The Bauru Sandwich

Our second week in Bauru was a calmer, but just as enjoyable version of the first. Two weeks is the longest I’ve ever been away from home (home being wherever the bed I own is, although my real home will forever be Oklahoma) and I was both excited and nervous to be spending my longest yet trip in a typically non-tourist location. By the second week, we really started to feel a little bit like locals.
We kicked off the week finally getting our hands on the popular Bauru sandwich, which is probably the first thing you’ll read about if you google to “Bauru”, the city coming up second and in far less detail.

Although it’s not as common to sandwiches for lunch in Brazil as it is in the states, Tom’s ever generous coworkers took us to Skinão – home of the original Bauru recipe. We saw a lot more of these sandwiches on menus in Rio de Janiero than in Bauru, and the recipes differed greatly – often featuring a fried egg. But the original recipe is simple and delicious with crusty brad, savory beef, cheese and tangy pickles.

We had them with fresh juices (passion fruit for me, pineapple mint for Tom) – no sodas or fries. A perfectly fulfilling lunch, with what felt like an American twist.

Highlights of the rest of the week included a concert by Brazilian musician Thamires Tannous. Another of Tom’s coworkers invited us to tag along with him and his friends to the show at a venue that apparently has a free concert every Wednesday. Going to shows is something we enjoy back home. Although we didn’t understand a word of the songs, music is pretty universal, and we had a great night.
Friday, before leaving, we went to Centro for lunch and some shopping, a bustling city center with shops, kiosks and restaurants. Leaving was hard. We were only in Bauru for ten days, but the people were so amazing and the town so calm and interesting that we felt a part of a community by the time we had to say goodbye. Luckily, there will be opportunities to return in the years to come.