A bump in the road...

Yesterday, I hit a major bump in the road in one of the most important relationships in my life.  Why don't I just start from the beginning...

As you all know, I am your most ardent Brasilophile.  One of the things I have missed most from my summer in the tropics is the food.  So I have set myself about the task of learning how to create many of the culinary delights I so enjoyed during my time in Brazil.  My most recent attempt was cooking "Carne Seca com Abobora" - which is basically salt-cured, shredded beef accompanied by pumpkin puree.  This is a relatively simple task that takes quite a bit of time.  You take a big hunk of beef, brine it for 24 hours, then dump piles of sea salt on and leave it on very, very low heat in the oven overnight.  Then, once it's all dried out, you partially de-salt it in cold water for a couple of hours, break it apart into shreads, and sautee it with onions and olive oil.  Since we don't have the right pumpkins here, I roasted a calabasa squash and a few garlic cloves, then pureed them in the food processor with a dab of coconut milk (optional).

And it turned out de. lish. us.

Anyway, as i was breaking apart the big hunk of beef into shreds, my darling pooch went to the door and whined until I took her out (yes, we've made great strides in house training).  I clasped her retractable leash on her collar and we sprung down the steps into the parking lot, en route to the pet-potty area.

As we did so, we came upon a small band of small latino men who were at my complex for the afternoon to trim the shrubs and cut the grass.  One of these gents had parked himself on the curb where he was enjoying his lunch.

And Miss Fern was not happy.

For the first time ever, rather than springing toward the human, she paused, stared with consternation, and growelled... the hair standing up on her back.  My dog has shown affection for men, women, black people, white people... but when she sees a Latino man, she bares her teeth.  This stands in stark contrast to her daddy, who is compelled to bare something else altogether when presented with a strapping young Latino.  My first thought was: will she do this when Wendel comes to visit???  Do I really have a racist dog?  I mean, here I am, spending my day attempting to prepare a classic dish from the largest country in Latin America... and my dog has sent a clear message that she rejects the Latin American man.  What to do?

Alas, only time will tell.  But for now... I love my racist dog.

Comments

[Michelle]

maybe she's not racist but felt that they could be up to no good? Maybe she was protecting you. :-) I don't think precious Fern is prejudice. She's adorable btw. :-)