All photos by the author
SÃO PAULO—Thematic food is kind of ridiculous. There is a difference, however, between an enormous corporation trying to find marketable ways to squeeze more money out of its customers and small businessman naively trying something new to expand his customer base.The majority of Americans may not understand how big the World Cup is for Brazilians, but there are some that Americans do.Take the people at McDonald's, for instance. Never afraid to elbow their way in front of large TV audiences, McDonald's locations in Brazil have featured a special menu with internationally inspired dishes like McArgentina, McGermany, McBrazil, McUSA, and so on, every four years since the 2002 World Cup.
Tuesday is Mexico Day. Sausage, Doritos (yes, Doritos), guacamole, chile con carne, and a red chilli to top it off. Olé!
Traditionally in São Paulo, Wednesday is the day the popular restaurants serve one of Brazil's signature dishes: feijoada. It consists of a big black bean stew with all kinds of pork's nastier bits served with fried kale, white rice, manioc flour, and hot sauce. This guy managed to cram all that in a yellow and green hot dog bun.
Thursday is Italy's time to shine. Polpetone filled with mozzarella cheese, "Italian Sauce," and basil. Simple. Elegant.
Friday, head on over to the Land of the Rising Sun with this Japanese-inspired hot dog featuring an egg roll, sukiyaki, tare sauce, and sesame seeds.
Saturday: Germany! That is green mayo, German-style sausage, pickles, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, caramelized onions, and brown mustard. Guten tag!
Sunday is all Argentina, all the time. Garlic mayo, sausage, vinaigrette, yellow bell peppers, and a little chimichurri sauce.Which one of these healthy dogs do you want to get your mits on?***VICE Sports correspondent Pedro Moreira lives in Brazil and will be providing colorful updates for all of us to enjoy throughout the World Cup.
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One hot dog stand owner and entrepreneur took the challenge of making "national" hot dogs inspired by the cuisines of different countries. He's even gone so far as to set up shop close to the brand-spanking-new Arena Corinthians Stadium, the site of all of São Paulo's World Cup games.Meet the World Cup Hot Dogs in their awfully bright-colored-hot-dog-bun glory. If you have any respect for the traditional culinary cultures, I recommend you stop reading right now.***Monday is United States Day. This cardiac-event-waiting-to-happen is comprised of sausage, mustard, mayo, coleslaw, cheddar cheese (the orange, radioactive kind), and barbecue sauce. That this isn't available at a baseball stadium in the Lower 48 is a mystery.
Tuesday is Mexico Day. Sausage, Doritos (yes, Doritos), guacamole, chile con carne, and a red chilli to top it off. Olé!
Traditionally in São Paulo, Wednesday is the day the popular restaurants serve one of Brazil's signature dishes: feijoada. It consists of a big black bean stew with all kinds of pork's nastier bits served with fried kale, white rice, manioc flour, and hot sauce. This guy managed to cram all that in a yellow and green hot dog bun.
Thursday is Italy's time to shine. Polpetone filled with mozzarella cheese, "Italian Sauce," and basil. Simple. Elegant.
Friday, head on over to the Land of the Rising Sun with this Japanese-inspired hot dog featuring an egg roll, sukiyaki, tare sauce, and sesame seeds.
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Saturday: Germany! That is green mayo, German-style sausage, pickles, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, caramelized onions, and brown mustard. Guten tag!
Sunday is all Argentina, all the time. Garlic mayo, sausage, vinaigrette, yellow bell peppers, and a little chimichurri sauce.Which one of these healthy dogs do you want to get your mits on?***VICE Sports correspondent Pedro Moreira lives in Brazil and will be providing colorful updates for all of us to enjoy throughout the World Cup.