I can barely believe it, but I have already been in Brazil for nearly a week. In that time, I have done multiple reports and made numerous posts to Facebook and Twitter, cataloging some of Rio de Janeiro’s most iconic sights and elaborate Olympic venues.
But nothing has gained as much attention as a seemingly innocuous Tweet about a Brazilian culinary staple.
My first coxinha! It’s like a chicken hush puppy … and it’s delicious. (That’s @Dave_Schwartz photobombing) pic.twitter.com/cF5jlm8I8b
— Matt Pearl (@MattPearl11) August 3, 2016
On Wednesday, a large group of us went on a day-long tour of the city, and midway through we stopped at the famous Selaron Steps. As we wrapped up and awaited our buses, one of my colleagues began talking with a Rio resident and pointed at an item in her hand from a street vendor.
It was a coxinha.
I had no idea what a coxinha was, but my colleague described it as a chicken hush puppy. Then she started passing it around.
I had to try … and I’m glad it did, because it was delicious. Within minutes, I posted the proof of my culinary victory to Twitter. It received a few likes and re-Tweets but quickly sank into the ether, like nearly every other Tweet, never to surface again.
Except it did.