The 77-year-old left-wing leader said that he doesn’t enjoy food at official state dinners because “everything is tiny and restricted,” according to the Brazilian outlet O Globo.
“There isn’t a big tray for you to choose and get what you want. It’s that little bit that you eat,” said Lula. “I honestly can’t get used to this. I need quantity. It may be gluttony on my part, but I like quantity.”
The Brazilian president told his listeners that he misses traditional Brazilian recipes such as “rabada or galinhada” when traveling abroad. “Outside Brazil you don’t find these things very often. Everything there is very sophisticated. And sometimes we don’t even know what it is,” he said.
Lula added that his country’s diplomatic service pushed back against his request to serve feijoada — a black bean and pork stew — at state dinners.
Lula will be visiting Brussels soon, for a high-stakes summit between the EU and South American and Caribbean countries where the Mercosur trade deal will be up for discussion.
Wonder what he’s going to make of moules and frites.
Dining and Cooking