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Porto Alegre Local Customs
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Porto Alegre Local Customs

Learn the local customs of Porto Alegre. Tips and photos posted by real travelers and Porto Alegre locals.
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Porto Alegre Local CustomsTips 1 - 10 of 26  
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Greeting people
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    • RaquelMac
  • Updated By RaquelMac on January 10, 2004
  • Porto Alegre Page by RaquelMac
    • Men only shake hands, or hug if they are close. They sometimes tap each other on the back to show friendliness.
    Women can both shake hands (more formal situation) or kiss on the cheek and hug, if they are closer.
    Also, when kissing on the cheeks, we kiss three times and not two as in the rest of Brazil.

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    Chimarrão, typical drink
  • Tip Rating:
    • RaquelMac
  • Updated By RaquelMac on January 10, 2004
  • Porto Alegre Page by RaquelMac
    • Chimarrão is a typically gaucho drink. It is hot and bitter. It consists of a kind of tea made with hot water and mate herb. It is drunk in a special recipient called CUIA and you suck the liquid through a kind of straw called BOMBA. Gauchos (the people from the state of Rio Grande do Sul) usually have chimarrão in the morning, as breakfast, and every weekend, while walking in the parks of the city. You have to try it!

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    Three Kisses: if a person...
  • Tip Rating:
    • Julie_B
  • By Julie_B on September 13, 2002
  • Porto Alegre Page by Julie_B
    • Three Kisses: if a person greets you and kisses you three times, alternating cheeks, don't be alarmed! This is a commom way of meeting people, act naturally. Attention: women kiss on the cheek, men kiss women on the cheek but men don't kiss other men, they shake hands.

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    Chimarrão:It's a typical drink...
  • Tip Rating:
    • Julie_B
  • Updated By Julie_B on September 13, 2002
  • Porto Alegre Page by Julie_B
    • Porto Alegre Local Customs
    by Julie_B
    Chimarrão:It's a typical drink in Rio Grande do Sul that tastes like tea. Chimarrão is served in a 'cuia', which is made from the shell of a native plant of the region, the 'porongo'. Inside the 'cuia' is placed ground erva-mate leaves, and a steel straw called the 'bomba'. After the erva-mate is put inside the cuia, hot water is poured inside to make the chimarrão.The drink is served very hot and drunk through the 'bomba'.

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    Churrasco: The traditional...
  • Tip Rating:
    • Julie_B
  • By Julie_B on September 13, 2002
  • Porto Alegre Page by Julie_B
    • Porto Alegre Local Customs
    by Julie_B
    Churrasco: The traditional Gaucho barbecue, is a generic name for various cuts of meat made from cattle or. sheep. These meats are flavoured with thick salt and cooked on charcoal fire. Initially eaten on farms, it has spread throughout the country to become the main menu in specialized restaurants - the churrascarias.

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    Another picture of a cold...
  • Tip Rating:
    • janaina
  • By janaina on September 8, 2002
  • Porto Alegre Page by janaina
    • Porto Alegre Local Customs
    by janaina
    Another picture of a cold sunny day at the Guaiba river promenade.These guys are my parents,my mom is holding her CHIMARRAO,a kind of hot drink made of a native and bitter herb,and prepared in a CUIA,a kind of wood bowl.Just as a curiosity,i added a recipe in the travelogue about how to prepare a good CHIMARRAO..only 4 steps,it's easy!

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    I don't know if it's a...
  • Tip Rating:
    • janaina
  • Updated By janaina on September 8, 2002
  • Porto Alegre Page by janaina
    • Porto Alegre Local Customs
    by janaina
    I don't know if it's a cultural tip or off the beaten path..think both..in the MARIO QUINTANA CULTURAL CENTER or in the IAB CULTURAL CENTER(INSTITUTE OF THE BRAZILIAN ARCHITETS)there are many nice and interesting expositions with some young talents from the university.I have to show you some pictures of my good friend,SUZIENE DAVID,who study arts and will be a professional photografer.She just shows,in the b&w pictures,a little of the typical faces of our people.Suziene also helped me since the begining of my studies making with me a lot of pictures of interesting houses or historical sites to use in my project..here is an atribute for her work..i had her approval for it,by the way..

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    MARIO QUINTANA CULTURAL...
  • Tip Rating:
    • janaina
  • By janaina on September 8, 2002
  • Porto Alegre Page by janaina
    • Porto Alegre Local Customs
    by janaina
    MARIO QUINTANA CULTURAL CENTER:Mario Quintana was a very famous writer and poet from Porto Alegre.He lived all his life in a hotel called MAJESTIC.After he died,the building was restored and became the MARIO QUINTANA CULTURAL CENTER.It's a great place with nice cool performances,many from the students of the theater and art school from the university.There's a nice cofee shop in the lobby with great happyhours..

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    METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL:the...
  • Tip Rating:
    • janaina
  • By janaina on September 8, 2002
  • Porto Alegre Page by janaina
    • Porto Alegre Local Customs
    by janaina
    METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL:the cathedral had its foundation stone laid in 1921.the dome,with 75m in height and 18m in diameter,is one of the tallest in the world.
    The three mosaic panels on the facade were made at the vatican's worshop.The pictures show the cathedral beauty inside and the entrance..

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    This is the famous 'LACADOR'...
  • Tip Rating:
    • janaina
  • Updated By janaina on September 8, 2002
  • Porto Alegre Page by janaina
    • Porto Alegre Local Customs
    by janaina
    This is the famous 'LACADOR' statue,a symbol of south Brazil(the 'gaucho',means,the simple original men from the south,as the american cowboys...)
    The statue is located in the free way,5 minutes away from the airport..

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    Overview
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    Tourist Traps
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    Local Customs
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