friends from Brazil, and I will have to ask them what they think
> of the food here... I have eaten at a very good Brazialian place in San Fran
> - Brazilian food is very, very good!

Thanks! BTW, when exposed to homemade American food, I had some pleasant
surprises too - pumpkin pie with ice cream, for instance... I would
never imagine such a combination but, hell, that's good! :-)

> In fact, I can't think of any group of
> peoples (except perhaps Argentinians) that can cook a steak as good.

Indeed, there is a kind of national obsession with steaks and barbecues
in here - a country of carnivores, with an unusually high beef
consumption for a developing country. In fact, the country is about to
become *the* World's largest beef exporter, as seen in
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/business/7236591.htm . That could
give us the spooky title of "The Slaughterhouse of the World" :-).

Argentinian beef is also appreciated here as a kind of sophisticated
delicacy, because it tastes very different from most of our beef. The
explanation: most of our cattle is Nelore/Zebu
(http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/nelore/) originated from
India - a kind of cattle that may look a bit "alien" to most Western
eyes, with a camel-like hump behind their necks and a completely
different fat distribution; on the other hand, Argentinian cattle is of
European origin.

Finally, for some reason, in recent years, Brazilian "Churrascarias"
(restaurants specialized in barbecue, steaks and, well, all sorts of
meat) are becoming increasingly popular in the US. See for instance
http://www.nrnhotconcepts.com/2003_winners/fogo.cfm

> Your idea of the cultural taste homogenization is very interesting. Perhaps
> the answer is as simple as transplanted people who are becoming familar with
> a new country probably don't have the time to find every nook and crany
> restaurant and can't find good places to eat!

That hypothesis sounds simpler and even more plausible...

> So, I will expect to have good Brazilian food in my space habitat - with
> enough room for cows (fresh beef!), and of course, sushi!

Hmmmm, I think that we will have to wait for the really big habitats to
see cattle grown in open pastures like here. Until then, I'll be content
with pork - feijoadas will not be a problem. :-)

> Val

Lucio